Reuters World News Summary
Following is a summary of current world news briefs.
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.
Top Saudi cleric says Iran leaders not Muslims as haj row mounts
Saudi Arabia's top religious authority said Iran's leaders were not Muslims, drawing a rebuke from Tehran in an unusually harsh exchange between the regional rivals over the running of the annual haj pilgrimage. The war of words on the eve of the mass pilgrimage will deepen a long-running rift between the Sunni kingdom and the Shi'ite revolutionary power. They back opposing sides in Syria's civil war and a list of other conflicts across the Middle East.
Police hold two after car with gas cylinders found in Paris
A car, whose owner is on an intelligence services watchlist of people suspected of religious radicalization, was discovered near Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris on Saturday night with seven gas cylinders inside, police and judicial officials said on Wednesday. The car owner was taken into custody but later released, one judicial official said. A couple, aged 34 and 29, were arrested at a motorway lay-by on Tuesday in southern France in connection with the incident and remained in custody, the official said.
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.
British PM May says will not reveal hand on Brexit prematurely
Britain must take time to consider what its post-Brexit relationship with the European Union will look like and will not reveal its hand ahead of time, Prime Minister Theresa May said on Wednesday. "I know many people are keen to see rapid progress and to understand what post-Brexit Britain will look like. We are getting on with that vital work but we must also think through the issues in a sober and considered way," she told parliament.
Fighting in Syria's Hama province displaces 100,000: U.N.
Fighting in Syria's western Hama province displaced an estimated 100,000 people between Aug. 28 and Sept. 5, the United Nations said on Wednesday, citing the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and the governor of the province. Syrian rebels launched an offensive last week in northern Hama, an area of strategic importance to President Bashar al-Assad that is home to loyalist towns populated by minority Christians and Alawites. Rebels rapidly captured the town of Halfaya. Pro-Assad forces have hit back with heavy air strikes.
Austria threatens to sue Hungary over migrants
Austria's interior minister threatened on Wednesday to sue Hungary if it refused to take back migrants who had crossed their shared border, as political tensions mounted over immigration before presidential elections. Austria's government, facing a challenge from the far-right Freedom Party, has repeatedly accused Hungary of letting migrants enter its territory in the face of EU rules that asylum seekers must stay in the first country they enter in the bloc.
Turkey ready to join U.S. in capturing Syrian city from Islamic State: Erdogan
U.S. President Barack Obama floated the idea of joint action with Turkey to capture the Syrian city of Raqqa from Islamic State, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said in remarks published on Wednesday. Ankara would not object, Erdogan said.
Tensions over South China Sea belie summit cordiality
The Philippines said on Wednesday it was "gravely concerned" that Chinese boats were preparing to build structures at a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, shattering an appearance of cordiality at an Asian summit in Laos. Officials said talks between Southeast Asian leaders and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang went smoothly. There was no reference during the talks to a recent ruling by an arbitration court in The Hague that invalidated China's claims to the waterway and has incensed Beijing.
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, 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.
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