Reuters World News Summary

08/19/2016 8:55

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

PKK militant group claims responsibility for car bomb attack in eastern Turkey

The militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) on Friday claimed responsibility for a suicide car bomb attack targeting a police station in the eastern Turkish city of Elazig on Thursday, according to a statement on a PKK website. Three officers were killed and 217 people were wounded, 85 of them police officers in the Elazig attack, one of a series bombing blamed on the PKK which killed a total of 10 people within less than 24 hours.

Japan eyes fighter drone, seeks record defense budget amid China assertiveness

Japan aims to develop a prototype drone fighter jet in two decades with private sector help in a technology strategy that focuses on weapons communications and lasers, according to a document seen by Reuters. The plan will be announced this month when the Defense Ministry also unveils its request for a record budget of 5.16 trillion yen ($51 billion) for fiscal 2017, as tension rises in the East China Sea and North Korea steps up its missile threat, government officials with direct knowledge of the matter said.

U.S. says payment to Iran used as leverage for prisoners' release

The U.S. State Department said on Thursday it released $400 million in cash to Iran under a tribunal settlement only once it was assured that American prisoners had been freed and had boarded a plane. "The payment of the $400 million was not done until after the prisoners were released," State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters.

Russia says fires Iskander-M ballistic missile during training exercise

The Russian Defence Ministry said on Friday it had successfully fired a ballistic missile from an advanced Iskander-M mobile launch system as part of a training exercise in the country's Far East. "The missile successfully hit its targets in one of the polygons in the Amur Region, traveling about 300 kilometers (186 miles)," the ministry said in a statement on social media.

Merkel sees no end to EU sanctions against Russia

There is no reason to lift the European Union's sanctions against Russia as Moscow has not fulfilled all of its commitments under an international peace plan, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in an interview published on Friday. Merkel told the RedaktionsNetzwerks Deutschland (RND) that Russia had caused a major crisis by annexing the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea in 2014 and with its support for separatists in eastern Ukraine.

China's Xi says wants to ensure 'correct direction' of Myanmar ties

Chinese President Xi Jinping told Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Friday China wants to ensure relations develop in the "correct direction," as Myanmar activists wrote to Xi saying they want China to address concern about a stalled dam project. China has been on a diplomatic offensive since Suu Kyi's government came to power in April, aiming to forge good ties with its resource-rich neighbor.

Four killed in Palestinian police arrest raid in West Bank

Two Palestinian men sought for possession of weapons and other offenses were killed in a gun battle with Palestinian police in an arrest raid in the town of Nablus in which two officers also died, officials said on Friday. Palestinian security forces have arrested over 100 suspects in the past two months in the Israeli-occupied West Bank in a heightened effort to crack down on crime, Adnan al Damiri, a Palestinian security spokesman said.

Thai police name suspect in deadly blasts, working with Malaysia

Police identified a Thai man on Friday as a suspect in their investigation into attacks that killed four people and wounded dozens in a wave of bombings in Thailand's south a week ago. Deputy national police spokesman Kissana Phatanacharoen identified the suspect as Ahama Lengha from Narathiwat province near Thailand's border with Malaysia.

Kurdish groups capture new positions in Syrian city: official

Syrian Kurdish militia have seized several positions from government forces in the divided city of Hasaka, a Kurdish official said on Friday, expanding their control in one of the heaviest clashes yet between Kurdish groups and the government. The fighting this week led to the first use of Syrian air force jets against Kurdish groups that are a crucial ally of the United States in its fight against Islamic State insurgents. The government has not commented on the fighting.

Ukrainian MP offers more details on alleged payments to Trump campaign chief

A Ukrainian lawmaker on Friday divulged more details of what he said were payments made to Donald Trump's campaign chief in the U.S. presidential race by the political party of the Kremlin-backed former Ukrainian leader Viktor Yanukovich. MP Serhiy Leshchenko said money was allocated for Trump aide Paul Manafort to finance services such as carrying out exit polls at elections, buying computers and conducting research. The largest single payment was $3.5 million.

08/19/2016 8:55