Reuters World News Summary

09/03/2016 19:54

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Philippines blames IS-linked Abu Sayyaf for bomb in Duterte's Davao

Philippine police blamed Islamic State-linked rebels on Saturday for a bombing that killed 14 people in President Rodrigo Duterte's hometown and dealt a blow to the firebrand leader's bloody crackdown on narcotics and militancy. Investigators said Abu Sayyaf, a southern Philippine group notorious for acts of piracy, kidnappings and beheadings, had claimed responsibility for Friday's night bombing at a Davao street market, although police said they were still trying to authenticate the claim.

Anti-immigrant party poised for huge win in German state election

The anti-immigrant Alternative for Deutschland (AfD) party is expected by polls to make huge gains in the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state election on Sunday, reflecting a growing discontent with Chancellor Angela Merkel and her open-door refugee policy. The election, taking place exactly a year after Merkel's decision to open Germany's borders to hundreds of thousands of refugees will be followed by another key vote in Berlin in two weeks and national elections next September.

Libyan forces report further progress against Islamic State holdouts in Sirte

Libyan forces said they had advanced against some of Islamic State's last holdouts in Sirte on Saturday as fighting resumed after several days of relative calm. The forces, which are aligned with Libya's U.N.-backed government, launched their campaign to recapture the city in May and have been aided by dozens of U.S. air strikes since the beginning of August.

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.

Tension eases in Gabon capital after riots over disputed election

Tension eased in Gabon's capital on Saturday after days of deadly rioting triggered by an announcement that President Ali Bongo narrowly won re-election in a vote the opposition said was stolen. More than 1,000 others were arrested in the protests that began on Wednesday and the opposition, led by Jean Ping who claims he is now president, said five people also died.

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

China and the United States ratified the Paris agreement 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.

Venezuela's Maduro jeered, dozens briefly detained: activists

Venezuelan authorities briefly rounded up more than 30 people on Margarita island for heckling President Nicolas Maduro, activists said on Saturday, in what appeared to be a rare public confrontation with the unpopular leader. Videos published by activists, purportedly from the Margarita locality of Villa Rosa on Friday night, show scores of people banging pots and pans and jeering their president during a visit to inspect state housing projects.

Mother Teresa to be made saint at Vatican ceremony

Mother Teresa of Calcutta, a Nobel peace laureate known as the "saint of the gutters" during her lifetime, will be made a saint of the Roman Catholic Church on Sunday. More than 100,000 pilgrims are expected to attend a service led by Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican to honor the tiny nun who worked among the world's neediest in the slums of the Indian city now known as Kolkata.

Obama presses China's Xi on South China Sea ahead of G20

U.S. President Barack Obama on Saturday pressed his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on territorial disputes in the South China Sea, urging Beijing to uphold its legal obligations and stressing the United States' commitments to its regional allies. Tensions over the disputed waters between China and its neighbors were expected to hang over the G20 summit, which opens in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou on Sunday.

09/03/2016 19:54