World News Roundup: Anti-Kremlin activist, US-Korea exercises, No-deal Brexit

Anti-Kremlin activist taken under protection by German police

Pyotr Verzilov, an anti-Kremlin activist being treated in a Berlin hospital for suspected poisoning, has been given a police guard for his own protection, a close friend who visited him in the hospital said on Tuesday. Verzilov, the publisher of a Russian online news portal with close ties to punk protest group Pussy Riot, fell ill suddenly two weeks ago, losing his sight, hearing and the ability to walk.

Suspending Korea exercises caused a slight dip in readiness: U.S. general

The Pentagon's nominee to be the next commander of U.S. forces in South Korea said on Tuesday that a decision to suspend some joint exercises between South Korea and the United States was a "prudent risk" but had caused a "slight degradation" in military readiness. President Donald Trump caught many U.S. officials off guard earlier this year when he announced after an unprecedented summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that the United States was suspending the summer's joint military drills with South Korea.

Iran trying to drive a wedge between U.S., Europeans: UAE minister

A senior United Arab Emirates (UAE) official warned European powers on Tuesday that it was offering Iran a glimmer of hope by trying to keep trade flowing, but that ultimately they would fall behind the United States' tough approach on Tehran. The UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain swiftly backed U.S. President Donald Trump's decision in May to withdraw from a 2015 international accord with Iran that curbed Tehran's nuclear program in exchange for loosening economic sanctions.

Pope defends China deal on bishops, says he will have final say on names

Pope Francis on Tuesday defended a landmark deal between the Vatican and China on the appointment of bishops, saying he, and not the Beijing government, will have the final say on who is named. In his first public comments on the deal signed in Beijing on Saturday, he told reporters on the plane returning from a trip to the Baltics that while he realizes not everyone will understand the logic behind the agreement, he was confident in the "great faith" of Chinese Catholics.

Trump, Iran's Rouhani exchange threats, insults on U.N.'s world stage

U.S. President Donald Trump and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani exchanged taunts at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday with Trump vowing more sanctions against Tehran and Rouhani suggesting his American counterpart suffers from a "weakness of intellect." Trump used his annual address to the United Nations to attack Iran's "corrupt dictatorship," praise last year's bogeyman North Korea and lay down a defiant message that he will reject globalism and protect American interests.

No-deal Brexit better than current EU offer: PM May

Prime Minister Theresa May signaled on Tuesday that she would prefer a 'no-deal' Brexit to the offer currently put forward by the European Union, stressing that Britain needs to see counter-proposals from the EU to move Brexit negotiations forward. May last week issued an angry edict to Brussels when a summit of EU leaders which had been billed as a chance to generate momentum toward a deal in October or November ended in a blunt dismissal of British proposals.

Brazil presidential candidate Gomes undergoes medical exams: campaign

Brazilian presidential candidate Ciro Gomes, who sits in third place in polls, underwent routine medical exams at a Sao Paulo hospital on Tuesday, his campaign said. Gomes was being attended at the Sirio-Libanes hospital, his press office told Reuters, confirming he underwent routine exams but providing no other details.

Trump praises North Korea's Kim but says sanctions must stay for now

U.S. President Donald Trump praised North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un on Tuesday for his courage in taking steps to disarm but said much work still had to be done and sanctions must remain in place on North Korea until it denuclearizes. "The missiles and rockets are no longer flying in every direction, nuclear testing has stopped, some military facilities are already being dismantled," Trump said in his speech to the annual United Nations General Assembly.

The U.S. sanctions Venezuela officials, Trump slams Maduro

The United States imposed new sanctions on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's wife and several of his top allies on Tuesday as U.S. President Donald Trump urged members of the United Nations to support a "restoration of democracy" in the once-booming OPEC nation. The measure sanctioned six officials in Maduro's "inner circle," including Vice President Delcy Rodriguez and Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino, and "blocked" a $20 million private jet identified as belonging to a front-man of a top official.

Pope says Church 'spared no effort' to fight abuse recently

Pope Francis, facing clergy sex abuse scandals in several countries, said on Tuesday that the Roman Catholic Church has "spared no effort" to tackle the problem in recent years. But, speaking to reporters aboard the papal plane while returning from a four-day trip to the Baltics, the pope again appeared to indirectly acknowledge that the Church had hidden sexual abuse "in the past century," saying that such cover-ups had been common in families as well.