Reuters World News Summary

09/08/2016 8:58

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Obama says he doesn't take Duterte's comments personally

U.S. President Barack Obama said on Thursday he had indicated to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte that their teams should meet and that he did not take earlier comments from Duterte personally. Obama said the partnership between the two countries should be consistent with the rule of law and international norms.

Syrian army and allies regain important Aleppo district: monitor

Syria's army and its allies have regained control over the whole Ramousah district of Aleppo, a monitor and pro-government media reported on Thursday, building on an advance last week that reimposed a siege on rebel areas. If sustained, the advance would reverse nearly all the gains rebels made in a sudden push last month, tighten the blockade over rebel-held eastern Aleppo and ease access for the army into government-held western districts through the city's south.

Britain, EU must work together for smooth divorce: PM May

Britain and the European Union must work together to make their divorce smooth and forge a new "strong relationship," Prime Minister Theresa May told European Council President Donald Tusk on Thursday. At their first one-to-one meeting since May became prime minister after Britain voted to leave the European Union at a June 23 referendum, Tusk said the British leader should start the formal procedure to leave the bloc as soon as possible.

Nine Yemeni civilians, four of them children, killed in air strike: residents

At least nine civilians, including four children, were killed on Thursday in an air strike by the Saudi-led coalition on a residential building north of the Yemeni capital Sanaa, residents said. At least five other people were injured in the attack early on Thursday on the three-story apartment building in the Amran provincial capital, Amran city, north of Sanaa, they said.

France's Hollande gives clearest hint at quest for second term

President Francois Hollande said on Thursday he would not let France's image deteriorate "over the coming months or coming years," his clearest indication yet that he intends to run for a second term in office next year. In an hour-long speech on "democracy and terrorism," Hollande, a Socialist, took a swipe at his right-wing opponents, saying their hardline reactions to a wave of militant attacks demonstrated an intent to destroy France's social model.

U.S., Turkey see key role for local Syrian forces in Raqqa offensive: Pentagon

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter and his Turkish counterpart Fikri Isik on Thursday discussed the importance of local forces being at the center of any effort to retake the Syrian city of Raqqa from Islamic State, the Pentagon said. "The secretary and minister discussed Turkey's recent successes against ISIL in northern Syria, and Carter assured Isik of the United States' continued support for Turkey's efforts to clear ISIL from its borders," the Pentagon said in a statement after a meeting in London.

Britain to deploy up to 100 more troops to South Sudan: minister

Up to 100 additional British troops will join U.N. peacekeeping work in South Sudan, the defense minister said on Thursday, taking the total to around 400. Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said the deployment, which supplements the 300 British personnel already in the region, could help reduce the number of migrants fleeing poverty and war in Africa and the Middle East from traveling to western Europe.

Second couple arrested after car with gas cylinders found in Paris: judicial source

French police investigating the discovery of a car packed with gas cylinders near Notre Dame cathedral in Paris have arrested a second couple and also established that the vehicle contained three jerry cans of diesel fuel, a judicial source said. The discovery last Saturday night of the Peugeot 607 loaded with seven gas cylinders, six of them full, triggered an inquiry by counter-terrorism experts in a country where more than 200 people have died in attacks over the past year and a half.

West Bank court rules against holding local Palestinian elections

The Palestinian high court in Ramallah has ruled that municipal elections scheduled for Oct. 8 cannot go ahead after a dispute over party lists and the inability to hold the vote in East Jerusalem, which is annexed by Israel. The elections would have been the first democratic exercise in the Palestinian territories in a decade. They were being seen as a proxy vote on the popularity of President Mahmoud Abbas and his Fatah party versus the Islamist movement Hamas.

As Obama caps years of Asia 'pivot', regional tensions smolder

Barack Obama defended his efforts to 'rebalance' U.S. foreign policy toward Asia on Thursday even as he wound up the final visit of his presidency to the region with the South China Sea dispute still smoldering. Obama's trip to Asia began and ended on awkward notes.

09/08/2016 8:58