Current World News Roundup: New British proposal, Engineer grateful, Some aid agencies

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

U.S. warns of new hacking spree from group linked to China

The U.S. government on Wednesday warned that a hacking group widely known as cloudhopper, which Western cybersecurity firms have linked to the Chinese government, has launched attacks on technology service providers in a campaign to steal data from their clients. The Department of Homeland issued a technical alert for cloudhopper, which it said was engaged in cyber espionage and theft of intellectual property after experts with two prominent U.S. cybersecurity companies warned earlier this week that Chinese hacking activity has surged amid the escalating trade war between Washington and Beijing.

Pakistan tells 18 international NGOs to leave: ActionAid

Pakistan has ordered 18 international aid groups to shut down operations and leave the country, a spokeswoman for ActionAid said on Thursday, the latest move against foreign aid groups in the country. ActionAid, which focuses on education, poverty alleviation and human rights and is headquartered in Johannesburg, said it had received an expulsion notice from Pakistan's Ministry of Interior, but a statement from the group did not say whether the ministry gave any reason for its decision.

Pentagon chief says Russian violation of key arms control treaty 'untenable'

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Thursday that Russia's violation of an arms control treaty was "untenable" and unless it changed course the United States would need to match Moscow's capabilities. The United States believes Russia is developing a ground-launched system in breach of a Cold War treaty, known as the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), that could allow Moscow to launch a nuclear strike on Europe at short notice. Russia has consistently denied any such violation.

New British proposal for Irish border 'step in right direction': EU source

New British proposals for avoiding extensive border checks on the island of Ireland after Brexit are "a step in the right direction" and "make finding a compromise possible", a European Union source close to the negotiations told Reuters on Thursday. Brexit talks are entering a frenzied fortnight designed to produce an EU divorce deal with Britain and a blueprint for future ties.

Engineer grateful to be alive after tsunami beaches his 500-tonne ship

Ship's engineer Charles Marlan had the unsettling sensation his vessel was being sucked out to sea, the telltale sign of an imminent tsunami, just minutes after a major earthquake struck the Indonesian island of Sulawesi on Friday. His passenger and cargo vessel, the 500-tonne KM Sabuk Nusantara 39, was docked in Wani, east of the city of Palu, which suffered the brunt of the disaster.

Some aid agencies halt use of Syrian border gate, citing jihadists' taxes on trucks

Government aid agencies of the United States and Britain have directed their humanitarian partners to stop using a border crossing between Turkey and Syria, officials said, due to concerns that taxes on aid trucks were used to fund an extremist group. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) directed its partners working in northwest Syria to immediately cease all use of the Bab al-Hawa border crossing for USAID-funded awards on Sept. 26, a USAID official said.

Iran faces sensitive time due to America, economic woes: leader says

The people of Iran face a sensitive time because of the pressure from America and economic problems, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a key address broadcast by state television on Thursday. Khamenei was speaking to tens of thousands of members of the Basij militia and top Revolutionary Guards leaders gathered in a stadium in Tehran.

EU court may decide before Christmas if UK can unilaterally reverse Brexit

Scotland's Court of Session has asked the European Court of Justice (ECJ) for a preliminary ruling on whether the British parliament can change its mind about leaving the European Union without the bloc's agreement, the Scottish court said on Thursday. Britain's Conservative government is struggling to reach a deal with the EU on how it will leave the world's biggest trading bloc as the March 29 exit date approaches.

UK, Netherlands accuse Russia of hacking, including chemical weapons watchdog

Britain and the Netherlands accused Russia of running a global campaign of cyber attacks to undermine Western democracies, including what the Dutch government described as an attempt to hack into the U.N. chemical weapons watchdog. Moscow denied what its Foreign Ministry spokeswoman called a "diabolical perfume cocktail" of allegations by someone with a "rich imagination". But the accusations will deepen Moscow's isolation at a time when its diplomatic ties with the West have been downgraded over the poisoning of a spy in England and it is under U.S. and European sanctions over its actions in Ukraine.

Lights, TVs back on in Indonesia quake city, but fate of thousands unknown

Electricity was restored and shops began reopening in Indonesia's quake and tsunami-stricken city of Palu on Thursday, but the fate of many thousands of people in outlying districts remained unknown nearly a week after the disaster struck. The small city of 370,000 people has been the focus of the aid effort launched after last Friday's 7.5 magnitude earthquake and tsunami on the west coast of Sulawesi island.

(With inputs from agencies.)