Reuters World News Summary
Following is a summary of current world news briefs.
Car bomb outside Somali President's Palace kills at least 10
At least 10 people, including soldiers and civilians, were killed in Somalia's capital Mogadishu on Tuesday when a car bomb claimed by al Shabaab exploded outside the Presidential Palace and also damaged two nearby hotels, an official said. Information Minister Mohamed Abdi Hayir told state radio that a meeting of security officials was under way inside one of the hotels, the SYL, at the time of blast and that one minister and some state radio journalists were injured in the attack.
U.S. sets up 'communications channels' for crowded Syria war
The U.S.-led coalition battling Islamic State, eager to avoid more clashes between Turkey and U.S.-backed Syrian fighters, is establishing communications channels to better coordinate in a "crowded battlespace," the Pentagon said on Tuesday. "The improved coordination of armed activities in Northern Syria will seek to assure the safety of all forces," said Pentagon spokesman Matthew Allen. "We will not discuss coordination and de-confliction procedures in detail in the interest of preserving operational security."
Venezuela arrests opposition activists ahead of anti-government rally
Venezuela has arrested several opposition activists accused of plotting violence during an anti-government rally scheduled for Thursday, President Nicolas Maduro said on Tuesday, and opposition leaders slammed the arrests as intimidation. The opposition is calling on sympathizers from across the country to march in the capital of Caracas to push for a recall referendum against Maduro, who calls the rally a plot to stir up violence and set the stage for a coup.
Key Islamic State leader killed in apparent U.S. strike in Syria
Islamic State said on Tuesday one of its most prominent and longest-serving leaders was killed in what appeared to be an American air strike in Syria, depriving the militant group of the man in charge of directing attacks overseas. A U.S. defense official told Reuters the United States targeted Abu Muhammad al-Adnani in a Tuesday strike on a vehicle traveling in the Syrian town of al-Bab. The official stopped short of confirming Adnani's death, however.
Gabon opposition leader Ping says he has won presidential election
Gabon opposition leader Jean Ping said on Tuesday that election results his team has collated from almost all of the country's regions show he has defeated President Ali Bongo, whose family has been in power for nearly 50 years. Gabon's interior minister was to announce official results from Saturday's election on Tuesday evening. The government has warned that anyone who announces results before the electoral commission has done so is breaking the law, and it has accused Ping of trying to destabilize the country.
Russia questions report blaming Syrian government for gas attacks
Russia questioned on Tuesday a report by the United Nations and a global chemical weapons watchdog that blamed Syrian government forces for two chlorine gas attacks, saying the U.N. Security Council could not use the conclusions to impose sanctions. A year-long U.N. and Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) inquiry, unanimously authorized by the 15-member Security Council, also found that Islamic State militants used sulfur mustard gas.
North Korea makes progress on missiles, but no evidence of nuclear weapons yet
North Korea has made considerable progress this year on weapons technology, including testing a submarine-launched missile for the first time, but it's still not clear if the isolated nation has developed a nuclear warhead. It also does not yet have a fleet of submarines that can launch the newly developed missile.
Italy rescues 3,000 migrants from Mediterranean as arrivals surge
Some 3000 migrants were saved in the Strait of Sicily in 30 separate rescue missions on Tuesday, the Italian coastguard said, bringing the total to almost 10,000 in two days and marking a sharp acceleration in refugee arrivals in Italy. The migrants were packed on board dozens of boats, many of them rubber dinghies that become dangerously unstable in high seas. No details were immediately available on their nationalities.
Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan hit by suspected suicide car bomb
A suspected suicide car bomber rammed the gates of the Chinese embassy in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek on Tuesday, killing the attacker and wounding at least three other people, officials said. Officials from both countries described the assault as a terrorist act, and Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev ordered the government to take extra counter-terrorism measures in the capital and regions, his office said in statement.
Libya navy thought migrant rescuers were smugglers, fired warning shots: spokesman
A Libyan navy boat fired warning shots at a search and rescue vessel operated by Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) earlier this month because it thought it was involved in smuggling, a spokesman said on Tuesday. MSF says the Bourbon Argos, which has long been conducting rescue missions for migrants trying to cross from Libya to Europe, was fired on and boarded by unidentified assailants on Aug. 17.
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