Britain's opposition Labour Party plots overthrow of capitalism

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Britain's opposition Labour Party plots overthrow of capitalism

The British Labour Party's would-be finance minister, John McDonnell, has a message for the world: he is deadly serious about overthrowing capitalism and building a socialist society.

McDonnell, 67, who describes Karl Marx as one of his main influences, has been at the vanguard of a left-wing revival in Britain's main opposition party under fellow socialist Jeremy Corbyn. He has promised sweeping nationalization, higher public spending and an overhaul of the banking system.

Trump shows he will turn blind eye to Khashoggi killing, Turkey says

Donald Trump's comments about Jamal Khashoggi's killing show the U.S. president will turn a blind eye to the issue no matter what investigators uncover, Turkey's foreign minister said on Friday. On Tuesday, Trump vowed to remain a "steadfast partner" of Saudi Arabia despite saying that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman may have known about the plan to murder Khashoggi last month.

Turkey's foreign minister says EU comments on rule of law 'out of line'

Turkey on Friday criticized the European Union's foreign policy chief for her comments on the rule of law in Turkey, a day after she and another official rebuked Ankara over arrests of journalists and the detention of a Kurdish politician. In an interview with broadcaster CNN Turk, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu criticized the comments from Federica Mogherini as "out of line" after she took Turkey to task at a news conference on Thursday over detentions of journalists and academics and said she hoped that politician Selahattin Demirtas would be released soon.

UAE signals jailed UK academic could be freed in 'amicable solution'

The United Arab Emirates signaled on Friday a British academic it jailed for life on spying charges could be freed after his family appealed for clemency in a case that has strained ties between the longstanding allies. Matthew Hedges, 31, was sentenced on Wednesday on charges of spying for the British government, in a move described as deeply disappointing by Prime Minister Theresa May.

EU struggles to agree on Gibraltar before Brexit summit

European Union negotiators met on Friday to try to clear the last hurdle before Sunday's summit to endorse the Brexit deal, but Spain's eleventh-hour objection over Gibraltar means the final text could not be ready until the last minute. Four months before Britain leaves the EU, the legal divorce treaty and an accompanying political declaration on future ties are ready to be rubber-stamped by British Prime Minister Theresa May and the leaders of the 27 countries remaining in the EU after Brexit.

U.N. says hopes for peace in Afghanistan are well founded

Afghanistan has a better chance of finding peace than it has for many years, with more coordination in international peace efforts and willingness to include all parties, the top U.N. humanitarian official in the country said on Friday. Taliban leaders met U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad at their political headquarters in Qatar last week for the second time in the past month, and President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the United States was in "very strong" peace negotiations.

Blast, shots heard near Chinese consulate in Pakistan's Karachi: TV

A blast and gunshots were heard early on Friday near the Chinese consulate in Pakistan's southern coastal city of Karachi, television channels said. It was not immediately clear how close the gunshots were to the consulate, or if it was the target of an attack.

Turkey says roadmap on Syria's Manbij needs to be completed by year-end

An agreement with the United States for the removal of a Kurdish militia from the northern Syrian town of Manbij needs to completed by the end of the year, Turkey said on Friday, voicing frustration with what it says is a deal beset by delays. Turkey and the United States, both NATO allies, have seen their relationship strained by differences over Syria policy. Washington has backed the YPG Kurdish militia in the fight against Islamic State. Turkey says the YPG is a terrorist group and an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

Suicide blast at Afghanistan mosque kills at least 26 gathered to pray

A suicide blast at a mosque in an army base in eastern Afghanistan on Friday killed at least 26 people and wounded 50, security officials in the area said, although there was no immediate claim of responsibility. One security official said the victims had gathered for Friday prayers at the mosque in the Ismail Khel district of Khost province.

EU says changes to Polish supreme court legislation a good sign

European Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis said on Friday that changes Poland is introducing in a law overhauling the Supreme Court are a sign that things are going in the right direction. "At first glance it seems to be heading in the right direction. We need some time to do a deeper assessment of the legislation. We see this as a positive opening," he told news conference in Warsaw.