World News Summary: Iran dismisses U.S. claim it was behind Saudi oil attacks, says ready for war

Following is a summary of current world news briefs. Iran dismisses U.S. claim it was behind Saudi oil attacks, says ready for war

Iran dismissed accusations by the United States that it was behind attacks on Saudi oil plants that risk disrupting global energy supplies and warned on Sunday that U.S. bases and aircraft carriers in the region were in the range of its missiles. Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group claimed responsibility for Saturday's attacks that knocked out more than half of Saudi oil output or more than 5% of global supply, but U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Iran of the attack on the world's energy supply. Afghan, U.S. forces kill Taliban governors, fighters

Afghan forces backed by U.S. forces killed two senior Taliban leaders and at least 38 fighters of the hardline insurgent group in joint airstrikes conducted in northern and western regions of Afghanistan, officials said on Sunday. The operations, launched on Saturday night, were aimed at foiling attacks planned by the Taliban on Afghan forces, said a senior security official in capital Kabul, adding that clashes have escalated following the collapse of diplomatic talks between the U.S. and the Taliban. UK's Johnson says 'huge' progress made on Northern Irish backstop

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said huge progress had been made on resolving the Northern Irish backstop sticking point in Brexit talks, in a newspaper interview in which he likened himself to the comic book character The Incredible Hulk. "There's a very, very good conversation going on about how to address the issues of the Northern Irish border. A huge amount of progress is being made," Johnson told the Mail on Sunday, adding that he was "very confident". Hong Kong protesters call on former ruler Britain to pressure China

Hong Kong protesters are expected to rally outside the British Consulate on Sunday demanding that the former colonial power ensures China honors its commitments to the city's freedoms. The Chinese-ruled territory has been rocked by weeks of sometimes violent pro-democracy protests, with demonstrators angry about what they see as creeping interference by Beijing in their city's affairs despite a promise of autonomy. Syrian government artillery pounds south Idlib: rescuers

Syrian troops shelled the south of Idlib on Sunday, according to rescuers and residents in the rebel stronghold where a ceasefire had halted a fierce army offensive two weeks ago. Artillery fire battered Maarat al-Numan town and nearby villages in the south Idlib countryside over the past two days after warplanes struck there on Thursday. Tunisians vote in the competitive presidential election

Tunisians began casting votes in an unpredictable presidential election on Sunday where there is no overwhelming front-runner, with the young democracy's economic ills dominating the agenda. Polling stations opened at 8 am (0700 GMT) from the capital Tunis on the Mediterranean coastline to the cork forests of the northwest, the mining towns of the interior and sand-swept Saharan villages in the south. Bahamas tourism industry hopes for a quick comeback from 'Category Hell' storm

As rescuers search for bodies amid mountains of debris and the stench of death on the Bahamas island of Abaco, life on most of the archipelago's 700 isles is little changed. Cruise ships have pulled in and out of the capital and tourist hub, Nassau in the two weeks since Hurricane Dorian struck the northwestern islands, depositing foreign sightseers onshore who haggle for conch shells and T-shirts. Turkey says Israel becoming 'racist, apartheid regime' with annexation plan

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's announcement of his intention to annex areas of the West Bank following next week's elections shows Israel is becoming a "racist, apartheid regime", Turkey's foreign minister was quoted as saying on Sunday. Netanyahu said on Tuesday he would annex the Jordan Valley, a swathe of the occupied West Bank that Israel captured in 1967 and which Palestinians want as part of a future state. The move alarmed Middle Eastern nations, European powers and Arab foreign ministers. Turkey says delivery of second S-400 battery complete

Turkey's defense ministry said on Sunday that the delivery of the second battery of Russian S-400 missile defense systems has been completed as of Sunday, and added that the systems would become active in April 2020. Ankara and Washington have been at loggerheads over Turkey's purchase of the S-400 systems, which the United States says are not compatible with NATO defenses and poses a threat to Lockheed Martin's F-35 'stealth' fighter jets. Belgium's pick for EU Commission faces graft inquiry

Belgium's candidate for the incoming European Commission, Foreign Minister Didier Reynders, faces a preliminary probe into accusations of money laundering in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Belgian authorities and two newspapers said. The accusations were made by an ex-member of Belgium's intelligence services, Brussels's state prosecutor's office said late on Saturday, declining to give more details. It was not available for further comment on Sunday.

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