Reuters World News Summary
Following is a summary of current world news briefs.
Northern Ireland's DUP names Donaldson as new leader
Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) named Jeffrey Donaldson as its new leader on Tuesday, the third person in a tumultuous few weeks to lead the British province's largest party during crucial post-Brexit talks. Lawmakers in the pro-British party ousted then leader and the province's first minister Arlene Foster in late April in favour of Edwin Poots, who stepped down last week after just three weeks in the job.
Hong Kong court grants bail to activist charged under security law -media
Hong Kong's High Court on Tuesday approved bail for a pro-democracy activist who is among 47 charged with conspiracy to commit subversion under a sweeping national security law Beijing imposed on its freest city last year, the city's public broadcaster RTHK reported. Owen Chow, 24, who has been in jail for nearly four months, was ordered to pay HK$50,000 and follow a list of bail conditions, including not threatening national security, reporting to police every day and surrendering all travel documents, according to RTHK.
U.N. Afghanistan envoy warns of Taliban offensive
U.N. special envoy on Afghanistan Deborah Lyons said on Tuesday the Taliban has taken more than 50 of 370 districts in the country since May, warning that increased conflict "means increased insecurity for many other countries, near and far." "Those districts that have been taken surround provincial capitals, suggesting that the Taliban are positioning themselves to try and take these capitals once foreign forces are fully withdrawn," Lyons told the U.N. Security Council.
Qin Gang set to be named China's new ambassador to U.S., as veteran Cui leaves
China's longest-serving ambassador to Washington, Cui Tiankai, said on Tuesday he will be leaving his post after eight years, amid strained relations between the world's two largest economies. Cui, known for his more congenial, diplomatic manner, is expected to be replaced by Qin Gang, a trusted aide of President Xi Jinping known for his sharp retorts to criticism of China.
Western sanctions bordering on a 'declaration of economic war', says Belarus
Belarus views Western sanctions, imposed in response to Minsk's forced landing of a Ryanair plane last month to arrest a journalist on board, as a declaration of economic war, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. Western powers hit Belarus with a wave of new sanctions on Monday in a coordinated response against officials, lawmakers and ministers from the administration of President Alexander Lukashenko, whose air force intercepted the Ryanair plane flying between Athens and Vilnius on May 23 in what the West called state piracy.
Iran accuses U.S. of meddling for criticising election
Iran accused the United States on Tuesday of interference for saying its election was neither free nor fair as political factions traded blame for the record low turnout and high number of invalid ballots. Ebrahim Raisi, a hardline judge who is under U.S. sanctions, secured victory as expected on Saturday in an election marked by voter apathy over economic hardships and political restrictions.
Spain pardons jailed Catalan separatist leaders
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Tuesday pardoned all nine Catalan separatist leaders jailed for their role in a failed independence bid in the region in 2017, one of whom reacted with defiance to news of his impending release. Sanchez announced the pardons in a televised address. They are conditional and a ban on the leaders holding public office remains in place.
Myanmar anti-junta militia vow to take on army in a major city
Myanmar security forces backed by armoured vehicles clashed on Tuesday with a newly formed militia group in the second-biggest city of Mandalay resulting in at least two casualties, according to members of the group and media reports.
Since the army seized power on Feb. 1 and removed the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, the security forces have put down protests opposing military rule. In response, groups of opponents of the coup known as people's defence forces have sprung up across Myanmar.
China, allies seek probe into indigenous children's remains in Canada
China and its allies called on Tuesday for an independent investigation into the discovery last month of the remains of more than 200 indigenous children at a Canadian boarding school. The remains of 215 children, some as young as three years old, were found in British Colombia at the site of a former residential school for indigenous children, a discovery Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described as heartbreaking.
N.Korea warns U.S. misinterpreting signals risks disappointment
A top North Korean official warned the United States on Tuesday not to misinterpret comments by her leader, saying doing so would end in disappointment, as a U.S. envoy aiming to get talks with the North back on track met South Korea's president. Kim Yo Jong, a senior official in North Korea's ruling party and sister of leader Kim Jong Un, released a statement in state media saying the United States appeared to be interpreting signals from North Korea in the "wrong way".
