Reuters World News Summary

09/15/2016 8:58

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Syria ceasefire deal in balance as Aleppo aid stalls

Syrian government forces and rebels had yet to withdraw from a road needed to deliver aid to the city of Aleppo on Thursday, threatening the most serious international peacemaking effort in months as the sides accused each other of violating a truce. The aid delivery to rebel-held eastern Aleppo, which is blockaded by government forces, is an important test of a U.S.-Russian deal that has brought about a significant reduction in violence since a ceasefire took effect on Monday.

UK approves Chinese-backed nuclear plant, sets tighter controls

Britain gave the go-ahead on Thursday for a $24 billion nuclear power plant, ending weeks of uncertainty that strained ties with China and France but also signaling a more cautious approach to foreign investment in critical infrastructure projects. The government of new Prime Minister Theresa May said it would proceed with the Hinkley Point C project in southwest England, approving French utility firm EDF's plan to build Britain's first new nuclear reactor in decades, backed by $8 billion of Chinese cash

Exclusive: Singapore banks report tax amnesty Indonesians to police

Private banks in Singapore are sharing with local police the names of clients embracing an Indonesian tax amnesty, three banking sources told Reuters, a move that could undermine the amnesty and damage the banks' business with their biggest client pool. Singapore's Commercial Affairs Department (CAD), a police unit that deals with financial crime, told banks last year they must file a suspicious transaction report (STR) whenever a client took part in a tax amnesty scheme, the sources told Reuters.

Philippine 'hit-man' says overheard Duterte order killings

A former militiaman testified to a Philippine senate hearing on Thursday that President Rodrigo Duterte had personally given assassination orders while mayor of a southern city in which activists say hundreds of summary executions took place. Speaking during a legislative investigation into Duterte's ongoing anti-crime crackdown, Edgar Matobato, a self-confessed hit-man, told senators he personally heard then Davao city mayor Duterte give instructions to carry out extrajudicial killings.

Saudi prince warns Iran against using force to pursue rivalry

A senior Saudi official, responding to Iranian criticism of Riyadh's management of the haj pilgrimage, urged Iran to end what he called wrong attitudes toward Arabs and warned it against any use of force in its rivalry with the kingdom. Mecca province governor Prince Khaled al-Faisal, in remarks likely to be seen as a reference to Iran, added that the orderly conduct of the pilgrimage this year "is a response to all the lies and slanders made against the kingdom."

Pakistan train crash kills four, scores hurt: rescue service

A Pakistani express train crashed into a freight train on Thursday killing at least four people and injuring 93, an emergency rescue service said. The Awam Express bound for the southern city of Karachi hit the freight train about 25 km (15 miles) from the city of Multan, in Punjab province, trapping some passengers in overturned carriages.

France's Hollande says Europe needs clear vision on future

France's President Francois Hollande on Thursday pressed on Europe to draw up a clear vision for its future and said a summit in Bratislava needed to establish a calendar and road-map for life after Britain's decision to leave the European Union. Hollande was speaking in Paris after a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Merkel braced for more misery in Berlin vote in anti-immigrant backlash

Still reeling from a state election rout which unleashed a party row about her open-door migrant policy, Angela Merkel's conservatives are bracing for further losses in the Berlin city vote on Sunday. The chancellor's decision a year ago to open German borders has hit her popularity and dominated the campaign, boosting support for the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD)party.

Brazil police conduct search, seize warrants in probe with BNDES links

Brazil's federal police said on Thursday they were conducting search and seizure warrants as part of an investigation into fraudulent public contracts that includes loans from the country's massive state development bank BNDES. In a statement, the police said they were also seeking 11 people for interrogation in three states as well as the federal district in the latest phase of the investigation known as the "Acronym Operation" that started last year.

Malaysia confirms debris found in Tanzania is from MH370

Malaysia said on Thursday that a large piece of aircraft debris discovered on the island of Pemba, off the coast of Tanzania, in June, was from the missing Malaysia Airlines jet MH370. A search of more than two years has turned up few traces of the Boeing 777 aircraft that disappeared in March 2014, with 239 passengers and crew on board, soon after taking off from Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian capital, bound for Beijing.

09/15/2016 8:58