World News Roundup: Johnson vows to launch review of 'sin taxes'; China condemns violent Hong Kong protests

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Pentagon says China missile test in South China Sea 'disturbing'

The Pentagon said on Tuesday a recent Chinese missile launch in the South China Sea was "disturbing" and contrary to Chinese pledges that it would not militarize the disputed waterway. The South China Sea is one of a growing number of flashpoints in the U.S.-China relationship, which include a trade war, U.S. sanctions and Taiwan.

EU leaders choose France's Lagarde for ECB after marathon summit

European Union leaders agreed on Tuesday to name France's Christine Lagarde as the new head of the European Central Bank and sealed a deal on filling the EU's other top four jobs after marathon talks that have exposed deep divisions in the bloc. Three days of summit negotiations that at times looked close to collapse ended with a deal that now must be approved by the European Parliament and was immediately rejected by the socialist and green bloc in the assembly in Strasbourg.

U.S., Germany slam China at U.N. Security Council over Xinjiang: diplomats

The United States and Germany slammed China during a closed-door United Nations Security Council meeting on Tuesday for detaining more than one million ethnic Uighurs and other Muslims, accusing Beijing of depriving them of their rights, diplomats said. China has been widely condemned for setting up detention complexes in remote Xinjiang. It describes them as "education training centers" helping to stamp out extremism and give people new skills.

China condemns violent Hong Kong protests as 'undisguised challenge' to its rule

China on Tuesday condemned violent protests in Hong Kong as an "undisguised challenge" to the formula under which the city is ruled, hours after police fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of protesters who stormed and trashed the legislature. A representative of China's Hong Kong affairs office denounced the demonstrators, who are furious about proposed legislation allowing extraditions to China, and said Beijing supports holding criminals responsible, state media said.

Netanyahu says Trump knew in advance of Israel's Iran archive mission

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that he informed U.S. President Donald Trump in advance of what Israel has described as a spy mission in Tehran last year to capture a secret Iranian nuclear archive. Netanyahu said in April 2018 that Mossad operatives had spirited thousands of hidden documents out of Tehran that proved Iran had previously pursued a nuclear weapons program. Trump cited the Israeli findings in his decision, a month later, to quit a 2015 deal that had scaled down Iran's nuclear project.

'Help, 40 days here': Photos show migrants crammed into U.S. border facilities

Government investigators warned of dangerous overcrowding at more migrant facilities on the southwest U.S. border, publishing photos on Tuesday of packed cells in Texas' Rio Grande Valley where some children have no access to showers or hot meals. A report issued by investigators for the Department of Homeland Security said supervisors raised concerns for the health and safety of detainees and agents, warning that the overcrowding represented a "ticking time bomb."

No casualties as Tunisia security forces kill man wearing explosive belt: government

There were no casualties after Tunisian security forces killed a man wearing an explosive belt after chasing him in the capital Tunis, an interior ministry spokesman said early on Wednesday. Earlier, witnesses said that a man blew himself up in the Mnihla area in Tunis after being surrounded by the police.

As Britain's PM, Johnson vows to launch review of 'sin taxes'

Boris Johnson, frontrunner to become Britain's next prime minister, will launch a review into the so-called sin taxes on products high in salt, fat and sugar if he wins the contest for leader, he will say on Wednesday. Britain's sugar tax on soft drinks came into force in April in an effort to tackle childhood obesity, and some officials are toying with the idea of putting levies on products with high salt and fat content to boost the strategy.

Canada 'confident' U.S. raised issue of detained Canadians with China: Trudeau

Canada's prime minister said on Tuesday he is "confident" U.S. President Donald Trump made good on his promise to raise the cases of two detained Canadians during recent discussions with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's comments come after Trump said on Saturday he did not talk with Xi about the extradition proceedings against Chinese telecommunications executive Meng Wanzhou during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Japan.

Europeans urge Iran to abide by nuclear pact; Israel says preparing military

European signatories to a nuclear pact with Iran said on Tuesday they were "extremely concerned" by Tehran's apparent breach of the 2015 deal, as Israel said it was preparing for possible involvement in any confrontation between Iran and the United States. Iran announced this week it has amassed more low-enriched uranium than is permitted under the nuclear pact, a move that prompted U.S. President Donald Trump to say Iran was "playing with fire".