Reuters World News Summary

09/11/2016 19:52

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Bridge to nowhere shows China's failed efforts to engage North Korea

Towering above the murky waters, the New Yalu River Bridge was supposed to symbolize a new era in relations between China and North Korea, helping bring investment to landmark free trade zones jointly run with the impoverished and isolated state. Costing 2.2 billion yuan ($330 million) and partially completed last year, the dual-carriageway bridge today sits abandoned, the impressive border post on the Chinese side deserted and locked, not a soul to be seen.

Syria rebels guardedly agree on truce but battles persist

Government troops and insurgents fought in several parts of Syria on Sunday, apparently seeking to strengthen their positions on the eve of a ceasefire that Free Syrian Army rebels said they would observe but with major reservations. The Free Syrian Army groups wrote to the United States on Sunday about the deal it agreed on with Russia, saying that while they would "cooperate positively" with the ceasefire, they were concerned it would benefit the government.

Ethnic tensions, Taliban attacks pose traps for Afghan leader

Taliban advances and a shootout between gunmen from rival ethnic groups in Kabul that carried echoes of Afghanistan's 1990s civil war have underlined the threats facing President Ashraf Ghani two years after he came to power. The skirmish earlier this month in the capital, sparked by a row over plans to re-bury a former Tajik king, was relatively minor by Afghan standards, but also a rare open display of hostility between ethnic groups that often simmers under the surface yet defines decades of conflict.

France arrests 15-year-old boy for planning 'imminent' Paris attack: sources

A 15-year-old boy has been arrested in Paris suspected of preparing imminent "violent action," two judicial sources said, the second alleged plot with links to Islamic State discovered in France this week. Last Sunday, a car loaded with gas cylinders was found near Notre Dame cathedral and jerry cans of diesel, leading to the discovery of a plot to attack a Paris railway station under the direction of Islamic State. Seven people, including four women, were arrested.

Drones keep watch as pilgrims move to haj's final stages

Saudi authorities deployed drones to watch over nearly 2 million pilgrims as they descended Mount Arafat on Sunday and entered the haj's final stages, part of stepped-up efforts to avoid a repeat of last year's crush amid an escalating war of words with Iran. Last year, in one of the deadliest disasters to befall the annual Muslim rite in decades, the crush killed nearly 800 pilgrims, according to Riyadh, although counts by countries of repatriated bodies showed over 2,000 people may have died, more than 400 of them Iranians.

With eye on West, Belarus holds slightly freer election

Lawmakers loyal to hardline Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko retained power in an election on Sunday, but the opposition's win of a seat for the first time in 20 years 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, were not expected to gain any seats, but in a concession to Western calls for greater transparency its candidates had been able to register more easily. External monitors were also given access to the vote count.

Saudi-led coalition raids kill at least 21 in Yemen: residents

At least 21 civilians were killed in two separate air strikes by the Saudi-led coalition in northern Yemen on Saturday, residents said on Sunday, as fighting intensified in the country before the Muslim Eid al-Adha feast. At least 15 civilians were killed when war planes struck workers drilling for water in the Beit Saadan area of the Arhab district north of Sanaa, and 20 people were wounded, residents in the area, controlled by Iran-allied Houthi forces, said.

Conservatives take lead in Croatia election

The conservative Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) was on track to win the most seats in Sunday's parliamentary elections but the country looked set for lengthy coalition horsetrading after voters once again declined to return a clear governing majority. With 60 percent of votes counted, the HDZ had 61 seats, pushing the Social Democrats into second place with 54, but were still short of a majority in the 151-seat parliament even with the support of Most ("Bridge"), the likely kingmaker party.

North Korea ready for another nuclear test: Yonhap

North Korea has completed preparations for another nuclear test, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported on Monday, citing South Korean government sources who said the North may use a previously unused tunnel at its mountainous test site. Pyongyang on Friday set off its most powerful nuclear blast to date, saying it had mastered the ability to mount a warhead on a ballistic missile and ratcheting up a threat that its rivals and the United Nations have been powerless to contain.

Turkey removes two dozen elected mayors in Kurdish militant crackdown

Turkey appointed new administrators in two dozen Kurdish-run municipalities on Sunday after removing their elected mayors over suspected links to militants, triggering pockets of protest in its volatile southeastern region bordering Syria and Iraq. Police fired water cannon and tear gas to disperse demonstrators outside local government buildings in Suruc on the Syrian border as new administrators took over, security sources said. There were smaller protests elsewhere in the town.

09/11/2016 19:52