World News Round-up: US pull diplomats, Lavrov notes Trump, US urges Myanmar, Palestine files complaint

The International Court of Justice on Friday said it has received a complaint from the "State of Palestine" against the United States, arguing that the U.S. government's placement of its Israeli embassy in Jerusalem violates an international treaty and it should be removed.

U.S. pull diplomats from Iraqi city, citing threats from Iran

The United States announced on Friday it will effectively close its consulate in the Iraqi city of Basra and relocate diplomatic personnel assigned there following increasing threats from Iran and Iran-backed militia, including rocket fire. The decision adds to mounting tension between the United States and Iran, which is the target of increasing U.S. economic sanctions.

Lavrov notes Trump blamed China, not Russia, for U.S. election meddling

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov took pleasure in pointing out on Friday that U.S. President Donald Trump this week accused China, not Russia, of interfering in U.S. elections. Trump on Wednesday accused the Chinese government of seeking to influence the Nov. 6 U.S. congressional elections against his Republican Party. China has denied the allegation.

Amal Clooney calls on Myanmar's Suu Kyi to pardon Reuters reporters

The families of two Reuters reporters imprisoned in Myanmar have asked for a pardon, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney told a press freedom event at the United Nations on Friday as she pressed the country's civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi to agree. Clooney is a member of the legal team representing Reuters journalists Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, who was convicted on Sept. 3 under the colonial-era Official Secrets Act and sentenced to seven years in prison.

Qatar says regional security alliance with U.S. at risk with Gulf dispute

A proposed regional security alliance bringing together the United States, Gulf allies, Egypt and Jordan, is at risk of credibility if a Gulf dispute is not resolved, Qatar's foreign minister said on Friday. Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt cut off travel and trade ties with Qatar in June 2017, accusing it of backing their archrival, Iran, and supporting terrorism. Qatar denies the charges and says the boycott impinges on its sovereignty.

U.S. urges Myanmar to hold security forces accountable in Rohingya crackdown

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged Myanmar's government to take concrete steps to investigate human rights abuses against Rohingya Muslims and hold accountable members of its security forces and others for any involvement in those actions, a State Department official said on Friday. Pompeo gave the message at a meeting with Myanmar government minister Kyaw Tint Swe on Thursday at the U.N. General Assembly in New York, after the recent release of U.S. and U.N. reports chronicling atrocities in the military crackdown last year, which sent almost 700,000 minority Rohingya Muslims fleeing to neighboring Bangladesh.

World Court: Palestine files complaint about U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem

The International Court of Justice on Friday said it has received a complaint from the "State of Palestine" against the United States, arguing that the U.S. government's placement of its Israeli embassy in Jerusalem violates an international treaty and it should be removed. The ICJ, known as the World Court, said in a statement Palestine argues the 1961 Vienna Convention of Diplomatic Relations requires a country to locate its embassy on the territory of a host state. While Israel controls Jerusalem militarily, its ownership is disputed.

China says 'no cause for panic' over U.S. ties, but won't be blackmailed

The Chinese government's top diplomat, Wang Yi, said on Friday there was "no cause for panic" over friction between Beijing and Washington, but warned that China would not be blackmailed or yield to pressure over trade. At a U.N. Security Council meeting on Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump escalated tensions with Beijing by accusing it of seeking to meddle in the Nov. 6 U.S. congressional elections to stop him and his Republican Party from doing well because of his China trade policies. At the same meeting, Wang rejected the charge.

Syria could face tough sanctions if it blocks political process: U.S. diplomat

The United States will pursue "a strategy of isolation," including sanctions, with its allies if President Bashar al-Assad holds up a political process aimed at ending Syria's seven-year war, a top U.S. diplomat for Syria told Reuters on Friday. Jim Jeffrey, the U.S. special representative for Syria, said Washington would work with countries in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East to impose tough international sanctions if Assad's government failed to cooperate on rewriting the Syrian constitution as a prelude to elections.

Palestinians say seven killed as Israeli troops fire on Gaza protest

Israeli soldiers shot dead seven Palestinians, including two boys, who were among thousands of people who thronged to the fortified Gaza Strip border on Friday as part of weekly protests launched half a year ago, Gaza health officials said. Israel's military said its troops resorted to living fire, and an air strike, after explosive devices and rocks were thrown at them and to prevent breaches of the border fence from the Islamist Hamas-controlled enclave.

Denmark shuts links to Sweden and Germany as police hunt three in black Volvo

Danish police briefly shut bridges and ferry links to Sweden and Germany on Friday as they widened their hunt for three people and a black Volvo in connection with a serious crime - a kidnapping according to Sweden's Aftonbladet newspaper - to include the whole country. Denmark's armed forces said they took part in the operation, without giving details. Danish police said they were still looking for a Swedish-registered rental car, and Swedish police said the car was rented at Malmö airport in August but hadn't been returned.