Reuters World News Summary

08/03/2016 8:56

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Pakistani activists blocked in bid to deliver aid to Indian Kashmir

Hundreds of Pakistani supporters of a militant-linked charity tried to cross into the Indian part of the divided Kashmir region on Wednesday to deliver aid after weeks of violent protests there. But the activists from the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), the charitable arm of the anti-India Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group, did not have permission from either the Pakistani or Indian authorities to cross the contested border and were stopped in a village on the Pakistani side where they staged a protest.

Turkish police raid science council as crackdown widens

Turkish police have raided the offices of the national science research council, an official said on Wednesday, as authorities widen an investigation into followers of the U.S.-based cleric accused of masterminding last month's coup attempt. Broadcaster NTV earlier reported that police raided the offices of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (Tubitak) on Wednesday and detained "many" people.

Greece wants 'Plan B' after Turkey threatens to quit EU migrant deal: paper

The European Union needs to come up with an alternative plan for tackling migration after Turkey threatened to back out of an accord to help stem the influx of migrants to Europe, Greece's migration minister told German daily Bild. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said over the weekend that Ankara would back out of the agreement with the EU if the bloc did not deliver the promised visa-free travel for Turks in return.

Britain's anti-EU UKIP excludes favorite from leadership race

Britain's UK Independence Party, whose growing influence helped prompt the calling of June's EU referendum, was plunged into turmoil on Wednesday over the choice of a new leader. The favorite to replace Nigel Farage as leader has been excluded from the ballot for the contest after submitting his nomination papers late, the party's national executive committee (NEC) said.

Japan's Prime Minister picks hawkish defense minister in limited reshuffle

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe appointed a conservative ally as defense minister on Wednesday, in a cabinet reshuffle that left most key posts unchanged, and he promised to speed up the economy's escape from deflation and boost regional ties. New Minister of Defence Tomomi Inada, previously the ruling party policy chief, shares Abe's goal of revising the post-war, pacifist constitution, which some conservatives consider a humiliating symbol of Japan's World War Two defeat.

Emirates plane catches fire after emergency landing in Dubai, all safe

An Emirates Airline flight from India caught fire after making an emergency landing at Dubai International Airport on Wednesday, but all 300 passengers and crew escaped from the burning fuselage, authorities said. Video purportedly showed a tower of flame bursting from the front of the aircraft, and then a thick black plume of smoke rising into the sky. Reuters was unable to verify the footage independently.

Thousands of Yazidis missing, captive, two years after start of 'genocide' - U.N.

Thousands of Yazidis are being held captive by Islamic State in Syria where many are used for sexual slavery or forced to fight for the group, the United Nations said on Wednesday, on the second anniversary of what investigators termed a genocide. A U.N.-appointed commission of independent war crimes investigators said in June that Islamic State was committing genocide against the Yazidis, a religious community of 400,000 people in northern Iraq, beginning with an attack on their city of Sinjar on Aug. 3, 2014.

Obama, Singapore leader push Pacific trade deal in state visit

President Barack Obama and Singapore's prime minister on Tuesday made sales pitches for a Pacific Rim trade deal that both U.S. presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have derided and that has been stalled in Congress. Aiming to keep alive hopes for a post-election congressional vote in the closing weeks of 2016 in favor of the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), Obama said its merits would overcome fierce criticism on the campaign trail.

Latest North Korea missile launch lands near Japan waters, alarms Tokyo

North Korea launched a ballistic missile on Wednesday that landed in or near Japanese-controlled waters for the first time, the latest in a series of launches by the isolated country in defiance of United Nations Security Council resolutions. The main body of the missile landed in Japan's economic exclusion zone, a Japanese defense official said, escalating regional tensions that were already high after a series of missile launches this year and the decision by the United States to place a sophisticated anti-missile system in South Korea.

Myanmar lawmakers want tougher measures to combat drugs

Military officials and lawmakers in Myanmar have voiced disappointment over the southeast Asian nation's lackluster efforts to combat illegal drugs, urging it to step up the battle on the narcotics trade. Drugs pose a major headache for the government led by Aung San Suu Kyi, which governs the large, impoverished and fractious country after winning a landslide election victory in November.

08/03/2016 8:56