World News Round-up: Japan's women sailors, Espionage scandals, Saudi journalist vanished, 17 killed in quake

The weekend earthquake which battered Haiti killed 17 people, authorities said on Tuesday and damaged or destroyed nearly 2,500 houses, sparking fears that many buildings are in a precarious state in the impoverished Caribbean country.

Japan's women sailors serve on frontline of gender equality

Women serving on Japan's biggest warship, the Kaga, are a tight-knit group on the frontline of a push to transform the Japanese navy into a mixed-gender fighting force, where men outnumber them more than 10 to one. The Maritime Self Defence Force (MSDF) needs more women because falling birth rates mean it has too few men to crew warships in home waters or on helicopter carriers such as the Kaga, sailing in foreign waters to counter China's growing regional influence.

Espionage scandals show Russian army's growing clout

Russia's military spies are being mocked abroad as bunglers but the army's influence over Kremlin foreign policy is growing and there is little likelihood it will halt its "black operations". The GRU military intelligence agency is blamed by the West for several botched attacks this year, including attempting to kill former spy Sergei Skripal with a nerve agent in the English city of Salisbury and trying to hack the global chemical weapons watchdog in the Netherlands.

Trump says next summit with North Korea's Kim to come after November U.S. elections

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday his second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un would be held after U.S. congressional elections on Nov. 6. Speaking to reporters as he flew to Iowa for a political rally, Trump said: "It'll be after the midterms. I just can't leave now."

Bulgaria police release Romanian questioned over journalist's murder

Bulgarian police questioned a Romanian man about the murder of TV journalist Viktoria Marinova on Tuesday but released him without charge and the country remains under international pressure to solve the crime. The body of the 30-year-old journalist, who police said had been raped, beaten and suffocated, was found on Saturday. The European Union and the United States have urged Bulgaria to bring the killer to justice.

Turkey says will search consulate where Saudi journalist vanished

Turkey said on Tuesday it would search Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul where Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi vanished last week, and close ally Britain called on Riyadh to provide "urgent answers" over his disappearance. Khashoggi was last seen one week ago entering the consulate in Istanbul to get documents related to his forthcoming marriage. His fiancee, waiting outside, said he never emerged and Turkish sources said they believe Khashoggi, a prominent critic of Saudi policies, was killed inside the mission.

Jordan says reopening crucial Syria trade route needs more talks

Jordan said on Tuesday more talks with Syria were needed before an important border crossing shut for three years as a result of its neighbour's war could reopen to serve regional trade. The closure of the Nassib crossing in 2015 cut a crucial transit route for hundreds of trucks a day transporting goods between Turkey and the Gulf, and Lebanon and the Gulf, in multi-billion dollar annual trade.

Brazil's far-right Bolsonaro: No coalition politics in cabinet picks

Far-right Brazilian presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro vowed on Tuesday to appoint non-partisan ministers, breaking with the tradition of building cabinets through coalitions, as part of his bid to tackle graft in Latin America's largest economy. Bolsonaro, a conservative congressman favoured by financial markets, fell just short of an outright majority in Sunday's vote. He will face leftist Fernando Haddad, a former Sao Paulo mayor, in a second-round ballot on Oct. 28.

Haiti says 17 killed in quake, more than 2,000 homes damaged

The weekend earthquake which battered Haiti killed 17 people, authorities said on Tuesday and damaged or destroyed nearly 2,500 houses, sparking fears that many buildings are in a precarious state in the impoverished Caribbean country. The shallow, magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck northern Haiti on Saturday, spreading panic, particularly around Port-de-Paix, a coastal town that absorbed the brunt of the shockwave.

UK says Hong Kong rejection of FT journalist visa politically motivated

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said on Tuesday that in the absence of any explanation by Hong Kong for its refusal to grant a visa to a senior UK journalist he could only conclude it was politically motivated. Chinese-ruled Hong Kong last week rejected an application to renew the work visa of Victor Mallet, the Asian news editor of the Financial Times who also serves as the vice-president of the city's Foreign Correspondents' Club (FCC).

Britain sees Brexit progress, again calls on EU to 'meet us halfway'

Brexit minister Dominic Raab voiced confidence on Tuesday that Britain and the European Union would make progress on their divorce at a summit next week but again asked the bloc to meet London "halfway" on the most difficult areas. Brexit negotiations have stepped up before the summit next Wednesday and Thursday, and the EU has signalled that its officials believe a deal is within grasp. But one of the most difficult obstacles to securing the so-called withdrawal agreement, the Irish border, has yet to be resolved.