World News Roundup: Rohingya crisis, cyber attacks, Indonesia's desperate quake survivors

Exclusive: EU considers trade sanctions on Myanmar over Rohingya crisis

The European Union is considering trade sanctions on Myanmar over the Rohingya crisis, potentially stripping the country of tariff-free access to the world's largest trading bloc, three EU officials said. The sanctions, under discussion at the European Commission, would include Myanmar's lucrative textile industry and potentially put at risk thousands of jobs there but would not come into effect immediately, giving the EU leverage to stop what the West says is ethnic cleansing of Muslim Rohingya.

Chile's most senior Catholic Church figure sidesteps prosecutor questioning

The archbishop of Santiago, the most senior figure in Chile's Roman Catholic Church, has exercised his right to silence after being summoned on Tuesday morning for questioning by a state prosecutor over allegations he helped cover up child abuse. Cardinal Ricardo Ezzati faces multiple charges of a cover-up, including some relating to the case of Oscar Munoz, a former top aide to the Santiago Archbishopric, who is facing trial on charges he abused and raped at least five children.

Britain says Russian military intelligence behind the host of global cyber attacks

Britain accused Russian military intelligence on Thursday of directing a host of cyber attacks aimed at undermining Western democracies by sowing confusion in everything from sport to transport and the 2016 U.S. presidential election. In a British assessment based on work by its National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), Russian military intelligence (GRU) was cast as a pernicious cyber aggressor which used a network of hackers to spread discord across the world.

Peru annuls ex-leader Fujimori's pardon and orders his capture

Peru's former authoritarian president Alberto Fujimori was transported by ambulance to a local clinic on Wednesday after a judge annulled a pardon granted to him last year and ordered his immediate capture and return to prison. The ruling by Supreme Court Judge Hugo Nunez marked the latest reversal in fortunes for Fujimori, an agricultural engineer who rose to the presidency on a populist platform in 1990 and a decade later resigned by fax from his parents' homeland of Japan amid graft and human rights abuse allegations.

Foreign aid gathers pace for Indonesia's desperate quake survivors

International efforts to help survivors of Indonesia's devastating earthquake and tsunami gathered pace on Thursday as concern grew for hundreds of thousands with little food and water, six days after disaster struck. Desperate residents on the west coast of Sulawesi island were scavenging for food in farms and orchards as the government struggled to overcome shortages of water, food, shelter and fuel in a disaster zone with no power and degraded communications.

The U.S. withdraws from international accords, says U.N. world court 'politicized'

The Trump administration on Wednesday pulled out of two international agreements after Iran and the Palestinians complained to the International Court of Justice about U.S. policies, the latest withdrawal by Washington from multilateral accords. The U.S. national security adviser John Bolton slammed the highest United Nations tribunal as "politicized and ineffective" as he announced that the United States would review all international agreements that could expose it to binding decisions by the ICJ.

Pompeo says Iran is the origin of a threat to U.S. missions in Iraq

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Iran on Wednesday for threats to American missions in Iraq and said the United States was terminating a treaty of amity with Tehran, which is the target of increasing U.S. sanctions over its missile programs. "Iran is the origin of the current threat to Americans in Iraq," Pompeo told reporters at the State Department days after he announced the closing of the U.S. consulate in the Iraqi city of Basra.

World Court orders the U.S. to ensure Iran sanctions don't hit the humanitarian aid

The World Court ordered the United States on Wednesday to ensure that sanctions against Iran, due to be tightened next month, do not affect humanitarian aid or civil aviation safety. Judges at the International Court Of Justice (ICJ) handed a small victory to Tehran, which had argued that sanctions imposed since May by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump violate terms of a 1955 Treaty of Amity between the two countries.

Turkish, Saudi officials diverge on whereabouts of prominent Saudi journalist

Turkish and Saudi authorities gave conflicting accounts on Wednesday about the whereabouts of Saudi commentator Jamal Khashoggi, who moved to Washington last year fearing retribution for his views and has not been seen nearly 30 hours after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Khashoggi's Turkish fiancée, as well as a close friend contacted by Reuters, said he had disappeared after entering the diplomatic mission on Tuesday to secure documentation of his divorce so that he could remarry.

Brazil far-right candidate gains women voters, despite sexist remarks

Luzia Amaral took a long hard look at Brazil's presidential candidates and eventually settled on far-right Jair Bolsonaro, viewing him as the only option to prevent the return of the leftist Workers Party (PT) in this weekend's vote. Amaral is part of a growing number of women who opinion polls show have recently warmed to Bolsonaro, a divisive candidate whose comments belittling rape and defending the gender pay gap have long alienated many female voters.

(With inputs from Reuters)