Reuters World News Summary

09/10/2016 19:54

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

U.S., Russia clinch Syria deal, aim for truce from Monday

The United States and Russia hailed a breakthrough deal on Saturday to put Syria's peace process back on track, including a nationwide truce effective from sundown on Monday, improved humanitarian aid access and joint military targeting of banned Islamist groups. "Today, Sergei Lavrov and I, on behalf of our presidents and our countries, call on every Syrian stakeholder to support the plan that the United States and Russia have reached, to ... bring this catastrophic conflict to the quickest possible end through a political process," U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told a news conference after marathon talks in the Swiss city.

Israel attacks Syrian post after stray shell crosses border

Israeli aircraft attacked a Syrian artillery post on Saturday after a stray shell from fighting in Syria's civil war landed inside the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, Israel's military said. The shell landed just across the border, causing no injuries, and in retaliation the air force targeted "artillery positions of the Syrian regime," the military said.

South Korea says North's nuclear capability 'speeding up', calls for action

South Korea said on Saturday that North Korea's nuclear capability is expanding fast, echoing alarm around the world over the isolated state's fifth and biggest nuclear test, carried out in defiance of U.N. sanctions. North Korea conducted the test on Friday and said it had mastered the ability to mount a warhead on a ballistic missile, ratcheting up a threat that rivals and the United Nations have been powerless to contain.

France's Sarkozy outlines measures to get tough on militants- report

France needs to get tough on militants by creating special courts and detention facilities to boost security, the country's former President Nicolas Sarkozy said in a interview published in Sunday newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche (JDD). The French capital was once again put on high alert last Sunday after a car loaded with gas cylinders was found near Notre Dame cathedral in an incident that could have been an attack on a Paris railway station.

Mexicans march against president's proposal allowing same sex marriage

Tens of thousands of people across Mexico marched on Saturday to protest against gay marriage, challenging President Enrique Pena Nieto's proposal to recognize same-sex marriage throughout the traditionally conservative country. The marches were called by the National Front for the Family, a coalition of civil society organizations and various religious groups, and were expected to continue throughout the day from Mexico's far north to the Yucatan peninsula.

U.S.-Russian Syria peace deal raises rebel doubts as fighting rages

The United States and Russia reached a breakthrough deal early on Saturday to try to restore peace in Syria, but air strikes hours later on a busy market place that killed and injured dozens added to rebels' doubts that any ceasefire could hold. The agreement, by the powers that back opposing sides in the five-year-old war, promises a nationwide truce from sundown on Monday, improved access for humanitarian aid and joint military targeting of hardline Islamist groups.

With eye on West, Belarus votes in slightly freer election

Lawmakers loyal to hardline Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko look set to retain power in an election on Sunday, but the easing of restrictions on opposition candidates could help the ex-Soviet nation further improve ties with the West. The opposition, which has not been represented in the 110-seat parliament since 1996, is not expected to win any seats, but in a concession to Western calls for greater transparency its contenders have been able to register more easily. External monitors will also be given access to the vote count.

Venezuela opposition says blocked from meeting near summit

The leader of Venezuela's opposition-led parliament accused President Nicolas Maduro's government on Saturday of blocking legislators from Margarita island for a session alongside this week's Non-Aligned Movement summit. "The government prohibited sea and air carriers from transporting us," National Assembly president Henry Ramos said via Twitter, amid a controversial build-up to the Sept. 13-18 meeting of the 120-nation bloc of mainly developing nations.

Explosions in and around Baghdad kill 12: police, medical sources

Five explosions in and around Baghdad killed at least 12 people on Saturday and wounded 27 others, police and medical sources said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Islamic State regularly targets civilian areas and security forces in the capital.

Bangladesh factory fire kills 23, injures dozens more

A fire at a food and cigarette packaging factory in Bangladesh killed at least 23 people and injured dozens on Saturday, in the country's worst industrial accident since the Rana Plaza building collapse of 2013 in which over 1,100 people died. Emergency officials feared the death toll could climb after a fire broke out in the Tongi industrial zone about 20 km (12 miles) north of the capital, Dhaka.

09/10/2016 19:54