Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

U.S. hopes Abraham Accords will help Israeli-Palestinian issue – officials

The United States is working to expand normalisation agreements between Israel and Arab nations, known as the Abraham Accords, and hopes restoring such ties can be leveraged to advance progress on the Israeli and Palestinian conflict, senior State Department officials said on Tuesday. In a briefing with reporters previewing U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s meetings on Wednesday with his Israeli and Emirati counterparts, officials repeated that the Abraham Accords were not a substitute for the two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians.

Exclusive-Turkish intelligence helped Iraq capture Islamic State leader, sources say

Turkish intelligence helped Iraq capture a senior Islamic State leader who had been hiding out in northwestern Syria, three security sources said on Tuesday, in an operation that points to closer cooperation against remnants of the jihadist group. Iraq announced on Monday that its security forces had captured Sami Jasim, an Iraqi national, in what it described as “a special operation outside the borders”. It did not give details on when or where he was seized.

U.S., Taliban had ‘productive’ talks on humanitarian aid – State Department

The United States and the Taliban had “productive discussions” on the issue of humanitarian assistance for Afghanistan during meetings in Qatar over the weekend, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Tuesday, describing the talks as “largely positive.” Officials discussed humanitarian access during the two days of meetings between Taliban representatives and U.S. officials including some from the intelligence community and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Billionaire Alibaba founder Jack Ma reappears in Hong Kong – sources

Alibaba Group founder Jack Ma, largely out of public view since a regulatory clampdown started on his business empire late last year, is currently in Hong Kong and has met business associates in recent days, two sources told Reuters. The Chinese billionaire has been keeping a low profile since delivering a speech in October last year in Shanghai criticising China’s financial regulators. That triggered a chain of events that resulted in the shelving of his Ant Group’s mega IPO.

EU coordinator of nuclear talks to visit Iran -Iranian foreign ministry

The European Union envoy coordinating talks on reviving the Iran nuclear deal, Enrique Mora, will visit Tehran on Thursday, the Iranian foreign ministry said on Tuesday, as a date is still to be set to relaunch the stalled negotiations. “(Mora’s) trip will take place on Thursday. It follows consultations between the two sides on issues of mutual interest, including relations between Iran and the Union, Afghanistan and the nuclear accord,” ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told Iranian state media.

Ukrainian court orders Kremlin ally Medvedchuk to remain under house arrest

A Ukrainian court on Tuesday ordered pro-Russian politician Viktor Medvedchuk to remain under house arrest until December after prosecutors widened their investigation into his activities and accused him of financing separatist fighters. Medvedchuk, who strongly denies wrongdoing, has been under house arrest since May, facing accusations of treason and attempting to plunder state resources in Crimea, a part of Ukraine which Russia annexed in 2014.

Beirut blast investigation stand-off roils Lebanese cabinet

A standoff between the judge investigating the disastrous Beirut port blast and top politicians he seeks to question roiled Lebanon’s cabinet on Tuesday after the inquiry was suspended on Tuesday for the second time in less than three weeks. The investigation has faced obstacles since judge Tarek Bitar sought to query some of Lebanon’s most powerful people on suspicion they were aware of the stored chemicals involved in the Aug. 4, 2020 explosion but did nothing to avert it.

Analysis-Iraqi voters spurn Iran’s allies, but Tehran could still fight for clout

Iraqi voters delivered a sharp rebuke to Iran’s allies in an election this week, but loosening the grip of Shi’ite militia from control of the state will still be a politically delicate goal, with the threat of violence always in the background. The main winner of the election was Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, a populist who has positioned himself as a staunch opponent of both Iran and the United States.

Biden, Kenya President Kenyatta to hold White House meeting

President Joe Biden will host Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta for a meeting in Washington on Thursday as the White House weighs sanctions against parties to the conflict in a northern region of the neighboring East African country of Ethiopia. The meeting at the White House will mark Biden’s first as president with an African leader.

Flanked by missiles, North Korea’s Kim says U.S. and South Korea threaten peace

Standing beside North Korea’s largest missiles, leader Kim Jong Un said his country’s weapons development is necessary in the face of hostile policies https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/north-korea-has-right-test-weapons-given-hostile-policies-un-envoy-2021-09-27 from the United States and a military buildup in South Korea https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/skorea-blazes-new-path-with-most-potent-conventional-missile-submarine-2021-09-08, state media said on Tuesday. Pyongyang was only increasing its military in self-defence and not to start a war, Kim told a defence exhibition on Monday, North Korea’s official KCNA news agency reported.

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