Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Trump, Abe at odds on North Korea missile launches

U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe showed their differences over the seriousness of North Korea's series of short-range missile launches on Sunday, while maintaining that they would remain in synch on the issue. Trump, who prizes his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, said the launches did not violate an agreement and were in line with what others were doing.

Sudan's sovereign council declares state of emergency in Port Sudan

Sudan's newly-created sovereign council formally declared a state of emergency in the city of Port Sudan on Sunday, following tribal clashes that police say have killed at least 16 people. The acting governor and the head of the national security service for the eastern Red Sea state, of which Port Sudan is the capital, were both dismissed, said Brigadier Altahir Abuhaja, spokesman for the sovereign council.

Warplanes dump water on Amazon as Brazil military begins fighting fires

Brazilian warplanes are dumping water on the burning forest in the Amazon state of Rondonia, responding to a global outcry over the destruction of the world's largest tropical rain forest. As of Sunday, President Jair Bolsonaro had authorized military operations in seven states to combat raging fires in the Amazon, responding to requests for assistance from their local governments, a spokeswoman for his office said.

Protest chaos grips Hong Kong with tear gas, water cannon and pouring rain

Police fired water cannon and tear gas in running battles with brick-throwing anti-government protesters in Hong Kong on Sunday, the second day of violent clashes in the Chinese-ruled city. The protesters, many in masks and wearing black, threw several petrol bombs, some taking off down narrow side streets in the pouring rain. Water cannon have never been used until now in years of anti-government protests.

Trump caught off guard as Iran's Zarif visits G7 summit town

Iran's foreign minister paid a visit to a G7 summit in France on Sunday, an unexpected twist to a meeting already troubled by differences between U.S. President Donald Trump and Western allies over a raft of issues, including Iran. A White House official said France's invitation to Mohammad Javad Zarif for talks on the sidelines of the gathering in the southwestern beachside town of Biarritz was "a surprise".

Israel says air strike in Syria sent 'no immunity' message to Iran

Israel said on Sunday an air strike against an arm of Iran's Revolutionary Guards in Syria that it accused of planning "killer drone attacks" showed Tehran that its forces were vulnerable anywhere. A senior Revolutionary Guards commander denied that Iranian targets had been hit late on Saturday and said its military "advisory centers have not been harmed", the semi-official ILNA news agency reported.

Belgian festival draws criticism over blackface 'Savage' character

Hundreds of spectators cheered and applauded as the chief protagonist of a Belgian parade - "the Savage" - appeared in the town of Ath on Sunday, but anti-racism groups strongly criticized the character and his blackface disguise. The folk festival called Ducasse d'Ath, which traces its roots back to the 16th century and is endorsed by UNESCO as a cultural heritage, takes place every August in the small town about 60 km (40 miles) west of Brussels.

Trump dangles 'very big' trade deal in front of Brexit Britain

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Sunday said he and President Donald Trump were "gung-ho" about a post-Brexit trade deal but cautioned the United States would be tough negotiators and that he would not rush talks. Trump promised a big trade deal for Britain after it leaves the European Union, which he said had been a drag on Britain's ability to cut a good deal.

Exclusive: Iran says it will not negotiate missile work, wants to export more oil

Iran wants to export a minimum of 700,000 barrels per day of its oil and ideally up to 1.5 million bpd if the West wants to negotiate with Tehran to save a 2015 nuclear deal, two Iranian officials and one diplomat told Reuters on Sunday. "As a goodwill gesture and a step toward creating space for negotiations, we have responded to France's proposal. We want to export 700,000 bpd of oil and get paid in cash ... and that is just for a start. It should reach to 1.5 million bpd," said a senior Iranian official, who asked not to be named.

Hezbollah leader says Israeli army to face quick retaliation to drone 'attack' in Beirut

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Sunday warned the Israeli army stationed along the border with Lebanon that his movement was preparing an imminent response to two Israeli drones which crashed overnight in a suburb of Beirut. Nasrallah, whose Iran-backed movement fought a one-month war with Israel in 2006, issued the toughest warnings to his enemy in years.