Reuters World News Summary

The New York Times in June reported that a Russian military intelligence unit secretly offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants for killing coalition forces in Afghanistan — including American troops, citing U.S. intelligence officials.


Reuters | Updated: 13-08-2020 05:25 IST | Created: 13-08-2020 05:25 IST
Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs. Lebanon must fight corruption after Beirut blast, says German foreign minister

Germany's foreign minister said on Wednesday that Lebanon needed a government able to fight corruption and enact reforms as he toured Beirut port, scene of the devastating explosion that has kindled protests and led the government to resign. The Aug. 4 blast at a warehouse storing highly explosive material killed at least 172 people, injured some 6,000, left around 300,000 without habitable housing and wrecked swathes of the Mediterranean city, compounding a deep economic and financial crisis. Pompeo says he warned Lavrov against offering bounties for U.S. soldiers

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday said he warned his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov that there would be "an enormous price to pay" if Moscow is offering bounties to kill U.S. soldiers or other Western troops in Afghanistan. The New York Times in June reported that a Russian military intelligence unit secretly offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants for killing coalition forces in Afghanistan — including American troops, citing U.S. intelligence officials. German prosecutors appeal for public help in tracing Wirecard boss

German prosecutors appealed on television on Wednesday for help in tracking down Jan Marsalek, a former boss of collapsed payments company Wirecard, and issued a wanted notice for a manager they suspect of embezzling billions of euros. Charges were first brought against Marsalek in June 22, and his status as a suspect was widely known, but under Germany's extremely strict privacy laws, formally announcing he is a suspect and soliciting public help is a major step. Prosecutors said they believed he was outside Germany. PM Johnson to talk up UK unity on Northern Ireland visit

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will visit Northern Ireland on Thursday to talk up the strength of union between Britain's constituent nations and promise a strong rebound from the coronavirus crisis. Johnson will also meet Ireland's new prime minister Micheál Martin for the first time since the formation of a new Irish coalition government in June. Thousands stage flower protest in Belarus as EU weighs sanctions

Protesters formed human chains and marched through the streets of Belarus carrying flowers on Wednesday in anger at a crackdown by strongman President Alexander Lukashenko that has prompted the European Union to consider new sanctions against Minsk. Security forces have clashed with protesters for three consecutive nights after Lukashenko claimed a landslide re-election victory in a vote on Sunday that his opponents say was rigged. Police have detained around 6,000 people. Mexican president wants graft testimony from predecessors Calderon and Pena Nieto

Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Wednesday the two presidents who preceded him should testify about corruption after a complaint by a former head of state oil firm Petroleos Mexicanos, known as Pemex. Lopez Obrador's position that both former President Enrique Pena Nieto and his predecessor Felipe Calderon should speak to prosecutors raises the stakes in his drive to root out corruption he says plagued previous governments. Special Report: Last doctor standing - Pandemic pushes Indian hospital to brink

Guards armed with rifles escort Dr. Kumar Gaurav as he makes the rounds at his hospital on the banks of the Ganges River. The guards are there to protect him from the relatives of patients, including those suffering from COVID-19. The relatives keep barging into the wards, even the ICU, to stroke and feed their loved ones, often without wearing even the flimsiest of masks as barriers against the novel coronavirus. State Department watchdog finds fault in conduct of U.S. Ambassador to Britain

U.S. Ambassador to Britain Woody Johnson has made insensitive and inappropriate comments during his tenure, including about race, religion and sex, the State Department's inspector general has found, judging that morale in some parts of the mission has dropped. In a report published on Wednesday, the inspector general's office said it asked the relevant State Department bureau to conduct further review based on its findings and take action, a recommendation the agency disagreed with. Economic clout makes China tougher challenge for U.S. than Soviet Union was - Pompeo

China's global economic power makes the communist country in some ways a more difficult foe to counter than the Soviet Union during the Cold War, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on a visit to the Czech Republic on Wednesday. Pompeo called on countries around Europe to rally against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which he said leverages its economic might to exert its influence around the world. Syria's Assad says new U.S. sanctions are part of drive to 'choke' Syrians

Syrian President Bashar al Assad said on Wednesday that sweeping new U.S. sanctions amounted to a new stage of economic warfare against his government and were part of long-standing U.S. efforts to "choke" the living standards of Syrians. In a speech to deputies at the presidential palace, Assad also blamed the sanctions, known as the Caesar Act, for a fall in Syria's currency to new record lows, with panic buying of dollars by Syrians worried about their economic situation.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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