Reuters World News Summary

09/03/2016 8:58

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Defiant Merkel says refugees not taking away benefits from Germans

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose conservative party faces possible defeat in an election in her home state on Sunday, rejected charges by anti-immigrant critics that her government was spending less on Germans due to a large influx of refugees. In an interview published in Saturday's edition of Bild newspaper, Merkel also strongly defended her decision, one year ago this weekend, to open the door to hundreds of thousands of refugees mostly fleeing conflicts in the Middle East.

Uzbekistan buries President Islam Karimov

Islam Karimov, president of Uzbekistan for the past quarter of a century, was buried in his home city of Samarkand on Saturday, leaving behind a power vacuum in a nation that serves as a bulwark against militant Islam in Central Asia. Karimov, who was 78, died from a stroke. After a funeral rite in Samarkand's ancient Registan square attended by hundreds of men - some of whom were in tears - his body was buried at the city's Shah-i-Zinda cemetery, two attendees told Reuters.

Philippines probes militant bomb link as Duterte declares 'state of lawlessness'

Philippines' President Rodrigo Duterte declared on Saturday a nationwide "state of lawlessness" after a bombing police believe was orchestrated by Muslim militants killed 14 people in his home city during his weekend visit there. Duterte, the crime-busting mayor of Davao for more than two decades, said the blast late on Friday at a market outside a high-end hotel had intensified what was already an "extraordinary time" in the Philippines.

China, Turkey pledge to deepen counter-terrorism cooperation

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan agreed on Saturday to deepen counter-terror cooperation, as the two set aside previous disagreements over China's treatment of a Turkic-speaking Muslim minority. Hundreds, possibly thousands, of Uighurs keen to escape unrest in China's western Xinjiang region have traveled clandestinely via Southeast Asia to Turkey, where many see themselves as sharing religious and cultural ties.

EU, Turkey test waters for tentative rapprochement after failed coup

Turkey's European Union Affairs Minister Omer Celik said on Saturday his meeting with the bloc's 28 foreign ministers had resulted in a "very strong consensus" that they should work more closely after ties soured over a failed coup in Ankara. Celik, speaking via translation, expressed Turkey's strong disappointment with the EU's initial reaction to the failed military coup in July. But he also told reporters after his talks with EU ministers on Saturday:

South Korea's president calls on Russia, others, to pressure Pyongyang over nuclear program

South Korean President Park Geun-hye called on Russia and other major global players on Saturday to increase pressure on North Korea to abandon its nuclear program which could open the road for cooperation with Pyongyang. "If we cannot prevent (North Korea's) development of nuclear weapons, the nuclear threat will become a reality soon," Park told a business forum attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinz Abe in the Russian Far East city of Vladivostok.

U.S., China ratify Paris climate deal, setting stage for G20

China and the United States ratified the Paris deal to cut climate-warming emissions on Saturday, marking a major step toward the enactment of the pact as early as the end of the year and setting the stage for other countries to follow suit. The world's two biggest emitters of greenhouse gases made the landmark announcement as heads of state from the Group of 20 biggest economies, or G20, arrived for a summit in the city of Hangzhou, parts of which resembled a ghost town as Chinese security locked down the area.

Turkish tanks cross in Syria from Kilis province: Dogan agency

Turkish tanks crossed into northern Syria from Kilis province on Saturday, while howitzers pounded Islamic State positions in the area, Dogan news agency said. The tanks crossed the border near the Turkish village of Cobanbey, which lies across from the Syrian village of al Rai, Dogan said.

Obama says will have candid talks in China

U.S. President Barack Obama told his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Saturday that they would be having candid talks on issues like human rights and maritime issues. Obama and Xi were meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou.

India shelves plan to expand French submarine order after data breach

India is unlikely to give French naval contractor DCNS a proposed order for three new submarines, in addition to the six it is already building in the country, following the leak of secret data about its capabilities, Indian defense officials said. Details of the Scorpene submarine were published in the Australian newspaper last month, triggering concerns that it had become vulnerable even before it was ready to enter service.

09/03/2016 8:58