Reuters World News Summary

08/01/2016 19:51

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Cuba says talks with U.S. over claims cannot be rushed

Cuba said on Monday it was not willing to rush talks with the United States over multibillion-dollar claims and counter-claims and would agree only to an accord that addressed the grievances of both sides. Washington is seeking upward of $10 billion, mainly for properties nationalized in Communist-run Cuba after its 1959 revolution. Havana, meanwhile, wants at least $300 billion for economic damage wrought by the U.S. trade embargo and for the harm caused by acts of what it describes as U.S. aggression.

Typhoon Nida shuts Hong Kong, more than 100 flights canceled

Typhoon Nida churned through Hong Kong on Tuesday, shutting down most of the financial hub with gale-force winds and disrupting hundreds of flights, while low-lying areas were put on flood alert. Hong Kong's first major typhoon this year brought gusts of more than 100 km per hour (62 miles per hour) after earlier making landfall in China's Guangdong province and prompted the observatory to issue an amber warning, signifying heavy rain, at 5.20 am Hong Kong time (1720 EDT).

Venezuela election board okays opposition recall push first phase

Venezuela's national election council said on Monday the opposition had successfully collected 1 percent of voter signatures in all 24 states in the first phase of their push for a recall referendum to end President Nicolas Maduro's term. But council head Tibisay Lucena asked for a judicial probe into allegations of some voter identity fraud - a major complaint of the government - and did not name a date for the next phase, which would be to collect 20 percent of signatures.

No ransom paid or shots fired in Brazil kidnap rescue: governor

No ransom was paid and no shots were fired to free the kidnapped mother-in-law of Formula One empresario Bernie Ecclestone, the governor of Sao Paulo state said on Monday, a day after the 67-year old was freed in a police raid. Aparecida Schunk was rescued on Sunday evening nine days after being seized at her home.

Yemen government leaves Kuwait talks after Houthis reject U.N. plan

Yemeni government negotiators said they were leaving peace talks in Kuwait on Monday after Houthi militia foes rejected a United Nations proposal aimed to ending their country's war. Foreign Minister Abdel-Malek al-Mekhlafi insisted the government was not abandoning the peace process, but suggested it would only return if the Houthis and a powerful local ally lifted their objections to the UN plan.

U.S. general seeks to soothe Turkey ties strained by coup purge

America's highest-ranking military officer sought on Monday to soothe strained ties with NATO ally Turkey, which was angered by the West's response to a failed military coup and an apparent U.S. reluctance to hand over the cleric it says was responsible. The fallout from the abortive coup on July 15, in which more than 230 people died as mutinous soldiers commandeered fighter jets, helicopters and tanks, has deepened a rift between Ankara and its Western allies.

U.S. weighs dangers, benefits of naming Russia in cyber hack

Wary of a global confrontation with Russia, U.S. President Barack Obama must carefully weigh how to respond to what security experts believe was Moscow's involvement in the hacking of Democratic Party organizations, U.S. officials said. Publicly blaming Russian President Vladimir Putin's intelligence services would bring instant pressure on Washington to divulge its evidence, which relies on highly classified sources and methods, U.S. intelligence officials said.

U.S., Israel narrow differences for new talks on defense aid

The United States and Israel have narrowed their differences over what could be decisive negotiations this week to seal a multibillion-dollar military aid package for Washington's top Middle East ally, officials said on Monday. Raising hopes for removal of a key sticking point, Israel has signaled it may accept the Obama administration's demand that U.S. military funds, until now spent partly on Israeli arms, will eventually be spent entirely on U.S.-made weapons, according to congressional sources.

If the pope can retire, why can't Japan's elderly emperor?

Pope Benedict XVI did it. Dutch Queen Beatrix did it. So why is it so hard for Japan's elderly emperor to abdicate? Public broadcaster NHK reported last month that Emperor Akihito, 82, wanted to abdicate "in a few years," something unprecedented in modern Japan.

U.S. warplanes launch bombing campaign on Islamic State in Libya

U.S. planes bombed Islamic State targets in Libya on Monday, responding to the U.N.-backed government's request to help push the militants from their former stronghold of Sirte in what U.S. officials described as the start of a sustained campaign against the extremist group in the city. "The first air strikes were carried out at specific locations in Sirte today causing severe losses to enemy ranks," Prime Minster Fayez Seraj said on state TV. Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said the strikes did not have "an end point at this particular moment in time."

08/01/2016 19:51