Reuters World News Summary

07/25/2016 19:54

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

U.N. aid chief urges Security Council to push Aleppo aid access

The United Nations aid chief asked the Security Council on Monday to push for a weekly 48-hour humanitarian pause in fighting to allow food and other aid to be delivered to eastern areas of the Syrian city of Aleppo. Around 250,000 to 275,000 people in rebel-held eastern Aleppo have been cut off since fighting closed the last supply route, the Castello Road, on July 7. U.N. aid chief Stephen O'Brien said the United Nations and partners had pre-positioned stocks in "sad but all too real anticipation of such developments."

Erdogan vows to stick to migrant deal, but questions EU's commitment

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan vowed on Monday to keep Turkey's promises in a migrant deal with the European Union but said the EU was failing to deliver on its side of the bargain. The EU struck a deal in March to reward Turkey for preventing migrants from crossing to Greece by channeling aid to Syrian refugees in the country, reviving accession talks and scrapping visas for Turks wishing to visit Europe.

Colombian drug kingpin sentenced to 35 years in U.S. prison

A Colombian drug kingpin was sentenced on Monday to 35 years in a U.S. prison for engaging in a multi-million dollar scheme to manufacture hundreds of tons of cocaine that he trafficked throughout the world. Daniel Barrera Barrera, also known as "Loco" (Crazy), was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gregory Woods in Manhattan after pleading guilty to various narcotic-related charges and to having conspired to engage in money laundering.

Olympic plotters saw 'opportunity to reach paradise': prosecutor

Twelve Brazilian suspects arrested for discussing a potential attack during the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro were "no joke," the prosecutor for the case told Reuters on Monday. Dismissing criticism that the recent arrests were a calculated move to show Brazil taking the threat of terrorism seriously, Rafael Brum Miron said the suspects, alleged sympathizers of the Islamic State militant group, discussed an attack with at least two foreigners who formed part of a messaging group.

Israel says aircraft strikes in Syria after errant Syrian fire

Israeli aircraft attacked a target in Syria on Monday after errant fire from fighting among factions in Syria struck inside Israel, Israel's military said. The Syrian fire had hit an open area near the border causing no injuries, and in retaliation the air force "successfully targeted the source of the fire in Syria," said an army spokeswoman.

Turkey detains 42 journalists in crackdown as Europe sounds alarm

Turkey ordered the detention of 42 journalists on Monday, broadcaster NTV reported, under a crackdown following a failed coup that has targeted more than 60,000 people and drawn fire from the European Union. The arrests or suspensions of soldiers, police, judges and civil servants in response to the July 15-16 putsch have raised concerns among rights groups and Western countries, who fear President Tayyip Erdogan is capitalizing on it to tighten his grip on power.

Cooperation with Russia in Syria would not be based on trust -U.S. general

Any military or intelligence cooperation between the United States and Russia to strike targets in Syria would include measures to ensure U.S. operational security and would not be based on trust, a top U.S. military official said on Monday. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday that he would meet his Russian counterpart in the coming days to discuss an American proposal for closer military cooperation and intelligence sharing on Syria.

Ship hits wall of Panama Canal, renews design concerns

A Chinese container ship hit a wall of the new lane of the Panama Canal, a Canal Authority official and a local ship agent said on Monday, the third such incident since the expanded waterway opened one month ago amid design concerns. Thomson Reuters ship tracking data showed the Xin Fei Zhou, owned by China Shipping Container Lines, was anchored outside the canal after a photograph published by the maritime online news site gCaptain.com showed the vessel with a sizeable gash in its hull. The ship agent said it was undergoing repairs.

Nineteen feared dead after knife attack in Japan: media reports

Nineteen people were feared dead and 45 injured after an attack by a knife-wielding man at a facility for the disabled in Japan early on Tuesday, national broadcaster NHK reported. Police in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, about 25 miles (40 km) southwest of Tokyo, have arrested Satoshi Uematsu, a 26-year old former employee at the facility, Japanese media reported.

Car bomb wounds several in Syrian capital: state media

An explosives-laden car blew up on Monday in a heavily policed district in the center of the Syrian capital Damascus, causing injuries and extensive damage, state media said. The explosion in the Kafr Sousa neighborhood close to the main Umayyad Square that connects the city center with several highways hit an area where some of Syria's main security installations are based.

07/25/2016 19:54