World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

WHO extremely concerned about Ebola 'perfect storm' in Congo

The World Health Organization said on Tuesday that an Ebola outbreak in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo could worsen rapidly because of attacks by armed groups, community resistance and the geographic spread of the disease. "We are now extremely concerned that several factors may be coming together over the next weeks and months to create a potential perfect storm," WHO's head of emergency response Peter Salama told a news conference in Geneva.

Germany's Catholic Church apologizes to victims of sexual abuse

The head of the Catholic Church in Germany apologized to thousands of victims who were sexually abused as children by clerics over a 70-year period. "For too long in the Church we have looked away, denied, covered up and didn't want it to be true," Cardinal Reinhard Marx, chairman of the German Bishops' Conference said on Tuesday.

Man who slapped woman's bottom gets first fine under new French 'cat-call' law

A man who slapped a woman's bottom on a bus near Paris has been jailed for three months and, in a first under a new law against cat-calling, also fined for lewd remarks about her physique. The man, inebriated when he boarded the rush-hour bus, smacked the 21-year-old on the buttocks and made an insulting comment about her breasts, before a squabble with the bus driver, who jammed the doors shut while police were alerted.

Iran top aide dismisses U.S. meeting offer as 'Trump's dream'

The top adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader on Tuesday rejected a U.S. offer for top-level meetings, as both countries' presidents were due to attend the U.N. General Assembly in New York. Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards also kept up the anti-U.S. rhetoric in the build up to the U.N. session, calling President Donald Trump "evil and adventurous" and accusing him of waging economic war on Tehran.

Outrage over Church's handling of sexual abuse scandals justified, pope says

Pope Francis said on Tuesday that young people around the world were right to feel outrage at the Roman Catholic Church's handling of its sexual abuse scandals as it grapples with a wave of new cases in countries including Chile and Germany. Francis, who was wrapping up a four-day trip to the Baltics, has come under fire from victims groups and other members of the Church who say he has not done enough to make bishops accountable for mishandling or covering up abuse cases.

Netanyahu says Israel will continue operations in Syria against Iran

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday Israel would continue its military operations in Syria, after Russia announced it would supply an advanced anti-aircraft system to its Syrian ally. "We will continue to act to prevent Iranian military entrenchment in Syria and we will continue the military coordination between the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) and the Russian army," Netanyahu told reporters before boarding a flight to New York, where he will address the U.N. General Assembly.

Swedish PM Lofven ousted, anti-immigrant party pushing for policy role

Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven lost a no-confidence vote in parliament on Tuesday, with the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats threatening to block any new government unless they are given a say in policy. The rise of the far right across Europe has forced many traditional parties into an uncomfortable choice of sharing power with populist forces or reaching out to long-standing opponents to keep them out.

U.S. approval of $330 million military sale to Taiwan draws China's ire

The U.S. State Department has approved the sale to Taiwan of spare parts for F-16 fighter planes and other military aircraft worth up to $330 million, prompting China to warn on Tuesday that the move jeopardized Sino-U.S. cooperation. U.S. military sales to self-ruled Taiwan, which China claims as its territory, is an irritant in the relations between the world's two largest economies. Taiwan would still need to finalize details of the sale with U.S. companies.

China denies Hong Kong port visit for U.S. navy ship amid trade tensions

China has denied a request for a U.S. warship to visit Hong Kong, the U.S. consulate in the Chinese city said on Tuesday, amid rising tension between Beijing and Washington over trade and a U.S. decision to sanction the Asian nation's military. The amphibious assault ship Wasp had been due to make a port call in the former British colony of Hong Kong in October, diplomatic sources said.

UK's Labour to vote against Brexit deal, open to second referendum

Britain's opposition Labour Party will vote against any deal Prime Minister Theresa May clinches with the European Union and is open to a second referendum with the option of staying in the bloc, Brexit spokesman Keir Starmer said on Tuesday. With just over six months until Britain leaves the European Union, May has yet to reach a deal with Brussels on the terms of the divorce, and her plan for future trade ties has been rebuffed by both the EU and many lawmakers in her own Conservative Party.