Reuters World News Summary
Following is a summary of current world news briefs.
Democratic and Republican lawmakers back $8 billion F-16 sale to Taiwan
Congress should move quickly with an $8 billion sale of F-16 fighter jets to Taiwan as the self-ruled island faces pressure from China's increased military presence in the region, leading U.S. Democratic and Republican lawmakers said on Friday. China denounced the planned sale, one of the biggest yet by the United States to Taiwan, which Beijing considers a renegade province. It warned of unspecified "countermeasures."
U.S. warrant issued for seizure of Iranian oil tanker in Gibraltar
A U.S. court has issued a warrant for the seizure of an Iranian tanker that British Royal Marines had seized last month in Gibraltar, a court document showed on Friday. The oil tanker Grace 1, the more than 2 million barrels of oil it carries and $995,000 are subject to forfeiture based on a complaint by the U.S. government, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jessie Liu said in a news release.
Greenland tells Trump it is open for business but not for sale
Greenland on Friday dismissed the notion that it might be up for sale after reports that U.S. President Donald Trump had privately discussed with his advisers the idea of buying the world's biggest island. "We are open for business, but we're not for sale," Greenland's foreign minister Ane Lone Bagger told Reuters.
U.S.'s North Korea envoy to visit Japan, South Korea next week
The U.S. special envoy for North Korea will travel to Japan and South Korea next week to coordinate efforts to secure the denuclearization of North Korea, the State Department said on Friday. Stephen Biegun will be in Japan from Monday to Tuesday and in Seoul from Tuesday to Thursday, a State Department statement said.
Cathay CEO resigns amid Hong Kong protest blowback as more rallies planned
The boss of Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific Airways quit on Friday, the highest-profile corporate casualty of unrest roiling the former British colony, after Beijing targeted the airline over staff involvement in mass protests. The corporate upheaval comes ahead of a weekend where further protests are planned, including what could be a large gathering on Sunday that could test whether a movement that has enjoyed broad support can retain it, even as violence escalates.
U.S. appeals court deals partial setback to Trump rule to curtail asylum
A U.S. appeals court on Friday dealt a setback to the Trump administration attempt to bar almost all asylum applications at the U.S.-Mexico border, but stopped short of applying its decision nationwide. While ruling against a provision of President Donald Trump's hard-line anti-immigration policy, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the decision would only apply to the nine Western states that make up the 9th Circuit, only two of which - California and Arizona - are on the southern border.
North Korea's Kim oversaw the test-firing of new weapon again: KCNA
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the test-firing of a new weapon again on Friday morning, state media KCNA said on Saturday. North Korea launched at least two short-range ballistic missiles on Friday, South Korea's military said, its sixth round of weapons launches since late July, complicating efforts to restart talks between the United States and North Korea over Pyongyang's weapons programs.
Trump, Trudeau discussed developments in Hong Kong, Canadians held in China
U.S. President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau discussed the Hong Kong protests and the ongoing detention of two Canadians by the Chinese government, a statement from Trudeau's office said on Friday. The Hong Kong protests started as a peaceful rebuke of the government in April but have evolved into a direct challenge to Communist Party rule over this former British colony.
Where's Cristina? Argentina's fiery ex-president stands back as left scents victory
When opposition presidential candidate Alberto Fernandez addressed a crowd of supporters after his landslide victory in Argentina's primary election, there was one notable absence from the stage: former president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner. Fernandez de Kirchner, a firebrand leftist who is reviled and revered by Argentines in equal measure, has been largely missing from the campaign trail despite running as the vice-presidential candidate on the opposition ticket.
Schools, telephone lines to reopen in Kashmir after lockdown
Authorities began restoring some telephone lines in Indian Kashmir on Friday night, the top state official said, as heavy security prevented some protests in the region's main city of Srinagar from getting out of control. Telephone and internet links were cut and public assembly banned in Kashmir just before New Delhi removed the decades-old autonomy the Muslim majority territory enjoyed under the Indian constitution. The measures were aimed at preventing protests.
