Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

UK PM Johnson seeks legal advice on five-week parliament closure: The Observer

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has asked his attorney general whether parliament can be shut down for five weeks from Sept. 9 in what appears to be an attempt to stop lawmakers forcing a further extension to Brexit, The Observer reported. An email from senior government advisers to an adviser in Johnson's office written in the last ten days says the prime minister recently requested guidance on the legality of such a move, known as proroguing, the newspaper said.

Qatari envoy says Israel, Hamas committed to truce despite violence

Israel and the Islamist group Hamas have no desire to go to war despite an uptick in violence, the Qatari envoy who helped mediate a truce between the sides along the volatile Gaza border, said on Saturday. "Both sides are committed (to the truce) and they have no war intentions at all," Mohammed Al-Emadi told Reuters on a visit to Gaza after a series of border confrontations in which Israel says it has killed at least eight Palestinian militants who tried to infiltrate its territory.

Britain sends another warship to boost presence in the Gulf

Britain is sending another warship to the Gulf to defend freedom of navigation, the defense minister said on Saturday, after Iran seized a British-flagged tanker in the region. Tensions have risen between Iran and Britain after Iranian commandos seized a British-flagged tanker last month. That came after British forces captured an Iranian oil tanker near Gibraltar, accused of violating sanctions on Syria.

Brazilian states ask for military help as Amazon fires rage

Six states in Brazil's Amazon region requested military help on Saturday to combat record fires that are tearing through the rainforest, provoking an international outcry because of the Amazon's central role in combating global warming. The states of Para, Rondonia, Roraima, Tocantins, Acre and Mato Grosso - out of the region's nine - have requested military assistance, according to a spokeswoman for the president's office, a day after President Jair Bolsonaro authorized the military to step in.

Trade and economy in focus as G7 leaders get down to work

Leaders of the Group of Seven wealthy nations will discuss global trade woes at their annual summit on Sunday, likely laying bare a yawning divide between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Western allies. The G7 gathering is taking place against a backdrop of growing worries about a global economic downturn and coincides with an era of international disunity across an array of issues that have strained decades-old allegiances.

Exclusive: Sudan needs up to $10 billion in aid to rebuild economy, new PM says

Sudan needs $8 billion in foreign aid over the next two years to cover its import bill and help rebuild its ravaged economy after months of political turmoil, its new prime minister said on Saturday. Abdalla Hamdok, sworn in three days earlier to head a transitional government after the ousting of veteran leader Omar al-Bashir, said up to another $2 billion of foreign reserves deposits were needed in the next three months to halt a fall in the currency.

Squabbles erupt as G7 leaders open summit in French resort

Squabbles erupted among G7 nations on Saturday as their leaders gathered for an annual summit, exposing sharp differences on global trade tensions, Britain's exit from the EU and how to respond to the fires raging in the Amazon rainforest. French President Emmanuel Macron, the summit host, planned the three-day meeting in the Atlantic seaside resort of Biarritz as a chance to unite a group of wealthy countries that has struggled in recent years to speak with one voice.

North Korean leader Kim oversaw test of 'super-large multiple rocket launcher': KCNA

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the test of a "super-large" multiple rocket launcher on Saturday, state news agency KCNA reported on Sunday. North Korea fired what appeared to be two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea off its east coast, the South Korean military said, the latest in a series of launches in recent weeks amid stalled denuclearization talks.

Hong Kong protests met with tear gas; China frees UK mission staffer

Hong Kong police fired volleys of tear gas to break up anti-government protests in a gritty industrial suburb on Saturday after activists threw petrol bombs and bricks, as China freed a British consulate worker whose detention had fueled tensions. Four MTR subway stations were closed around Kwun Tong, a densely populated area of the Chinese-ruled city on the east of the Kowloon peninsula, but thousands packed the streets anyway, most carrying umbrellas against the sun.

Israel hits Iranian force in Syria to stop 'killer drones': military

Israeli aircraft on Saturday struck Iranian forces near Damascus that had been planning to launch "killer drones" at targets in Israel, an Israeli military spokesman said. "The strike targeted Iranian Quds Force operatives and Shiite militias which were preparing to advance attack plans targeting sites in Israel from within Syria over the last number of days," the military said in a statement.