World News Roundup: Taiwan vows counter-attack if Chinese forces enter its territory; Pakistanis protect homes against devastating floods; aid arrives and more

Beijing, which claims Taiwan as its own against the strong objections of the Taipei government, has held military exercises around the island this month in reaction to a visit to Taipei by U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Pakistanis protect homes against devastating floods; aid arrives Residents in southern Pakistan used sandbags to shield their homes from surging floodwaters that inundated a major highway on Wednesday, as global aid began arriving with food, medicine and tents to help alleviate a major national disaster.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Taiwan vows counter-attack if Chinese forces enter its territory

Taiwan said on Wednesday it would exercise its right to self-defence and counter-attack if Chinese armed forces entered its territory, as Beijing increased military activities near the democratically governed island. Beijing, which claims Taiwan as its own against the strong objections of the Taipei government, has held military exercises around the island this month in reaction to a visit to Taipei by U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Pakistanis protect homes against devastating floods; aid arrives

Residents in southern Pakistan used sandbags to shield their homes from surging floodwaters that inundated a major highway on Wednesday, as global aid began arriving with food, medicine and tents to help alleviate a major national disaster. Abnormal heavy monsoon rains and melting glaciers triggered floods that have submerged a third of the country and killed at least 1,191 people, including 399 children. The United Nations has appealed for $160 million to help with what it calls an "unprecedented climate catastrophe".

China may have committed crimes against humanity in Xinjiang, says U.N

China's "arbitrary and discriminatory detention" of Uyghurs and other Muslims in the country's Xinjiang region may constitute crimes against humanity, the outgoing U.N. human rights chief said in a long-awaited report on Wednesday. U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, who has faced criticism from some diplomats and rights groups for being too soft on China, released the report just minutes before her four-year term ended on Wednesday. She visited China in May.

Funeral of last Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to take place on Saturday -media reports

The funeral of the Soviet Union's last leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who died on Tuesday in Moscow aged 91, will take place on Saturday, Russian news agencies reported, citing Gorbachev's daughter and a spokesperson for his foundation. It will be held in the famous Hall of Columns inside Moscow's House of Unions, agencies reported, the same place where Josef Stalin's body was put on display following his death in 1953.

EU complicates travel rules for Russians but baulks at visa ban

EU foreign ministers on Wednesday decided to make it more expensive and lengthier for Russians to obtain visas to travel to the bloc but stopped short of agreeing to the EU-wide visa ban that Ukraine and several member states had called for. The EU was too divided to agree at this stage on a blanket ban, and also left unclear what unilateral measures Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Finland, which have land borders with Russia, could take to restrict access to Russian visitors.

Malaysian court to deliver verdict in corruption trial of former first lady Rosmah

Rosmah Mansor, the wife of former prime minister Najib Razak, will hear on Thursday whether a court has found her guilty of seeking bribes from firms coveting government contracts, just days after her husband was jailed for corruption. Najib and his wife, who has faced criticism for her lavish lifestyle, are at the centre of a wide-ranging crackdown on corruption mounted after his administration was voted out in a historic 2018 election.

Iran seeks stronger U.S. guarantees for revival of 2015 nuclear deal

Iran needs stronger guarantees from Washington for the revival of a 2015 nuclear deal, its foreign minister said in Moscow on Wednesday, adding that the U.N. atomic watchdog should drop its "politically motivated probes" of Tehran's nuclear work. After 16 months of indirect talks between Tehran and Washington, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Aug. 8 the EU had laid down a final offer to overcome an impasse for the revival of the agreement.

West mourns Gorbachev the peacemaker, Russia recalls his failures

Mikhail Gorbachev was mourned in the West on Wednesday as a towering statesman who helped to end the Cold War, but his death received a cool response in Russia, engaged in a war with Ukraine to regain some of the power it lost when he presided over the Soviet Union's collapse. Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader, died at the age of 91 in a Moscow hospital on Tuesday after two years of serious illness.

Montenegro blames criminal gang for cyber attacks on government

Montenegro on Wednesday blamed a criminal group called Cuba ransomware for cyber attacks that have hit its government digital infrastructure since last week, described by officials as unprecedented. Public Administration Minister Maras Dukaj told state television the group had created a special virus for the attack called Zerodate, with 150 workstations in 10 state institutions becoming infected.

UN inspectors near Ukrainian nuclear plant on mission to avert an accident

United Nations inspectors arrived on Wednesday in the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia on a mission to prevent a nuclear accident at a Russian-occupied power plant where nearby shelling has prompted global fears of disaster. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team reached the city 55 km (34 miles) away from the plant, where they were likely to spend the night before arriving at the facility on Thursday.