Reuters World News Summary

The blasts engulfed an ammunition depot at a military base in the north of the Crimean peninsula, disrupting trains and forcing the evacuation of 2,000 people from a nearby village, according to Russian officials and news agencies. Britain launches dispute resolution with EU over post-Brexit research Britain has launched dispute resolution proceedings with the European Union to try to gain access to the bloc's scientific research programmes, including Horizon Europe, the government said on Tuesday, in the latest post-Brexit row.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Donbas separatist leader urges cooperation with North Korea - KCNA

North Korea and the Russian-backed separatist Donetsk region of Ukraine will develop "equally beneficial bilateral cooperation", Donetsk leader Denis Pushilin said in a letter to Kim Jong Un, North Korean state media reported on Wednesday. In July, North Korea recognised the Donetsk (DPR) and Luhansk People's Republics (LPR) in eastern Ukraine's Donbas region, as independent states.

Blasts at Russian base in Crimea suggest Ukrainians fighting back

Moscow denounced sabotage and Kyiv hinted at responsibility for explosions on Tuesday at a military base in Russian-annexed Crimea that is an important supply line for Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The blasts engulfed an ammunition depot at a military base in the north of the Crimean peninsula, disrupting trains and forcing the evacuation of 2,000 people from a nearby village, according to Russian officials and news agencies.

Britain launches dispute resolution with EU over post-Brexit research

Britain has launched dispute resolution proceedings with the European Union to try to gain access to the bloc's scientific research programmes, including Horizon Europe, the government said on Tuesday, in the latest post-Brexit row. Under a trade agreement signed at the end of 2020, Britain negotiated access to a range of science and innovation programmes, including Horizon, a 95.5 billion euro ($97 billion) programme that offers grants and projects to researchers.

Three Syrian soldiers killed in Turkish air strike on military posts -state media

Three Syrian soldiers were killed and six wounded in a Turkish air strike on military posts in the Aleppo countryside on Tuesday, state media quoted a military source as saying. Turkish warplanes targeted the posts from 14:37 p.m. to 15:00 p.m. (11:37-12:00 GMT); the Syrian state TV and news agency reported.

British leadership candidates against new Scottish independence push

The two candidates battling to be Britain's next prime minister vied to present themselves as defenders of Scotland's place in the United Kingdom on Tuesday, promising more scrutiny of Scotland's government to undermine a new push for independence. The Scottish National Party (SNP), which heads Scotland's semi-autonomous government, wants to hold a second independence referendum next year, which could rip apart the world's fifth-biggest economy.

Lula, Bolsonaro officially enter campaign season as they court voters

Far-right President Jair Bolsonaro and his leftist front-running challenger Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva formally launched their campaigns on Tuesday for Brazil's most polarized elections in decades in October. The race pits a nationalist populist with an agenda backed by Christian conservatives against a former union leader and two-term president of the country (2003-2010) who was jailed for corruption until his convictions were annulled.

Under pressure: Ukrainians at nuclear plant work under Russian guns - technician

Ukrainian technicians at the Russian-held nuclear power plant hit by shelling work under the barrels of Russian guns and face huge pressure, but they are staying on to make sure there is no Chornobyl-style disaster, one of them said. The technician, who asked that his identity not be disclosed for fear of Russian reprisals, offered a rare glimpse into the fraught working conditions at the Zaporizhzhia plant, which Moscow and Kyiv accuse each other of shelling.

EU, U.S. say they're studying Iran's response to nuclear proposal

The European Union and United States said on Tuesday they were studying Iran's response to what the EU has called its "final" proposal to save a 2015 nuclear deal after Tehran called on Washington to show flexibility. A U.S. State Department spokesperson said the United States was sharing its views on Iran's response with the European Union after receiving Tehran's comments from the bloc.

To rescue 10 trapped miners, Mexico turns to German, U.S. companies

Mexico will ask both a German and a U.S. company to help rescue 10 miners who have been trapped in a coal mine for nearly two weeks, officials said on Tuesday, as families urged quicker action to save the trapped men. The Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond when asked which two companies it contacted.

Kenya's Odinga says presidential election result a 'travesty'

Kenyan politician Raila Odinga rejected as a "travesty" the result of the Aug. 9 presidential election he was declared to have lost to Deputy President William Ruto and warned on Tuesday of a long legal crisis facing Kenya's democracy. His first comments on the result came after four of the seven election commissioners said they stood by their decision a day earlier to disown figures announced by electoral commission chairman Wafula Chebukati.