Reuters World News Summary

Pope gives green light for extension of accord with Beijing Pope Francis has signed off on a two-year extension of a deal with China on the appointment of bishops that critics have condemned as a sell-out to the communist government, a senior Vatican source said on Monday.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs. Pope gives green light for extension of accord with Beijing

Pope Francis has signed off on a two-year extension of a deal with China on the appointment of bishops that critics have condemned as a sell-out to the communist government, a senior Vatican source said on Monday. The two-year provisional deal, which gives the pope the final say on the appointment of bishops, took effect on Oct. 22, 2018 and, if the Chinese side agrees - seen as virtually a given - will be extended without any changes, the source said. Exclusive: Russian paramedics' accounts challenge Moscow's explanation for Navalny's coma - sources

The paramedics who treated Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny after he fell violently ill on a plane last month found no increase in his blood sugar in initial tests and saw no signs of a metabolic disorder, five medical sources, speaking out for the first time, told Reuters. Their accounts contradict the public diagnosis given by the doctors at Emergency Hospital No. 1 in Omsk, where he was treated, who said Navalny had fallen into a coma due to a metabolic disorder and experienced blood sugar levels four times higher than normal. Israel deal protects Bahrain's interests amid Iran threat, minister says

Bahrain's interior minister said on Monday that normalising ties with Israel protects Bahrain's interests and strengthens its strategic partnership with the United States, amid an ongoing threat from Iran. "It is not an abandonment of the Palestinian cause ... it is to strengthen Bahrainis' security and their economic stability," minister Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa said in a statement. Johnson lashes out at EU as he clears first hurdle for Brexit treaty breach

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson lashed out at the European Union on Monday as he won initial approval for a plan to breach the Brexit treaty, saying the move was needed because the bloc had refused to take a "revolver off the table" in trade talks. Johnson won the so-called second reading parliamentary vote on the Internal Market Bill 340 to 263. A wrecking amendment was defeated shortly beforehand, though more will follow as he faces a growing rebellion in his party. Pompeo says Trump administration eager for end to Gulf rift

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pressed on Monday for a solution to the three-year rift between the Gulf state of Qatar and Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt, saying the Trump administration was eager to see it resolved. Speaking at a State Department meeting with Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Pompeo said it was important to concentrate on countering Iranian activity in the Middle East. Putin throws $1.5 billion lifeline to Belarus leader

Russian President Vladimir Putin bestowed a $1.5 billion loan on Belarus on Monday in a gesture of support for its leader Alexander Lukashenko, who flew to entreat his patron for help after five weeks of mass protests demanding his resignation. A day after more than 100,000 protesters took to the streets of Minsk with chants of "You're a rat", Lukashenko met Putin in the Black Sea resort of Sochi in urgent need of help to maintain his 26-year grip on power. Peru's Vizcarra blames lies, betrayal for turmoil as government sues to block impeachment

Peruvian President Martín Vizcarra on Monday said that "delusional lies" are at the heart of the political turmoil the Andean copper-producing country is experiencing as the government fights to block impeachment proceedings against him. Vizcarra, who is due to finish his term in 10 months, said in a televised message that the crisis was triggered by a confidant's betrayal and a fragmented Congress that was seeking to destabilize the government. North Korea's Kim praises army for rebuilding typhoon-hit area - KCNA

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un praised his military for its prompt efforts to rebuild towns hit hard by typhoons and summer floods, state news media KCNA reported on Tuesday. Kim visited the province of North Hwanghae, south of Pyongyang, which had removed all traces of the natural disaster and been successfully re-built as a "socialist fairyland", said KCNA. Potential sign of alien life detected on inhospitable Venus

Scientists said on Monday they have detected in the harshly acidic clouds of Venus a gas called phosphine that indicates microbes may inhabit Earth's inhospitable neighbor, a tantalizing sign of potential life beyond Earth. The researchers did not discover actual life forms, but noted that on Earth phosphine is produced by bacteria thriving in oxygen-starved environments. The international scientific team first spotted the phosphine using the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope in Hawaii and confirmed it using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) radio telescope in Chile. Venezuela charges detained U.S. 'spy' with terrorism, weapons trafficking

Venezuela's chief prosecutor Tarek Saab on Monday announced charges of terrorism and weapons trafficking against an alleged U.S. "spy" who was detained last week in the South American country. Saab said the U.S. citizen, Matthew John Heath, was plotting attacks against Venezuela's oil industry and electricity system. The OPEC member country, mired in a six-year economic crisis, is currently experiencing fuel shortages due to a collapse in output from its oil refineries as well as U.S. sanctions.