World News Summary: Germany concerned about cyber sabotage; China's Paliament chief to visit North Korea

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Germany concerned about possible 'sleeper' cyber sabotage

A growing number of countries can hack into private computer networks and install malicious software to sabotage another country's infrastructure, Germany's domestic spy chief said. China, Russia, and other countries continued to try to break into German companies' computers to steal valuable industrial information, Hans-Georg Maassen, head of the BfV domestic intelligence agency, told a security conference.

Man held after explosive device detonated near U.S. embassy in Cairo - sources

Egyptian security forces detained a man on Tuesday after an explosive device detonated near the U.S. Embassy in central Cairo, three security sources said. No casualties were reported, the sources said. A witness said she heard a blast and then saw a man with a backpack that had caught on fire close to the Semiramis Hotel, across the road from the embassy premises.

China's parliament chief to visit North Korea as Xi envoy

China's parliament chief, Li Zhanshu, will visit North Korea on Saturday as President Xi Jinping's special representative, state news agency Xinhua said. Li will attend celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the country, Xinhua said on Tuesday.

Catalan government to relaunch campaign to split from Spain

Catalan leader Quim Torra will relaunch on Tuesday his region's campaign to split from Spain, rebuffing an offer from the central government in Madrid for a referendum on greater autonomy that would fall well short of independence. Torra, who is due to set out his separatist roadmap at a lecture entitled "Our Moment" on Tuesday evening, was sworn in as regional head in May, replacing Carles Puigdemont who fled to Brussels last year after Madrid removed him from office.

Myanmar media, activists condemn conviction of Reuters reporters

Several Myanmar news outlets and dozens of civil society groups denounced the jailing of two Reuters reporters for seven years under the Official Secrets Act and said their conviction was an assault on the right to freedom of information. A court found the two journalists guilty on Monday in a landmark case seen as a test of progress toward democracy in Myanmar, which was ruled by a military junta until 2011.

Taliban says founder of militant Afghan Haqqani network dies

Jalaluddin Haqqani, the founder of the militant Haqqani network, one of the most powerful and feared groups in the Afghan insurgency, has died after a long illness, the Taliban said on Tuesday. Haqqani, who founded the network in the 1970s, gave up operational leadership of the group some years ago to his son Sirajuddin, who is now deputy leader of the Afghan Taliban, with a $5-million U.S. bounty on his head.

Britain must press EU members to help get Brexit deal - May

Britain must step up contact with members of the European Union to try to get a Brexit deal as talks to leave the bloc to enter a "crucial and intense phase", Prime Minister Theresa May agreed with her ministers on Tuesday. Her spokesman told reporters that at a meeting of her cabinet of top ministers, her Brexit, and foreign ministers said her plans to leave the bloc had received a "warm and positive" response during visits to EU capitals over the summer.

Typhoon slices through western Japan, killing at least six

Japan issued evacuation advisories for more than a million people and canceled hundreds of flights as Typhoon Jebi sliced across the west on Tuesday, cutting power, overturning cars and killing at least six people. Jebi, or "swallow" in Korean, was briefly a super typhoon and is the most powerful storm to hit Japan in 25 years following rains, landslides, floods and record-breaking heat that killed hundreds of people this summer.

Husband of Iranian rights lawyer arrested: Amnesty

The husband of detained Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh was himself arrested on Tuesday, Amnesty International said. There was no immediate comment from Iranian authorities, and Reuters was not able to contact the judiciary.

Kremlin dismisses Trump warning on Syria's Idlib

The Kremlin dismissed U.S. President Donald Trump's warning to Syria not to launch an offensive in the rebel-held enclave of Idlib, saying on Tuesday that the area was a "nest of terrorism". Trump on Monday warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his allies Iran and Russia not to "recklessly attack" the northwestern Syrian province, saying hundreds of thousands of people could be killed.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)