Reuters World News Summary

09/01/2016 8:58

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Brazil's Rousseff ousted by Senate, Temer sworn in

Brazil's Senate ousted President Dilma Rousseff on Wednesday, ending an impeachment process that polarized Latin America's biggest country amid a massive corruption scandal and brutal economic crisis. Senators voted 61-20 to convict the country's first female president for illegally using money from state banks to bankroll public spending, marking the end of 13 years of leftist Workers Party rule.

After lifetime with the poor, Mother Teresa speeds to sainthood

Affectionately called the "saint of the gutters" during her lifetime, Mother Teresa of Calcutta will be made an official saint of the Roman Catholic Church on Sunday, just 19 years after her death. A Nobel peace prize winner, Mother Teresa was one of the most influential women in the Church's 2,000-year history, acclaimed for her work amongst the world's poorest of the poor in the slums of the Indian city now called Kolkata.

Pope urges Christians to save planet from 'debris, desolation and filth'

Pope Francis called on Thursday for concerted action against environmental degradation and climate change, renewing a fierce attack on consumerism and financial greed which, he said, were threatening the planet. A year after publishing the first papal document dedicated to the environment, the pope urged Christians to make the defense of nature a core part of their faith, adding it to the seven "works of mercy" they are meant to perform.

Exclusive: U.S., others agreed to 'secret' exemptions for Iran after nuclear deal - report

The United States and its negotiating partners agreed "in secret" to allow Iran to evade some restrictions in last year's landmark nuclear agreement in order to meet the deadline for it to start getting relief from economic sanctions, according to a report reviewed by Reuters. The report is to be published on Thursday by the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security, said the think tank's president David Albright, a former U.N. weapons inspector and co-author of the report. It is based on information provided by several officials of governments involved in the negotiations, who Albright declined to identify.

Down but not out, Germany's Merkel weighs another run

The one year anniversary of Angela Merkel's fateful decision to open Germany's borders to hundreds of thousands of refugees has brought scrutiny, criticism and a flurry of new questions about her leadership. What was she thinking when she welcomed a flood of migrants with the casual promise "we can do this," German media are asking.

Kurdish politicians in Turkey to protest at militant's isolation

A group of Kurdish politicians and activists in Turkey said on Thursday they would start a hunger strike next week to demand the right to visit the jailed the Kurdish PKK militant leader, who has been isolated since a peace process collapsed last year. Abdullah Ocalan, who was jailed in 1999, has not been allowed visits by pro-Kurdish lawmakers since April 2015. The leader of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has also not seen any family members since 2014 or his lawyers since 2011.

Venezuelan opposition floods Caracas in anti-Maduro protest

Chanting "this government will fall!" Venezuelan opposition supporters descended on Caracas on Thursday to press for a recall referendum this year against unpopular Socialist President Nicolas Maduro. With thousands of protesters arriving from the Amazon jungle to the western Andes, the opposition coalition was hoping for one million people at rallies across the capital to show anger at Maduro and Venezuela's deep economic crisis.

Philippine minister says senator investigating drug killings linked to drugs

The Philippine government made another attack on Thursday on a senator who is leading an inquiry into a spate of killings unleashed by President Rodrigo Duterte's "war on drugs," saying evidence she was linked to drugs was "overflowing." Senator Leila de Lima has denounced the government's attacks on her as "madness" and she has appealed to Duterte to stop the string of bizarre accusations and insults against her.

Scots to gauge support for independence after Brexit 'gamechanger'

Tens of thousands of Scottish nationalists are to fan out across Scotland, knocking on doors to find out if there is support for a new vote on independence that could make or break First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. Sturgeon says she will only hold a second independence referendum when she knows it has the backing of Scottish voters, but Britain's decision to leave the EU has reshaped the political landscape and questions about Scotland's future are being asked again.

Heavy air strikes target rebel-held areas in western Syria

Heavy air strikes targeted areas of Hama province captured by Syrian insurgents from government forces in recent days, as Damascus pressed a counter attack on Thursday in an area of strategic importance to President Bashar al-Assad. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 17 people had been killed in the air strikes overnight. Syrian state TV said the air force had launched "concentrated strikes" against what it described as terrorists in the area, saying tens had been killed.

09/01/2016 8:58