Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Against family wishes, Venezuela government buries navy captain who died in captivity

Venezuelan authorities on Wednesday buried the remains of a navy captain who died in military custody last month, despite the opposition of family members who say he was tortured to death and want an independent autopsy. Rafael Acosta was detained in June 21 for alleged participation in a coup plot but died following a week in custody of military intelligence agency DGCIM. Lawyers said he showed signs of severe beatings.

U.S., Russia diplomats meet in Helsinki to discuss relations

Senior U.S. diplomat David Hale met with Russia's deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, in Helsinki on Wednesday to discuss U.S.-Russian relations, the State Department said, amid tensions between the two countries over a range of issues. The meeting between Hale, who is undersecretary for political affairs, and Ryabkov followed June 28 talks between President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan.

Trump threatens to 'substantially' increase sanctions on Iran

President Donald Trump warned on Wednesday that U.S. sanctions on Iran would be increased "substantially" soon, as the U.N. nuclear watchdog held an emergency meeting at Washington's request to weigh Tehran's breach of a nuclear deal. Trump also accused Iran of secretly enriching uranium for a long time but offered no evidence, and Iran said after the 35-nation meeting in Vienna that it had "nothing to hide". U.N. inspectors have uncovered no covert enrichment by Iran since long before its 2015 nuclear agreement deal with world powers.

Assad hits a wall in Syrian war as front lines harden

President Bashar al-Assad's assault in the northwest has been met with a painful rebel counterpunch that underlines Turkish resolve to keep the area out of his hands and shows why he will struggle to take back more of Syria by force. More than two months of Russian-backed operations in and around Idlib province have yielded little or nothing for Assad's side. It marks a rare case of a military campaign that has not gone his way since Russia intervened in 2015.

Italy's Salvini denies his League party took money from Russians

Italy's Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini on Wednesday denied a media report that his far-right League party had sought millions of euros from Russian investors via a secret oil deal. The U.S. website Buzzfeed said it had received an audio recording of talks in Moscow in October among three Italians including a close aide of Salvini, Gianluca Savoini, and three unidentified Russian men.

Iranian boats unsuccessfully try to seize British tanker in the Gulf: U.S. official

Five boats believed to belong to Iranian Revolutionary Guards approached a British oil tanker in the Gulf on Wednesday and asked it to stop in Iranian waters close by, but withdrew after a British warship warned them over radio, a U.S. defense official said. Britain's Ministry of Defence had no immediate comment.

Ukraine president kicks official out of meeting over criminal record

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had a regional official expelled from a meeting broadcast live on television on Wednesday because of a past criminal record. "Get out of here, rogue! Are you not hearing me correctly?" he told Yaroslav Hodunok, to applause from other officials present at the otherwise routine meeting.

British ambassador to Washington quits after spat over leaked memos

Britain's ambassador to Washington resigned on Wednesday after Donald Trump labeled him "stupid" and "wacky" following the release of confidential memos from the envoy in which he branded the U.S. president's administration inept. Memos from Kim Darroch were leaked to a British Sunday newspaper, infuriating Trump who lunched a stinging Twitter attack on both the envoy and British Prime Minister Theresa May who had given him her full support.

Green EU lawmakers oppose von der Leyen's bid for Commission chief

Germany's Ursula von der Leyen made her pitch to European Union lawmakers on Wednesday to become the next head of the bloc's executive, but her promises to fight climate change were not enough for Green deputies who vowed to vote against her. The conservative German defense minister may still win support of the full parliament next week, but rejection by the Greens leaves her relying more on nationalists in eastern Europe who like her tough stance on Russia.

Exclusive: New chemical weapons team to launch first Syria investigations

A new team established by the global chemical weapons watchdog to attribute blame for the use of banned munitions in Syria will investigate nine alleged attacks during the country's civil war, including in the town of Douma, sources briefed on the matter told Reuters. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) was created in 1997 as a technical body to enforce a global non-proliferation treaty. Until now it had been authorised only to say whether chemical attacks occurred, not who perpetrated them.