Reuters World News Summary
Following is a summary of current world news briefs.
The dark side of Duterte's deadly but popular drugs war
When the image of Jennelyn Olaires weeping as she cradled the body of her slain husband went viral in the Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte called it melodramatic. There's not much Duterte hasn't said when it comes to his war on drugs, his only real election platform and his big promise to the 16 million Filipinos who swept him to power in May by a massive margin.
Islamic State attacks two energy plants in north Iraq, kills five
Islamic State militants stormed two energy facilities in northern Iraq on Sunday, killing at least five workers and shutting down a major oil pumping station, security and oil sources said. The first attack, on the AB2 gas compressor station, about 15 km (10 miles) northwest of Kirkuk, started around 0300 (0000 GMT) when four gunmen with hand grenades broke through an external door in an attack that left two guards in critical condition.
Heavy rains, lightning kill 41 in India, 15 in Bangladesh
At least nine people were killed when a three-story building collapsed in heavy rains in a Mumbai suburb on Sunday, state media reported, and officials said 32 people were killed by lightning a day earlier in India's eastern state of Odisha. Authorities had already announced a death toll for Saturday of at least 17 people in heavy rains in the northeastern state of Assam.
Many Houthis, seven Saudi troops killed near Yemen border
Seven Saudi troops and dozens of Houthi fighters were killed in heavy fighting on the border with Yemen, Saudi state news agency SPA reported on Sunday, as the main combatants in Yemen's war prepared for a further week of peace talks in Kuwait. The U.N.-sponsored negotiations had been on the verge of collapse after a new row erupted last week between the Saudi-backed government and its Iranian-allied Houthi foes and renewed fighting broke out.
Turkey culls nearly 1,400 from army, overhauls top military council
Turkey dismissed nearly 1,400 members of its armed forces and stacked the top military council with government ministers on Sunday, moves designed by President Tayyip Erdogan to put him in full control of the military after a failed coup. The new wave of expulsions and the overhaul of the Supreme Military Council (YAS) were announced in the government's official gazette just hours after Erdogan said late on Saturday he planned to shut down existing military academies and put the armed forces under the command of the Defence Ministry.
Germany's far-right AfD claws back some support after attacks
The anti-immigrant party Alternative for Germany (Afd) gained support as Germany was hit by a spate of attacks this month, including by Islamist militants, but support for Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives held steady, a poll showed. Germany remains deeply unsettled after 15 people were killed and dozens wounded in five separate attacks between July 18-July 26. Two were claimed by Islamic State, and three of the attackers were asylum seekers.
Militants launch car bomb, gun attack on Somali police base, ten dead
Militants set off two car bombs outside a police base in Somalia's capital before gunmen stormed inside on Sunday, leaving at least 10 people dead, police said. Islamist group al Shabaab claimed responsibility for the assault on the headquarters of Somalia's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Mogadishu.
London police chief warns terror attack a case of 'when, not if'
Britain cannot be fully protected against terrorism and an attack similar to those seen recently in mainland Europe is a question of "when, not if," London's police chief said on Sunday. The warning by Metropolitan Police Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe reflects Britain's current "severe" threat level for international terrorism and follows a string of attacks in Germany and France, some of which have been linked to Islamic militants.
U.S.-backed forces now control 40 percent of IS-held city of Manbij: monitor
U.S.-backed forces now control 40 percent of the Islamic State-held Syrian city of Manbij after advances in the last day that secured them key areas inside the city near the Turkish border, a monitor said on Sunday. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Syria Democratic Forces (SDF), with the support of air strikes, had seized much of the eastern part of the besieged city after slower advances in recent weeks mainly in the western sector.
'Download a good heart', Pope tells young as Polish visit ends
Pope Francis wrapped up his Polish visit on Sunday with a huge outdoor Mass where he told young people to look beyond the instant gratification afforded by technology, and instead to try to change the world. Hundreds of thousands of young people, many of whom camped out for the night, waved national flags and cheered as Francis arrived to say the Mass in a large field on the outskirts of Krakow at the end of his five-day trip to Poland where he presided at the Catholic Church's World Youth Day festivities.
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