Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

No more status quo: PM Johnson vows to transform Britain after coronavirus crisis

Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised on Tuesday to transform Britain rather than settle for the “status quo” after the coronavirus crisis by building more new homes, improving education, fighting crime and boosting the green economy. In a speech aimed at rallying his Conservative Party, which has become increasingly critical of its leader, Johnson laid out his vision for Britain, where deep-rooted inequality has been laid bare by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Opposition in Kyrgyzstan claim power after storming government buildings

Opposition groups in Kyrgyzstan said they had seized power in the strategically-important Central Asian country on Tuesday after taking control of government buildings in the capital during protests over a parliamentary election. President Sooronbai Jeenbekov said the country, which hosts a Russian air base and a large Canadian-controlled gold mine, was facing an attempted coup d’etat. He ordered security forces not to open fire protesters however.

Church of England failed to protect children from sexual predators, inquiry says

The Church of England failed to protect children from sexual predators within its ranks for decades, allowing abusers to hide in an attempt to defend its own reputation rather than following its duty to protect young people, an inquiry said on Tuesday. The Church apologised for the abuse and said it would learn lessons from the inquiry.

In Tokyo, Pompeo slams China and seeks support from Asian allies

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Japan on Tuesday to rally support from Washington’s closest allies in Asia, calling for deeper collaboration with Japan, India and Australia as a bulwark against China’s growing regional influence. The East Asia visit, Pompeo’s first in more than a year, coincides with worsening tensions with China. Yet the call for a united front against Beijing is a sensitive subject for Washington’s allies, which are reliant on China for trade.

Black hole discoveries win 2020 Nobel Prize for Physics

Britain’s Roger Penrose, Reinhard Genzel of Germany and American Andrea Ghez won the 2020 Nobel Prize for Physics on Tuesday for their discoveries about one of the most exotic phenomena in the universe, the black hole. Penrose, professor at the University of Oxford, won half the prize of 10 million Swedish crowns ($1.1 million) for his work using mathematics to prove that black holes are a direct consequence of Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity.

Undeterred by virus, Iraqi volunteers cater for thousands of Arbaeen pilgrims in Baghdad

“Fried chicken, fried fish, rice!” Mohammed al-Mohammedawi shouts to Shi’ite pilgrims passing his roadside food tent in Baghdad on their way to the holy city of Kerbala on foot. His tent is among hundreds in the Iraqi capital providing free food, shelter and even clothes to the thousands of pilgrims making the 90-kilometre journey to Kerbala, which will take them two to three days, for the annual Arbaeen pilgrimage.

Kuwait’s emir asks government to stay on, prepare for elections

Kuwait’s new emir has asked the cabinet to carry on its duties and prepare for parliamentary elections due this year after the prime minister handed in his government’s resignation, state news agency KUNA reported on Tuesday. Parliament, which must approve the emir’s choice of crown prince, will end its term on Oct. 8, Speaker Marzouq al-Ghanim later said in remarks broadcast on state television.

At least 11 dead in blast in northwest Syrian town: witnesses

At least 11 people were killed and dozens more were wounded on Tuesday in an explosion in the northwest Syrian town of al-Bab, which is under the control of Turkey-backed rebel factions, hospital sources told Reuters. A witness said the blast occurred when a large truck bomb went off in a crowded area in the town. Videos and images circulated by activists on social media showed large plumes of smoke rising from the blast site, along with several fires and damaged buildings.

Syria’s Assad blames Turkey for fighting between Azeris and Armenians

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad accused Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan of being the main instigator in the deadliest fighting between Armenian and Azeri forces for more than 25 years. In an interview published on Tuesday that is likely to exacerbate international frictions over the clashes in the South Caucasus region, Assad also said militants from Syria were being deployed to the conflict area.

Navalny says Russian authorities poisoned him as threat ahead of parliament elections

Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny said he believed Russia’s intelligence services had poisoned him with a Novichok nerve agent because authorities saw him as a threat ahead of next year’s parliamentary elections. “They understood that there were big, big problems threatening them ahead of elections for the State Duma,” Navalny said in a YouTube interview with a Russian blogger, his first video appearance since being discharged from a Berlin hospital.