World News Roundup: Pompeo criticizes China after meeting top diplomat; Four killed in renewed Sudan protests

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Saudi Arabia lifts travel restrictions on women, grants them greater control

Saudi Arabia has allowed adult women to travel without permission and granted them more control over family matters, further eroding a heavily criticized male guardianship system at a time of heightened scrutiny over its human rights record. The decisions issued in a series of cabinet decrees published by the official gazette on Friday stipulate that a Saudi passport should be issued to any citizen that applies for it and that any person above the age of 21 does not need permission to travel.

In anti-abortion El Salvador, woman faces second homicide trial after baby stillborn

Salvadoran maid Evelyn Hernandez says she did not realize she was pregnant when as an 18-year-old she delivered a stillborn son after a three-day stomach ache. A court in the Central American country, which bans abortion under all circumstances, ruled it aggravated homicide. Prosecutors claimed that she had induced an abortion, and Hernandez was sentenced to 30 years. After she served nearly three years, the Supreme Court in February ordered her released and re-tried because the original judge's decision was based on prejudice and insufficient evidence.

Trump plays down new apparent North Korea test, still open to talks

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday played down what appeared to be North Korea's third missile launch in just over week, saying they were short-range and "very standard" and would not affect his willingness to negotiate with Pyongyang. South Korea's military said unidentified short-range projectiles were fired at 2:59 a.m. and 3:23 a.m. local time on Friday from North Korea's South Hamgyong Province into the East Sea.

Britain tells Iran: there will be no tanker swap

Britain on Thursday ruled out exchanging an Iranian tanker detained by Gibraltar for a British-flagged tanker seized by Iran in the Gulf. "We are not going to barter: if people or nations have detained UK-flagged illegally then the rule of law and rule of international law must be upheld," Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said while on a trip to Bangkok.

Four killed in renewed Sudan protests, opposition medics say

At least four protesters were killed and many injured by gunfire in the Sudanese city of Omdurman on Thursday, opposition medics said, as hundreds of thousands took to the streets to pile pressure on the country's military rulers. Organizers had called for a million-person march in cities across Sudan in response to the killing of young protesters in El-Obeid, southwest of the capital Khartoum, earlier this week.

Trump says U.S. blockade or quarantine of Venezuela under consideration

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he was considering a quarantine or blockade of Venezuela, as the United States steps up pressure on President Nicolas Maduro to relinquish power. Trump did not elaborate on when or how such a blockade could be imposed, and his administration has so far focused on diplomatic and economic pressure against Maduro while steering clear of any military action.

Kremlin critic Navalny says he was poisoned in custody: lawyer

Jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has filed an official complaint saying he was poisoned while in custody on Sunday, his lawyer Vadim Kobzev said on social media. The critic of the Kremlin was rushed to hospital with what his spokeswoman said was "severe swelling of the face and skin redness". He was discharged and taken back into custody a day later.

Pompeo criticizes China after meeting top diplomat in Bangkok

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday criticized China's actions in Asia after meeting his Chinese counterpart for the first time this year amid political tension between the two countries. Pompeo spoke out against Chinese "coercion" of Southeast Asian neighbors in disputes over the South China Sea and its dam-building on the Mekong River.

Houthi attack kills more than 30 in Yemen's Aden, Saudi blames Iran

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement launched missile and drone attacks on Thursday on a military parade in Aden, the seat of government and a stronghold of the Saudi-led military coalition, killing 36 people according to the interior ministry. An explosion hit a military camp belonging to the Yemeni Security Belt forces backed by the United Arab Emirates, which is a member of the Western-backed coalition battling the Houthis, a Reuters witness said.

Iran says ready for worst in battle to save nuclear deal amid standoff with U.S.

President Hassan Rouhani said on Thursday that Iran was ready for the worst in an uphill struggle to salvage its nuclear deal with world powers abandoned by the United States, but that he was sure Tehran would eventually prevail. Fears of a Middle East war with global repercussions have risen since U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew last year from the 2015 deal and revived a panoply of sanctions meant to push Tehran into wider security concessions.

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