Reuters World News Summary

09/06/2016 8:59

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Kyrgyzstan: Uighur militant groups behind attack on China's embassy

A suicide bomb attack on the Chinese embassy in the Kyrgyz capital last week was ordered by Uighur terrorist groups active in Syria and carried out by a member of the East Turkestan Islamic movement, Kyrgyzstan's state security service said on Tuesday. The suicide bomber, whose car rammed the gates of the embassy on Aug. 30, was an ethnic Uighur who held a Tajik passport in the name of Zoir Khalilov, the security service said in a statement.

UK Islamist preacher Choudary jailed for five and a half years

Anjem Choudary, Britain's best-known Islamist preacher whose followers have been linked to numerous plots around the world, was sentenced to five years and six months in prison on Tuesday for inviting support for Islamic State, Sky News reported. Choudary had been convicted previously by a jury at London's Old Bailey court of using online lectures and messages to encourage support for the banned group which controls large areas of Syria and Iraq.

Turkey's government says under popular pressure to drop EU talks

Turks are dismayed by the "double standards" the European Union applied to their country after the coup attempt earlier this year and are putting their government under "huge pressure" to end accession negotiations, the foreign minister said. Mevlut Cavusoglu accused the bloc of dishing out criticism to neighbors but not taking it in turn. Turks had been disappointed not to receive visits or statements of support in the aftermath of the July coup attempt, he said.

G20 a success for China, but hard issues kicked down the road

China is lauding its successful hosting of the G20 summit in scenic Hangzhou, with open confrontation largely avoided and broad consensus reached over the fragile state of the global economy and the need for a wide range of policies to fix it. There was even a joint announcement by China and United States that they would ratify the Paris climate change agreement, a significant step for the world's two biggest emitters of greenhouse gases.

London City airport protest ends, BA delays continue

Air passengers in Britain and beyond faced delays on Tuesday after a "Black Lives Matter" protest on a runway halted flights for six hours at London City Airport and a computer glitch hit British Airways in London and the United States. More than 120 flights were canceled, delayed or diverted at City, a few miles east of the Canary Wharf financial district, after nine protesters locked themselves together on the runway. Police said late on Tuesday morning they had arrested all nine and the airline was preparing to resume flights.

Obama says Asia foreign policy focus not 'a passing fad'

President Barack Obama said on Tuesday his push to rebalance U.S. foreign policy to focus more on Asia was not "a passing fad" of his presidency and, in a clear reference to China, said bigger countries should not dictate to smaller ones. "I've worked to rebalance our foreign policy to make sure America is a key player in the region," Obama said in a speech on the sidelines of a summit in Vientiane, Laos.

Tunisia fears jihadists returning home from Libya, seeks joint action

North African countries should be cooperating more to stop Islamic State fighters who are fleeing their Libyan stronghold of Sirte from returning to their homelands and causing trouble there, Tunisia's defense minister said on Tuesday. Libyan forces aligned with the U.N.-backed government in Tripoli launched their campaign to recapture Sirte in May and are advancing on the last areas under its control.

Philippines scrambles to soothe tensions after insult to Obama

(Note: paragraphs 1, 6 and 19 contain language that may offend some readers) The Philippines scrambled to defuse a row with the United States on Tuesday and its new president, Rodrigo Duterte, voiced regret for calling President Barack Obama a "son of a bitch," comments that prompted Washington to call off a bilateral meeting.

A year on, migrant crisis hangs over votes in Hungary, Austria

On a warm morning in late August, two dozen migrants carrying stuffed plastic bags and backpacks boarded a bus outside a refugee center in Vamosszabadi, a village in northwest Hungary. Escorted by police on what was meant to be a short shopping trip organized by the Hungarian immigration office, the men, women and children should have spent a few hours shopping in the nearby city of Gyor before returning to their makeshift homes.

Afghan police battle holdout gunman after suicide attacks hit Kabul

Afghan security forces sealed off the center of Kabul on Tuesday as they battled gunmen who barricaded themselves inside the offices of an international aid group after a car bomb attack on Monday night. The attack in a prosperous business and residential area of the capital took place just hours after a Taliban suicide attack near the Defence Ministry killed at least 24 people, including a number of senior security officials.

09/06/2016 8:59