Following is a summary of current world news briefs.
North Korea’s Kim oversees ICBM test, vows more nuclear weapons
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged to counter U.S. nuclear threats with nuclear weapons as he inspected a test of the country’s new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), state media KCNA said on Saturday. The isolated country tested the Hwasong-17 ICBM on Friday a day after warning of “fiercer military responses” to Washington beefing up its regional security presence including nuclear assets.
APEC pledges to boost trade as geopolitical rifts hijack regional summits
Leaders of the 21-member APEC bloc pledged on Saturday to boost trade and do more to tackle other economic challenges, wrapping up the last of three summits in the region in a week that have been overshadowed by intense geopolitical rivalry.
The summits have been attended by global leaders, and the talks have often been disrupted by friction spilling over from the war in Ukraine as well as flashpoints such as the Taiwan strait and the Korean peninsula.
COP27 nears breakthrough on climate finance in scramble for final deal
Negotiators at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt neared a breakthrough deal on Saturday for a fund to help poor countries being ravaged by the impacts of global warming, but remained locked over how to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions driving them. With a final climate accord already more than a day overdue, representatives of nearly 200 nations were anxious for an agreement they could bill as a step forward in the fight against climate change.
First Ukrainian passenger train rolls into newly freed Kherson
Jubilant Ukrainians rolled into Kherson by train on Saturday for the first time in more than eight months as residents of the newly liberated southern city greeted them on the platform with flowers and national flags. “I can’t even put my feelings into words,” said Hryhorii Vyrtosa, a 67-year-old construction worker, shortly after stepping off the overnight route from the capital, Kyiv.
Russia trying to exhaust Ukraine’s air defenses, Pentagon official says
Russia’s surge in missile strikes in Ukraine is partly designed to exhaust Kyiv’s supplies of air defenses and finally achieve dominance of the skies above the country, a senior Pentagon official said on Saturday. Russia has been hammering cities across Ukraine with missile strikes over the past week, in one of the heaviest waves of missile attacks since Moscow began its invasion nearly nine months ago.
Malaysia faces hung parliament in tight election race
Malaysia was facing a hung parliament for the first time in its history as support for a conservative Islamic alliance prevented major coalitions from winning a simple majority in a general election. Without a clear winner, political uncertainty could persist as Malaysia faces slowing economic growth and rising inflation. It has had three prime ministers in as many years.
New UK PM Sunak visits Kyiv, pledges support
Britain’s new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made his first visit to Kyiv on Saturday, pledging to continue the firm support for Ukraine that was a focus of his predecessors, and providing a new air defence package to help shoot down Russian drones. “Britain knows what it means to fight for freedom,” Sunak said on Twitter. “We are with you all the way.”
Iran leader says ‘enemies’ may target workers as protests rage
Protests raged on at Iranian universities and in some cities on Saturday as Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned the country’s “enemies” may try to mobilise workers after failing to topple the Islamic government in more than two months of unrest. One of the boldest challenges to Iran’s clerical leaders in decades, the protests have been gaining steam, frustrating authorities who have blamed Iran’s foreign enemies and their agents for orchestrating the disturbances.
Pope Francis goes back to his roots in visit to northern Italy town
Pope Francis went back to his roots on Saturday, visiting the northern area of Italy his ancestors left for Argentina and dropping in on an older cousin to celebrate her 90th birthday. Francis’ father Mario Bergoglio and fraternal grandparents left the then-poor area in 1929 to seek a better life in Argentina. There, his father met and married the future pope’s mother, Regina Maria Sivori, also of Italian immigrant stock.
Al Qaeda urges Muslims to shun World Cup, stops short of threats
Al Qaeda’s regional branch urged Muslims around the world to shun the soccer World Cup in Qatar, though it stopped short of threatening attacks or promoting violence in connection with the event, according to a statement reported by a monitoring group. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the militant group’s Yemen-based branch, criticised Qatar for “bringing immoral people, homosexuals, sowers of corruption and atheism into the Arabian Peninsula” and said the event served to divert attention from the “occupation of Muslim countries and their oppression”.
(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
