Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Ethiopian crash victims want 737 MAX documents from Boeing, FAA

A lawyer for victims of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 said on Tuesday he wants Boeing Co and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to hand over documents about the decision to keep the Boeing 737 MAX in the air after a deadly Lion Air crash last October. A week after Lion Air Flight 610 nose-dived into the Java Sea, killing all 189 aboard, the FAA warned airlines that erroneous inputs from an automated flight control system's sensors could lead the jet to automatically pitch its nose down, but the agency allowed the jets to continue flying.

British PM could recall parliament if suspension ruled unlawful

Boris Johnson could recall parliament if Britain's highest court rules he unlawfully suspended it, a government lawyer said on Tuesday, after judges heard the prime minister wanted a shutdown because it was an obstacle to his Brexit plans. Johnson announced on Aug. 28 that he had asked Queen Elizabeth to prorogue, or suspend, parliament for five weeks from last week until Oct. 14. He said the shutdown was necessary to allow him to introduce a new legislative agenda.

Saudi oil attacks came from southwest Iran, U.S. official says, raising tensions

The United States believes the attacks that crippled Saudi Arabian oil facilities last weekend originated in southwestern Iran, a U.S. official told Reuters on Tuesday, an assessment that further increases tension in the Middle East. Three officials, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said the attacks involved both cruise missiles and drones, indicating that they involved a higher degree of complexity and sophistication than initially thought.

Israeli election too close to call, Netanyahu weakened: exit polls

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's battle for political survival looked set to stretch on after exit polls following Tuesday's election showed the race too close to call and Israel's longest-serving leader weakened. The surveys by Israeli TV stations gave Netanyahu's right-wing Likud 31 to 33 of parliament's 120 seats, versus 32 to 34 for centrist Blue and White led by former General Benny Gantz.

Activists push U.S. Congress to pass Hong Kong bill

Hong Kong democracy activists urged members of the U.S. Congress on Tuesday to pass legislation to combat human rights abuses in the city, rejecting any suggestion that such a move would be inappropriate U.S. involvement in another country's affairs. "This is not a plea for so-called foreign interference. This is a plea for democracy," singer and activist Denise Ho told a hearing of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China.

Spain to hold fourth election in four years on November 10

Spain will hold its fourth election in four years on Nov. 10 after rival parties failed to break a months-long impasse in a deeply fragmented parliament, with no guarantee the repeat vote will make it any easier for them to form a government. Spain, with the fourth-largest economy in the European Union's euro currency zone, has been in political limbo since the Socialists emerged as the biggest party in a parliamentary election in April without enough seats to govern on their own.

Migrant mothers and children sue U.S. over asylum ban

More than 125 migrant mothers and children have sued the U.S. government, claiming the Trump administration has violated the rights of asylum-seekers through the arbitrary and capricious implementation of a virtual asylum ban at the southern border. The lawsuit, filed late on Monday, was the first to challenge President Donald Trump over asylum since the U.S. Supreme Court decided last week that an anti-asylum rule will be allowed to take effect while a separate lawsuit on its underlying legality is heard.

Venezuelan opposition lawmaker Zambrano released from custody

The vice president of Venezuela's opposition-controlled congress, Edgar Zambrano, was released from state custody on Tuesday, four months after his arrest on treason charges, an ally of President Nicolas Maduro and an opposition lawmaker said. Francisco Torrealba, a member of the Maduro-friendly Constituent Assembly, sent Reuters a photograph of Zambrano with his family. Timoteo Zambrano, an opposition lawmaker and no relation to Edgar, posted a video on Twitter of Edgar Zambrano speaking outside the military base where he had been held.

Wary of conflict with Iran, Trump takes go-slow approach to attack on Saudi oil

Known for acting on impulse, President Donald Trump has adopted an uncharacteristically go-slow approach to whether to hold Iran responsible for attacks on Saudi oil facilities, showing little enthusiasm for confrontation as he seeks re-election next year. After state-owned Saudi Aramco's plants were struck on Saturday, Trump didn't wait long to fire off a tweet that the United States was "locked and loaded" to respond, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Iran.

Brazil probe into Vale dam collapse to conclude within days, prosecutor says

A criminal investigation into the fatal collapse of a dam owned by mining firm Vale SA should be concluded in the coming days, a Brazilian prosecutor said on Tuesday, with charges to follow. "State prosecutors are working with the state police, federal prosecutors and federal police, and we're of the conviction that we'll deliver a solution in the coming days," Antônio Sérgio Tonet, the top prosecutor in the state of Minas Gerais, told journalists.