Reuters World News Summary

09/15/2016 19:54

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Syria ceasefire deal in balance as Aleppo aid plan stalls

Russia said the Syrian army had begun to withdraw from a road into Aleppo on Thursday, a prerequisite for pressing ahead with international peacemaking efforts as the government and rebels accused each other of violating a truce. An organization that monitors the war also said the Syrian army had begun moving away, but insurgent groups in Aleppo said they had not seen the army withdrawing from the Castello Road, needed to allow aid deliveries into the city, and would not pull back from their own positions near the road until they did.

Water protests in tech hub expose urban India's growing pains

Oracle employees were at work on Monday when protesters entered their nine-story building in India's technology hub, Bengaluru, and asked them to leave in support of demonstrations that had erupted across the city over a water dispute. By early afternoon, one of the U.S. software giant's biggest overseas offices had been evacuated, two employees there told Reuters, as had the Bengaluru premises of dozens of multinationals and Indian firms that stayed shut on Tuesday to ensure staff safety.

EU leaders search for way out of 'existential crisis'

Shaken by Britain's decision to leave the European Union, the leaders of its other 27 countries meet on Friday to try to inject new momentum into their ailing communal project amid deep-seated divisions over migration and economic policy. The Brexit vote in June ended more than half a century of EU enlargement and closer integration. Long seen as a guarantor of peace and prosperity, the bloc is now struggling to convince its citizens that it remains a force for good.

In triumph for Trudeau, China frees Canadian detained for years

Kevin Garratt, a Canadian held in China for two years and charged with spying, returned to Canada on Thursday in what was a diplomatic triumph for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The Canadian leader had raised Garratt's case during an official visit to China this month when he both pressed for closer economic ties and openly discussed human rights, which is a sensitive matter in Beijing.

Poll shows most Europeans sympathize with Syrian refugees, 'have not lost their hearts'

More than three quarters of Europeans sympathize with Syrian refugees coming to their countries, a poll found on Friday, challenging reports of growing anti-immigration sentiment across the continent. Ireland topped the poll of European countries that are most supportive of Syrian refugees with 87 percent of people interviewed there showing sympathy for them, while Slovakia ranked bottom.

Researchers predict sharp rise in migrants entering Europe covertly

The proportion of migrants using covert means to enter Europe is expected to rise sharply this year despite European nations pouring at least 17 billions euros ($19 billion) into reducing migration over the past 18 months, researchers said on Friday. The Overseas Development Institute (ODI) said about 60 percent of migrants arriving in Europe this year are expected to use covert means, such as false passports, hiding in trucks or overstaying their visas, compared with 35 percent in 2015.

Clinton says success of Syria agreement rests with Russia

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton said on Thursday the success of the Syrian ceasefire brokered by the United States and Russia depends on whether Moscow decides it is in its interest to follow through with the agreement. "Whether or not this works is really up to the Russians," Clinton told reporters after addressing a campaign rally in Greensboro, North Carolina. "It is up to whether or not Vladimir Putin decides that it's time to do what the Russians can do to bring this conflict into a period where there can be the beginning of political discussions, a hoped-for protective zone for people who are under relentless assault form the air, and a commitment to going after the terrorist groups that pose a threat to everyone."

Japan to boost South China Sea role with training patrols with U.S.: minister

Japan will step up its activity in the contested South China Sea through joint training patrols with the United States and bilateral and multilateral exercises with regional navies, Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada said on Thursday. Inada said in a speech at Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank that Japan's increased engagement in the area, where Japan shares U.S. concerns about China's pursuit of extensive territorial claims, would include capacity building for coastal nations.

North Korea says ready for 'another attack' against U.S. 'provocations'

North Korea's Foreign Minister said on Thursday the country was ready to launch another attack against the "provocations" of the United States, whose bombers this week flew over South Korea in a show of solidarity with its ally after Pyongyang's latest nuclear test. North Korea set off its most powerful nuclear blast to date this month, saying it had mastered the ability to mount a warhead on a ballistic missile and ratcheting up a threat that its rivals and the United Nations have been powerless to contain.

Philippines is not 'little brown brother' of U.S.: foreign minister

The Philippines is firmly committed to its alliance with the United States but will not be lectured on human rights and treated like a "little brown brother," the country's Foreign Minister Perfecto Yasay said on Thursday. Speaking in Washington after recent remarks by the Philippines' outspoken new President Rodrigo Duterte that have strained relations with the United States, Manila's main ally, Yasay said some of Duterte's remarks had been misunderstood.

09/15/2016 19:54