Reuters World News Summary

Biden said the order enabled his administration "to immediately sanction the military leaders who directed the coup, their business interests as well as close family members." Saudi women's rights activist Hathloul freed from jail, relatives say Prominent women's rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul was released from a Saudi prison after nearly three years behind bars, her family said on Wednesday, a case that has drawn international condemnation.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs. In Myanmar coup response, Biden approves order for sanctions on generals, businesses

U.S. President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday he had approved an executive order for new sanctions on those responsible for the military coup in Myanmar and he repeated demands for the generals to give up power and free civilian leaders. Biden said the order enabled his administration "to immediately sanction the military leaders who directed the coup, their business interests as well as close family members." Saudi women's rights activist Hathloul freed from jail, relatives say

Prominent women's rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul was released from a Saudi prison after nearly three years behind bars, her family said on Wednesday, a case that has drawn international condemnation. Hathloul, 31, was detained in May 2018 and sentenced in December to nearly six years in prison on charges that U.N. rights experts called "spurious" under broad counter-terrorism laws. The court suspended two years and 10 months of her sentence, most of which had already been served. Iranian nuclear scientist killed by one-ton automated gun in Israeli hit: Jewish Chronicle

The Iranian nuclear scientist assassinated near Tehran in November was killed by a one-ton gun smuggled into Iran in pieces by the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, according to a report by The Jewish Chronicle on Wednesday. Citing intelligence sources, the British weekly said a team of more than 20 agents, including Israeli and Iranian nationals, carried out the ambush on scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh after eight months of surveillance. Lebanon's Hariri and France's Macron discuss Lebanese crisis, formation of government

Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Saad al-Hariri on Wednesday dined with French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss the crisis in Lebanon and the difficulties in forming a new government, according to Hariri's Twitter account. "Presidents Hariri and Macron discussed the internal Lebanese difficulties that hinder the formation of the government and the possible ways to overcome them," the Twitter post said, adding that the two men had discussed French efforts to resolve the crisis over a two-hour dinner. U.S. calls on Turkey to immediately release jailed philanthropist Osman Kavala

The United States on Wednesday called on Turkey to immediately release philanthropist Osman Kavala, who has been detained for more than three years without conviction. "The specious charges against Kavala, his ongoing detention, and the continuing delays in the conclusion of his trial, including through the merger of cases against him, undermine respect for the rule of law and democracy," the U.S. State Department said on Wednesday, urging Turkey to abide by the European Court of Human Rights rulings. Iran produces uranium metal, IAEA says, in latest breach of deal

Iran has carried out its plan to produce uranium metal, the U.N. atomic watchdog confirmed on Wednesday, despite Western powers having warned Iran that would breach their 2015 nuclear deal as uranium metal can be used to make the core of an atom bomb. Iran began breaching its nuclear deal with major powers step by step in 2019 in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the deal the previous year and Washington's reimposition of sanctions on Tehran. Australia, New Zealand cancel tsunami warnings as threat from Pacific quake eases

A 7.7 magnitude undersea earthquake struck the South Pacific region on Thursday, triggering a brief tsunami warning for Australia and New Zealand that was cancelled, with no immediate reports of damage. The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said the quake's epicentre was 417 kilometres (258 miles) east of Tadine, New Caledonia, and at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). North Korea's Kim calls for increased party role in economic plans: KCNA

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called on his ruling Workers' Party to take a more direct role in his new five-year economic plan and blamed the party for past failures in implementing reform, state media reported on Thursday. The remarks come on the third day of the party's plenary meeting, where Kim had also laid out party plans for South Korea relations and external affairs, as well as plans for each economic sector. Haitian protesters, police clash after president moves against top judges

Haitian police on Wednesday clashed with rock-hurling protesters in the capital Port-Au-Prince amid street demonstrations against President Jovenel Moise after his government retired three Supreme Court judges earmarked as his potential replacements. Police fired teargas and shot in the air in an attempt to disperse pockets of protesters, who pelted the security officials with rocks, according to a Reuters witness. Yemen's Houthis say they carried out drone attack on Saudi airport

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group said it carried out a drone attack on Saudi Arabia's Abha airport on Wednesday which the Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthi forces in Yemen said caused a fire in a civilian aircraft. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said four Houthi drones were used in an attack that he said struck Abha airport, in southern Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday afternoon.