Reuters World News Summary

08/16/2016 19:52

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Rebel French Socialist lawmaker Hamon joins party primary race

Former French education minister Benoit Hamon said on Tuesday he would join the race in the Socialist party's primaries for next year's presidential elections, the latest candidate on the party's left bidding to challenge its pro-business line. Hamon quit President Francois Hollande's government in 2014 only three months after becoming education minister over disagreements about the president's pro-business U-turn. He joins an already crowded field of rebel politicians.

UAE's Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it received 15 Guantanamo inmates

The United Arab Emirates' Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Tuesday it has received 15 detainees from Guantanamo Bay for humanitarian reasons. U.S. officials said on Monday that 12 Yemeni and three Afghan inmates from the Guantanamo prison were transferred to the United Arab Emirates, the single largest transfer of Guantanamo detainees during President Barack Obama's administration.

Exclusive: 'I just want to go home', says first Chibok schoolgirl rescued from Boko Haram

The first of more than 200 abducted Chibok schoolgirls to be rescued from Boko Haram after two years in captivity in northeast Nigeria said on Tuesday in her first interview that she just wants to go home. Amina Ali and her four-month-old baby were rescued in May near Damboa in Borno state by soldiers and a civilian vigilante group, more than two years after being kidnapped by the Islamist militants from a school in Chibok in northeast Nigeria.

Exclusive: Civil war costs Yemen $14 billion in damage and economic losses - report

The cost from damage to infrastructure and economic losses in Yemen's civil war is more than $14 billion so far, according to a confidential report seen by Reuters that highlights the effort needed to rebuild the country, where more than half the population is suffering from malnutrition. "The conflict has so far resulted in damage costs (still partial and incomplete) of almost $7 billion and economic losses (in nominal terms) of over $7.3 billion in relation to production and service delivery," said the May 6 joint report by the World Bank, United Nations, Islamic Development Bank and European Union.

Russia uses Iran as base to bomb Syrian militants for first time

Russia used Iran on Tuesday for the first time as a base from which to launch air strikes against Syrian militants, widening its air campaign in Syria and deepening its involvement in the Middle East. In a move underscoring Moscow's increasingly close ties with Tehran, long-range Russian Tupolev-22M3 bombers and Sukhoi-34 fighter bombers used Iran's Hamadan air base to strike a range of targets in Syria.

Gabon opposition chooses Ping as candidate for August 27 election

Gabon's main opposition parties chose former foreign minister Jean Ping as their candidate in an election on Aug. 27 against President Ali Bongo, who is standing for a second term. Ping, aged 74, is considered one of Africa's foremost diplomats. He has served as chairman of the African Union commission and as president of the U.N. General Assembly.

U.N. chief warns of unprecedented 'catastrophe' in Syria's Aleppo

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned on Tuesday of an unprecedented "humanitarian catastrophe" in Syria's Aleppo and urged Russia and the United States to quickly reach a deal on a ceasefire in the city and elsewhere in the country. Fighting for control of Aleppo, split between its government-held west and rebel-held eastern neighborhoods, has intensified in recent weeks causing hundreds of deaths and depriving many civilians of power, water and vital supplies.

Son of Mexican drug boss 'Chapo' among group abducted at resort

One of Mexican drug lord Joaquin "Chapo" Guzman's sons was among a group of people abducted from a restaurant in the Mexican tourist resort of Puerto Vallarta, the state attorney general said on Tuesday. Jalisco Attorney General Eduardo Almaguer told a news conference that one of Guzman's sons, Alfredo, 29, was among six people abducted by armed men from an upscale eatery in the heart of the Pacific resort town early on Monday.

Brazil justice opens probe against Rousseff, Lula, TV says

A Brazilian Federal Supreme Court justice authorized the opening of an investigation into President Dilma Rousseff and former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva for allegedly obstructing the course of a sweeping corruption probe, GloboNews news channel said on Tuesday. According to GloboNews, without saying how it obtained the information, Prosecutor-general Rodrigo Janot has requested the country's top court, known as STF, permission to open an investigation on Rousseff and Lula. Rousseff will stand impeachment trial on the Senate on Aug. 25 for allegedly doctoring budget accounts.

Putin hints at war in Ukraine but may be seeking diplomatic edge

Ukraine says it thinks Vladimir Putin is planning a new invasion, and it's not hard to see why: the Russian leader has built up troops on its border and resumed the hostile rhetoric that preceded his annexation of Crimea two years ago. But despite appearances, some experts say Putin is more likely seeking advantage through diplomacy than on the battlefield, at least this time around.

08/16/2016 19:52