World News Roundup: Worst Ebola outbreak, US sanctions on Iran, Turkish air strikes

Former minister Jo Johnson said some colleagues were "reflecting hard" on whether to quit over Theresa May's Brexit plan after his dramatic resignation threw the British prime minister's deal into jeopardy.

Jo Johnson says colleagues are considering their position over Brexit

Former minister Jo Johnson said some colleagues were "reflecting hard" on whether to quit over Theresa May's Brexit plan after his dramatic resignation threw the British prime minister's deal into jeopardy. The junior transport minister - and younger brother of former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson - issued a searing critique of May's Brexit deal on Friday when he unexpectedly quit, saying the country needed to pull back from the brink.

Current Ebola outbreak is worst in Congo's history: ministry

The current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is the most severe in the country's history with 319 confirmed and probable cases, the health ministry said late on Friday. The hemorrhagic fever is believed to have killed 198 people in North Kivu and Ituri provinces, where attacks by armed groups and community resistance to health officials have complicated the response.

Rouhani says new U.S. sanctions have no effect on Iran economy

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday that U.S. sanctions announced last week have had no effect on Iran's economy because Washington had already practically reimposed them earlier. The restoration of sanctions is part of a wider effort by U.S. President Donald Trump to force Iran to curb its nuclear and missile programs as well as its support for proxy forces in Yemen, Syria, Lebanon and other parts of the Middle East.

Turkish air strikes 'neutralize' 15 Kurdish militants in Iraq: military

Airstrikes by Turkish warplanes have "neutralised" 15 militants of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in northern Iraq, the military said on Twitter on Saturday, destroying hideouts and armouries belonging to the group. The Turkish army uses the phrase neutralize when it has killed, captured or wounded combatants.

Indonesia stops the search for victims of Lion Air crash

Indonesia authorities said on Saturday they had stopped the search for victims of a plane crash that killed all 189 people on board but would keep looking for the Lion Air flight's second black box, the cockpit voice recorder. "There is nowhere left to search and we have stopped finding victims' bodies," Muhammad Syaugi, the head of the national search and rescue agency (Basarnas) told media. "We will limit our operations to monitoring."

Melbourne police see Islamic State 'inspiration' behind stabbings

An Australian man who set fire to a truck laden with gas cylinders in the centre of Melbourne and stabbed one person to death was inspired by Islamic State but did not have direct links with the group, police said on Saturday. Police identified the man responsible for Friday's attack as Somali-born Hassan Khalif Shire Ali, 30, and said he was radicalized and inspired by the militant group's propaganda. He was shot by police and died in hospital.

The U.S. ends refuelling support in Yemen war as pressure builds on Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia and the United States have agreed to end U.S. refuelling of aircraft from the Saudi-led coalition battling Houthi insurgents in Yemen, halting a divisive aspect of U.S. support to a war that has pushed Yemen to the brink of famine. The move, announced by the coalition on Saturday and confirmed by Washington, comes at a time when Riyadh, already under scrutiny for civilian deaths in Yemen air strikes, is facing global furore and potential sanctions over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at its Istanbul consulate on Oct. 2.

The U.S. presses China to halt militarization of South China Sea

Standing side by side, top U.S. officials urged their Chinese counterparts on Friday to halt militarization of the disputed South China Sea, drawing a rebuke from the Chinese for sending U.S. warships close to islands claimed by Beijing. During a round of high-level talks in Washington, the two sides aired in sometimes blunt terms many of their main differences, including a bitter trade dispute, freedom of navigation in Asia-Pacific waters, self-ruled Taiwan, and China’s crackdown on its Muslim minority in Xinjiang.

Trump, Macron agree on European defence after European army spat

France's Emmanuel Macron and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed on Saturday on the need for Europe to bear more of the burden for defence, papering over an earlier Trump tweet that described Macron's call for a European army as "very insulting". Meeting for talks at the Elysee ahead of commemorations to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of World War One, Macron welcomed Trump with a firm handshake, but there appeared to be less immediate warmth between them than in the past.

Turkey's Erdogan says Khashoggi tapes given to key foreign nations

Turkey has given recordings related to the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi to Saudi Arabia, the United States, Germany, France and Britain, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday. Turkish sources have said previously that authorities have an audio recording purportedly documenting the murder.

(With inputs from agencies.)