Reuters World News Summary
Following is a summary of current world news briefs.
UK Supreme Court hears cases that PM Johnson's parliament suspension was illegal
Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government will seek to persuade Britain's top court this week that his decision to suspend parliament until shortly before the date for Brexit was not illegal as Scottish judges concluded last week. Johnson announced on Aug. 28 that he had asked Queen Elizabeth to prorogue, or suspend, parliament for five weeks from last week until Oct. 14, saying the shutdown was necessary to allow him to introduce a new legislative agenda.
Erdogan says up to 3 million Syrian refugees can return to 'safe zone' if it extended
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that up to three million Syrian refugees can return to a planned "safe zone" in northern Syria if it is extended from Turkey's border to Deir al Zor and Raqqa, after talks with his Russian and Iranian counterparts. Speaking at a news conference in Ankara after talks for a lasting truce in Syria with Russia's Vladimir Putin and Iran's Hassan Rouhani, Erdogan said the summit had eliminated obstacles to the formation of a constitutional committee, adding that the committee would begin working soon.
Turkey, Russia, Iran agree steps to ease tensions in Syria's Idlib despite lingering differences
The leaders of Turkey, Russia and Iran meeting in Ankara on Monday agreed to try to ease tensions in northwest Syria's Idlib region, but disagreements between the countries appeared to linger, especially over the threat from Islamic State. The summit of the three countries - all of whom have allies fighting in Syria's ruinous eight-year-old war - aimed to find a lasting truce in Syria. Recent attacks by Syrian government forces risk deepening regional turmoil and pushing a new wave of migrants towards Turkey.
Bahrain's Crown Prince says signs deal to buy Patriot missiles
Bahrain Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa said on Monday that Bahrain has signed an agreement to purchase its first U.S. Patriot missile battery. The crown prince made the announcement to reporters during a meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House.
Israel's Netanyahu fights for new term after decade in power
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a battle for political survival in a closely fought election on Tuesday that could end his 10-year domination of national politics. Opinion polls put former armed forces chief Benny Gantz's centrist Blue and White party neck-and-neck with Netanyahu's right-wing Likud, and suggest the far-right Yisrael Beiteinu party could emerge as kingmaker in coalition talks.
China signals veto in standoff with U.S. over Afghanistan U.N. mission: diplomats
China and the United States are deadlocked over a U.N. Security Council resolution to extend the world body's political mission in Afghanistan, with Beijing signaling it will cast a veto because there is no reference to its global Belt and Road infrastructure project, diplomats said on Monday. A planned vote on Monday by the 15-member Security Council to renew the mission, known as UNAMA, was delayed to Tuesday to allow for further negotiations. The mission's mandate expires on Tuesday. To pass, a resolution needs nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the United States, China, France, Russia and Britain.
Trump declines to comment on report Kim invited him to North Korea
U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday declined to comment on a newspaper report that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had invited him to visit Pyongyang and said conditions were not ready yet for such a visit. "The relationship is very good but I don't want to comment on that," Trump told reporters at the White House when asked whether Kim had invited him to North Korea.
Slovak Prime Minister seen surviving no-confidence vote
Slovak Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini should easily defeat a no-confidence vote on Tuesday, but his government is being increasingly damaged by revelations about the reach of the main suspect in the 2018 murder of a journalist into state offices. The murder of investigative reporter Jan Kuciak, who uncovered fraud cases involving politically connected businessmen, and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova shone a spotlight on corruption in the central European country, sparking the biggest protests since the end of communism in 1989 that shook the political scene.
Trump says he does not want war after attack on Saudi oil facilities
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday said it looked like Iran was behind attacks on oil plants in Saudi Arabia but stressed he did not want to go to war, as the attacks sent oil prices soaring and raised fears of a new Middle East conflict. Iran has rejected U.S. charges it was behind the strikes on Saturday that damaged the world's biggest crude-processing plant and triggered the largest jump in crude prices in decades.
Venezuelan government mulls sending lawmakers back to opposition assembly
Venezuela's government said on Monday it was evaluating sending some of its lawmakers back to the opposition-controlled National Assembly, which President Nicolas Maduro has called an illegal institution, as part of new talks with one opposition faction. Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez also said the government would reform the national electoral commission, which the opposition and Western observers have denounced as biased after the 2018 election, won by Maduro, which they claim was rigged. Rodriguez gave no details about these possible changes.
There are 'thousands' of decisions to make about the new Space Force, but the military's 2nd-highest-ranking officer already knows the 'perfect partner'