All About: Russian warships, Bolsonaro keeps lead, Pompeo slams Kerry, Israeli troops

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday lambasted his predecessor, John Kerry, for meetings with Iranian officials in back-channel talks and accused him of "actively undermining" the Trump administration's policy toward Tehran.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Venezuelan firemen jailed after donkey video mocking Maduro: rights groups

Two Venezuelan firefighters were detained by military officers this week as suspects behind the making of a viral video that mocked unpopular President Nicolas Maduro by likening him to a donkey touring a fire station, two rights groups said on Friday. Government critics, who say former bus driver and union leader Maduro is to blame for oil-rich Venezuela's brutal five-year recession, have long nicknamed him "Maburro," a play on the Spanish word for donkey, "burro."

Russian warships hold drills in Bering Sea in huge military exercise

Russian warships held drills in the Bering Sea which separates Russia from Alaska, part of Moscow's biggest military maneuvers since the fall of the Soviet Union, footage aired by the Ministry of Defence showed on Friday. The Vostok-2018 (East-2018) drills, which run until Sept. 17, are taking place in Siberia and in waters off Russia's eastern coast, involving 300,000 troops, over 1,000 military aircraft, and two naval fleets.

Tunisia ruling party suspends PM's membership after row with president's son

Tunisia's ruling Nidaa Tounes party said on Friday it had frozen the prime minister's membership in the latest escalation in a row between the prime minister and the president's son. Prime Minister Youssef Chahed said in May that the president's son, Hafedh Caid Essebsi, had destroyed the ruling Nidaa Tounes party and that the crisis in the party has affected state institutions.

Brazil presidential candidate Bolsonaro keeps lead, leftist gains: poll

Brazil's far-right presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro, in intensive care after being stabbed at a campaign rally, kept his first-round lead in an election opinion poll on Friday, but a leftist rival from the Workers Party (PT) made solid gains. Bolsonaro was backed by 26 percent of those surveyed, up two percentage points from the same poll published earlier this week, according to the Datafolha survey published by the Folha de S.Paulo newspaper.

Peru says repatriated Venezuelans a tiny fraction of daily influx

Venezuela would have to dramatically step up efforts to fly its citizens home under its new "repatriation plan" in order to come anywhere close to offsetting the 1,300 Venezuelans who enter Peru every day, Peru's top immigration official said on Friday. Venezuela launched the program last month after hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans migrated across the region to escape hyperinflation and food shortages at home.

Pompeo slams Kerry for 'inappropriate' meetings with Iran officials

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday lambasted his predecessor, John Kerry, for meetings with Iranian officials in back-channel talks and accused him of "actively undermining" the Trump administration's policy toward Tehran. "What Secretary Kerry has done is unseemly and unprecedented," Pompeo told a news conference, adding that he "ought not to engage in that kind of behavior. It's inconsistent with what the foreign policy of the United States is, as directed by this president. It is beyond inappropriate."

UK Labour warns big banks must never again be masters of the economy

London's vast financial services industry must never again be the "master of the economy", the opposition Labour finance spokesman will say on Saturday in a speech accusing bankers of profiting from speculation at the expense of ordinary people. John McDonnell, a veteran socialist who is now seeking to reassure business, promised higher taxes and tougher regulation on banks on the 10th anniversary of the collapse of Lehman Brothers – the pivotal moment in the global financial crisis.

Israeli troops kill boy, two men in Gaza protests: medics

Israeli soldiers killed three Palestinians, one of them an 11-year-old boy, and wounded at least 248 others taking part on Friday in weekly protests at the fortified Gaza Strip border, Palestinian medical officials said. The Israeli military said it used the force necessary to repel 13,000 Palestinians who massed at several points at the fence.

Pompeo accuses Russia of actively working to undermine North Korea sanctions

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Russia on Friday of actively working to undermine international sanctions on North Korea and said the enforcement of the steps was essential to convince Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons. "Russia has actively attempted to undermine the U.N. Security Council resolutions, the work of the ... committee at the U.N. that evaluates compliance with sanctions," Pompeo told a news briefing at the State Department.

El Salvador prosecutors request extradition of former president Funes

El Salvador's attorney general has asked a judge to approve a request for former President Mauricio Funes to be extradited home to face corruption charges, prosecutors said on Friday, days after his immediate predecessor was jailed for ten years. Leftist Funes, who governed El Salvador between 2009 and 2014 and is currently in Nicaragua, is accused of embezzlement and money laundering involving $351 million, the prosecutors' office said.