World News Roundup: Battery pioneers who made mobile revolution possible win Nobel chemistry prize; Anti-Brexit campaigners claim victory as Scottish court delays decision on extension law

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

China plans to restrict visas for U.S. visitors with 'anti-China' links

China is planning tighter visa restrictions for U.S. nationals with ties to anti-China groups, people with knowledge of the proposed curbs said, following similar U.S. restrictions on Chinese nationals, as relations between the countries sour. China's Ministry of Public Security has for months been working on rules to limit the ability of anyone employed, or sponsored, by U.S. intelligence services and human rights groups to travel to China.

Hong Kong pro-democracy activist appeals against sentence as further protests loom

A Hong Kong pro-democracy activist jailed for six years for rioting in 2016 appeared in court on Wednesday to appeal against his sentence, as anti-government protests showed no signs of abating despite new emergency laws and widespread arrests. Edward Leung, 27, one of the leaders of a movement advocating independence from China, and two other activists received the harshest sentences handed down to pro-democracy leaders since the city returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

U.S. Secretary of State calls for EU to condemn Iran over tanker

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday called on the European Union to condemn Iran and hold Tehran accountable after he said oil from Iranian tanker Adrian Darya had been offloaded in Syria. "Oil from the #AdrianDarya1 has been offloaded in Syria, proving that Iran lied to the UK and Gibraltar ... EU members should condemn this action, uphold the rule of law, and hold Iran accountable," Pompeo wrote in a post on Twitter.

Two killed in shooting in eastern German city of Halle: police

Two people were killed in a shooting in the eastern German city of Halle on Wednesday and police said they had detained one person. Mass-selling daily Bild said the shooting took place in front of a synagogue, and that a hand grenade was also thrown into a Jewish cemetery. An eyewitness told n-tv television that a perpetrator had also fired shots into a kebab shop in Halle.

Turkish and Syrian rebel forces to start Syria offensive 'shortly': Erdogan's aide

Turkish forces, together with the rebel Free Syrian Army, will cross the Syrian border "shortly", President Tayyip Erdogan’s communications director said early on Wednesday, as a surprise withdrawal of U.S. troops made way for the Turkish incursion. Turkey has been poised to advance into northeast Syria since the U.S. troops began vacating the area in an abrupt policy shift by U.S. President Donald Trump widely criticized in Washington as a betrayal of America's allies, the Kurds.

Battery pioneers who made mobile revolution possible win Nobel chemistry prize

Three scientists won the 2019 Nobel Prize for Chemistry on Wednesday for developing and refining rechargeable lithium-ion batteries which made the global information technology, mobile and fossil-fuel-free revolutions possible. American John Goodenough, at 97, became the oldest winner of a Nobel prize and shares the 9 million Swedish crown ($906,000 award equally with Stanley Whittingham from Britain and Akira Yoshino of Japan, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said.

Explainer: The missing Maltese academic at the heart of Washington intrigue

In recent weeks, U.S. Attorney General William Barr, with backing from President Donald Trump, has stepped up an inquiry into the origins of an FBI investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Trump has complained his campaign was improperly targeted by U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies to hamper his chances of winning. An investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller concluded that Moscow interfered in the election to help Trump, but said there was not enough evidence to establish a criminal conspiracy with Russia.

Anti-Brexit campaigners claim victory as Scottish court delays decision on extension law

Anti-Brexit campaigners claimed victory after Scotland's highest court decided on Wednesday to wait before ruling whether to force Prime Minister Boris Johnson to seek a delay to Britain's EU divorce date if he has not struck a deal in the next 10 days. An alliance of rebels in Johnson's Conservative Party and opposition lawmakers voted through a law, known as the Benn Act, last month which requires him to ask for a Brexit delay if there is no deal in place by Oct. 19.

In farm-rich Argentina, hunger cries ring in leaders' ears amid crisis

In the hard-up neighborhood of Claypole on the outskirts of the Argentine capital Buenos Aires, Elena Escobar makes her way to the local Caritas Felices soup kitchen to serve food to street children who scrape by from meal to meal. Escobar, 53, says the volunteer-run kitchen has seen a surge of kids and families seeking help over the last few months, amid a biting recession and fast-rising prices that have pushed millions of people into poverty.

Malaysia parliament scraps law penalizing fake news

Malaysia's parliament on Wednesday scrapped a law making "fake news" a crime, which critics say was aimed at curbing dissent, a year after an initial attempt to repeal the legislation was blocked by an opposition-controlled senate. The Anti-Fake News Act 2018 was passed by former prime minister Najib Razak's administration just weeks before he lost the May 2018 election to an alliance led by Mahathir Mohamad, who had promised to scrap the law.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)