Reuters World News Summary

09/06/2016 19:52

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

U.S. urges Bahrain to free jailed rights campaigner Nabeel Rajab

The United States voiced concern on Tuesday about the detention of leading Bahraini democracy campaigner Nabeel Rajab and called on the Manama government to release him immediately. The call by the U.S. State Department came just two days after The New York Times published a letter by Rajab that said he was facing prosecution for his work exposing human rights abuses in Bahrain and criticizing the war in Yemen.

Suspected Aleppo chlorine attack chokes dozens: rescue workers, monitors

A suspected chlorine gas attack on an opposition-held neighborhood in the Syrian city of Aleppo caused dozens of cases of suffocation on Tuesday, rescue workers and a monitoring group said. The Syrian Civil Defence, a rescue workers' organization which operates in rebel-held areas, said government helicopters had dropped barrel bombs containing chlorine on the Sukari neighborhood in Aleppo's eastern sector.

With Syria 'safe zone' plan, Turkey faces diplomatic balancing act

Turkey will have to strike a balance between the conflicting goals of Russia and the United States if it is to achieve its ambition of a "safe zone" in northern Syria and build on an incursion which gave it control of a thin strip of the border. Turkey has for several years called for world powers to help create a zone to protect civilians in its war-torn southern neighbor, with the dual aim of clearing its border of Islamic State and Kurdish militia fighters and of stemming a wave of migration that has caused tensions with Europe.

Brazil's new government buffeted by pension fund scandal

The government of Brazil's new President Michel Temer scrambled on Tuesday to distance itself from a multibillion-dollar corruption scandal that broke less than a week after he took office, involving fraud in the country's largest pension funds. With the country already reeling from a sprawling bribery and kickback scandal at state oil company Petrobras, the new corruption case could hamper the conservative Temer's efforts to restore credibility and turn the page on the leftist government of impeached President Dilma Rousseff.

U.S. strikes in Yemen kill 13 al Qaeda operatives: U.S. military

The United States killed 13 al Qaeda operatives in three counterterrorism strikes in Yemen from Aug. 24 to Sept. 4, the U.S. military said on Tuesday. All three of the strikes against the al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula targets were conducted in central Yemen's Shabwah Governorate, U.S. Central Command said in a statement. It did not specify how the strikes were carried out or the identities of those killed.

Turkey working with Council of Europe on post-coup prosecutions

A delegation from Turkey's justice ministry has met with the Council of Europe to review European human rights standards and conventions as Ankara prepares to prosecute those it holds responsible for a failed July 15 coup, the head of the CoE said. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu will also meet with other ministers from the 47-nation rights body in Strasbourg, France, on Wednesday, Thorbjorn Jagland, general secretary of the CoE, told Reuters on Tuesday on the sidelines of a conference hosted by the German foreign ministry.

Iran vessel 'harasses,' sails close to U.S. Navy ship in Gulf: U.S. officials

A U.S. Navy coastal patrol ship changed course after a fast-attack craft from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps came within 100 yards (91 meters) of it in the central Gulf on Sunday, U.S. Defense Department officials said on Tuesday. It was at least the fourth such incident in less than a month. U.S. officials are concerned that these actions by Iran could lead to mistakes.

After insult, U.S. and Clinton call for Duterte to show respect

The U.S. State Department and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on Tuesday stressed the need for ties with the Philippines to be based on mutual respect, after Manila's new leader raised worries about the future of the key alliance by calling President Barack Obama a "son of a bitch." Despite U.S. dismay over Duterte's remarks, though, current and former U.S. officials played down the impact, saying they did not expect any serious damage to ties at a time of high tensions over China's extensive territorial claims in Asia.

Afghan police battle holdout gunman after suicide attacks hit Kabul

Afghan security forces sealed off the center of Kabul on Tuesday as they battled gunmen who barricaded themselves inside the offices of an international aid group after a car bomb attack on Monday night. The attack in a prosperous business and residential area of the capital took place just hours after a Taliban suicide attack near the Defence Ministry killed at least 24 people, including a number of senior security officials.

U.N. Security Council condemns North Korea's latest missile launches

The U.N. Security Council strongly on Tuesday condemned North Korea's latest ballistic missile launches, saying they contributed to Pyongyang's development of nuclear weapons capability. North Korea fired three ballistic missiles into the sea off its east coast on Monday, the South Korean and U.S. militaries said, as the leaders of the Group of 20 major economies held a summit in China, the North's main diplomatic ally.

09/06/2016 19:52