Reuters World News Summary

08/15/2016 19:53

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Kidnappers abduct group from restaurant in Mexican tourist resort

Armed men kidnapped a group of people from a restaurant in the heart of Mexico's major Pacific tourist resort of Puerto Vallarta early on Monday morning, the state attorney general's office said. Puerto Vallarta, in the state of Jalisco, is one of Mexico's top vacation destinations, luring all-inclusive tourists and high-end sunseekers to its beaches. The state is also home to the Jalisco New Generation cartel, which has become one of the country's most powerful drug gangs in recent years.

Pentagon announces single largest transfer of Guantanamo inmates

U.S. officials said on Monday 15 inmates from the Guantanamo prison were transferred to the United Arab Emirates, the single largest transfer of Guantanamo detainees during President Barack Obama's administration. The transfer of the 12 Yemeni and three Afghan citizens brings the total number of detainees down to 61 at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Most have been held without charge or trial for more than a decade, drawing international condemnation.

'We owe you so much,' Kosovo to tell Biden as street named after late son

On a busy road in Kosovo, brand new signs have been put up ahead of a visit by U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, showing the 35-km route in the southeast of the small Balkan nation that has been renamed after his late son Beau. Naming streets after U.S. officials is becoming something of a tradition in Kosovo, whose population is mainly ethnic Albanian and which considers the United States its savior since 1999 NATO air strikes halted killings by Serbian troops.

Turkish police raid Istanbul courthouses, more officers detained

Turkish police raided the country's biggest courthouse and two other halls of justice in Istanbul on Monday, detaining dozens of judicial personnel as part of their investigation into last month's attempted military coup. The raid on the Palace of Justice, which has hosted some of Turkey's most important trials, was a powerful symbol of a post-coup crackdown that has purged Turkey's military, law-and-order, education and justice systems since the failed putsch.

Air strike on Yemen hospital kills at least seven: residents, officials

A Saudi-led coalition air strike hit a hospital in Yemen's northern Hajja province on Monday, residents and local officials said, killing at least seven people and wounding 13. A Reuters witness at the scene of the attack in the Abs district said medics could not immediately evacuate the wounded because war planes continued to fly over the area and first responders feared more bombings.

Man shot by police after opening fire in Belgian city Ghent: media

An unidentified man opened fire in the center of the Belgian city of Ghent on Monday before being shot by police, local media reported. Ghent public prosecutors confirmed there had been a shooting in the city center at around 6:30 p.m. (1630 GMT), but declined to say how many people were involved, whether the gunman was being held or whether the incident was related to terrorism.

Russia says close to joint military action with U.S. in Aleppo: agencies

Russia and the United States are close to starting joint military action against militants in Syria's Aleppo, Russian news agencies on Monday quoted Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu as saying. Fighting for control of the divided city of some 2 million people has intensified in recent weeks and there have been some gains for rebel groups battling Syrian government forces.

Venezuelan President's approval rating falls to nine-month low

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's approval rating fell to a nine-month low of 21.2 percent in July amid calls from government critics for a recall referendum next year, according to a local pollster Datanalisis. The poll of 1,000 people, conducted July 13-21, also showed more than three-quarters of those surveyed disapproved of Maduro's tenure, while 93.6 percent saw the country's situation negatively. Only 22.1 percent believed that Maduro should finish his term. Maduro's three-year tenure has been marked by a severe deterioration in the country's economy, with daily lootings and food riots due to shortages of the most basic goods. Triple-digit inflation, a collapse of the local currency on the black market and severe recession have added to the country's woes.

Kurdish forces open new front on Islamic State capital Mosul

Kurdish Peshmerga forces on Monday said they had secured a river crossing point enabling them to open a new front against Islamic State and further tighten their grip on the militants' capital Mosul. Backed by air strikes from the U.S.-led coalition, Kurdish fighters reached Kanhash, the western side of the Gwer bridge, the target of an offensive that started on Sunday.

Angry and THAAD: South Koreans shave heads to protest U.S. missile defense system

About 900 South Koreans shaved their heads on Monday to protest against a government decision to place a missile defense system designed to counter North Korean missile threats, in the southeastern county of Seongju. Tension has run high since North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test in January and followed up with a satellite launch and a string of test launches of missiles.

08/15/2016 19:53