World News Roundup: Ferry on fire in Baltic Sea; Britain, EU preparing to move forward on Brexit and more

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Ferry with 335 people on board on fire in Baltic Sea

A ferry carrying 335 people is on fire in the Baltic Sea after an explosion in the engine room, Lithuania's military said on Tuesday. The ferry sent out a distress call at 1045 GMT and the Lithuanian military has sent a helicopter to the ferry and has two more on standby if needed, a spokesman for the Lithuanian air force said.

Beyond the rhetoric, Britain, EU preparing to move forward on Brexit

"Unworkable", "unacceptable", "impasse" - the words used to describe Brexit talks between Britain and the European Union do little to temper concerns that the two are heading for a chaotic divorce. But behind the scenes, both sides are preparing concessions as part of what one British official called "a constructive dialogue" that could yet lead to a deal.

U.S. would destroy banned Russian warheads if necessary: NATO envoy

Russia must halt its covert development of a banned cruise missile system or the United States will seek to destroy it before it becomes operational, Washington's envoy to NATO said on Tuesday. The United States believes Russia is developing a ground-launched system in breach of a Cold War treaty that could allow Russia to launch a nuclear strike on Europe at short notice, but Moscow has consistently denied any such violation.

First Lady Melania Trump arrives in Ghana on solo African trip

Melania Trump arrived in Ghana on Tuesday, choosing for her first extended international trip alone to visit Africa, a continent her husband has referred to derisively. The U.S. first lady touched down at mid-morning in Ghana's capital, Accra, where she was greeted by the country's first lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo, and a young girl who offered her flowers.

UK's Boris Johnson: PM May's Brexit plans are an outrage

Boris Johnson, Prime Minister Theresa May's former foreign secretary, said her Brexit plans were a constitutional outrage that would humiliate the United Kingdom by leaving it under the European Union's sway for generations to come. "It would mean that UK business and industry, our entire economy, would be exposed perpetually to regulations that might have been expressly designed at the behest of foreign competitors to do them down," Johnson told the Conservative Party conference in the English city of Birmingham.

France seizes Iranian assets in retaliation for bomb plot

France seized assets belonging to Iran's intelligence services and two Iranian nationals in response to a June plot to attack an exiled Iranian opposition group's rally outside Paris, the government said on Tuesday. A senior French official said Paris had no doubt that elements of the Iranian state were behind the bomb plot and that it was likely to have been hatched by hardliners looking to undermine President Hassan Rouhani.

Italian pro-refugee mayor under house arrest on illegal migration charges

A town mayor in the south of Italy, known for his innovative approach to welcoming asylum seekers, was put under house arrest on Tuesday for allegedly favouring illegal migration, angering supporters but pleasing the anti-immigration interior minister. Domenico Lucano, 60, mayor of Riace, a hilltop medieval town in Italy's poor Calabria region, was put under home confinement by the finance police in the early hours, the local prosecutor's office said.

Indonesia steps up the race to find survivors as quake toll passes 1,200

Indonesia is in a race against time to save victims of a devastating earthquake and tsunami on Sulawesi island, the government said on Tuesday, as the official death toll rose to more than 1,200 and looting fueled fears of lawlessness. Four days after the double disaster struck, officials feared the toll could soar, as most of the confirmed dead had come from Palu, a small city 1,500 km (930 miles) northeast of Jakarta.

Physics Nobel for laser pioneers includes the first woman in 55 years

A trio of American, French and Canadian scientists won the 2018 Nobel Prize for Physics on Tuesday for breakthroughs in laser technology that have turned light beams into precision tools for everything from eye surgery to micro-machining. They include the first female physics prize winner in 55 years.

Lawyer of U.S. pastor says to appeal to top Turkish court for his release

The lawyer of an American Christian pastor on trial on terrorism charges in Turkey said he will appeal to the constitutional court on Wednesday to seek his client's release. The case of Andrew Brunson, whose next regular court hearing is on Oct. 12, has become the most divisive issue in a worsening diplomatic row between Ankara and Washington that has triggered a punishing regime of U.S. sanctions and tariffs against Turkey.