Reuters World News Summary
Following is a summary of current world news briefs.
Election commission confirms preliminary results of Bosnia general vote
Bosnia's election commission (CIK) confirmed preliminary results of Oct. 2 presidential and parliamentary elections on Saturday, showing the dominance of nationalist parties in parliaments at various levels of the Balkan country's governance. The CIK also confirmed non-nationalist Croat and Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) candidates as winning the seats on the tripartite inter-ethnic presidency, and a candidate of a pro-Russian party securing the seat of the Serb presidency member.
How water has been weaponised in Ukraine
Sveta has no doubt about why the Ukrainian-held southern city of Mykolaiv, a ship-building center that is home to a half a million people, has gone without fresh water for the past six months. "They (the Russians) are committing genocide against us," she growled as she waited this week with dozens of others to fill containers with water from tanks hauled to a downtown thoroughfare aboard an electric tramway repair car.
Chinese ex-President Hu Jintao escorted out of party congress
Chinese former President Hu Jintao was unexpectedly escorted out of the closing ceremony of a congress of the ruling Communist Party on Saturday. Hu, 79, Xi Jinping's immediate predecessor, was seated to the left of Xi. He was led off the stage of the main auditorium of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing by two stewards, a Reuters witness at the congress said.
Right-wing Meloni sworn in as Italy's first woman prime minister
Giorgia Meloni was sworn in as Italy's first woman prime minister on Saturday alongside her cabinet team, giving the country its most right-wing government since World War Two. She takes office at an especially fraught moment, with Italy's debt-laden economy once again heading into recession, firms buckling under the weight of soaring energy bills, and splits within her coalition over the war in Ukraine.
Russia says it repelled Ukrainian offensive in Kherson region
Russia said on Saturday its forces had prevented an attempt by Ukraine to break through its line of control in the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson, where it is evacuating civilians in anticipation of a wider Ukrainian counter-offensive. "All attacks were repulsed, the enemy was pushed back to their initial positions," the Defence Ministry said, adding that Ukraine's offensive was launched towards the settlements of Piatykhatky, Suhanove, Sablukivka and Bezvodne, on the west side of the Dnipro river.
Tens of thousands march in Berlin in support of Iran protests
Tens of thousands of people marched in Berlin on Saturday in a show of support for protesters in Iran where unrest ignited by Mahsa Amini's death in police custody entered a sixth week despite a deadly state crackdown. The protests have posed one of the boldest challenges to Iran's clerical leadership since the 1979 revolution, even if they do not appear close to toppling a government that has deployed its powerful security apparatus to quell the unrest.
Boris Johnson returns to UK in bid for rapid political comeback
Boris Johnson returned to Britain from holiday on Saturday to consider an audacious bid for a second term as prime minister in a race that could pit him against his former finance minister whose resignation in July helped drive him out of office. Potential candidates to replace Prime Minister Liz Truss, who quit on Thursday after six weeks in office, were embarking on a frantic weekend of lobbying to secure enough nominations to enter the leadership contest before Monday's deadline.
Ukraine plane engine builder head held on treason charges - media
A former owner of a prestigious aircraft engine builder in central Ukraine has been detained on treason charges, Ukrainian media reported on Saturday, quoting security sources. Several of Ukraine's most prominent media outlets said Vyacheslav Boguslaev, the "honorary head" of the Motor Sich company in the central city of Zaporizhzhia, had been detained and was being taken to Kyiv in a convoy.
Saudi crown prince not attending Arab summit on doctors' advice -Algerian presidency
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will not attend the Arab summit to be held on Nov. 1 in Algeria, in compliance with a doctors' recommendation to avoid travel, the Algerian presidency said in a statement late on Saturday. Prince Mohammed, the kingdom's de-facto ruler, "expressed his regret for not attending the Arab summit," in a phone call with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, the statement said.
China's Xi further cements power as party congress closes
China's ruling Communist Party wrapped up its twice-a-decade congress on Saturday, cementing Xi Jinping's iron grip on power and revealing a new Central Committee missing two key officials lacking close ties to the leader. Xi, 69, is poised to clinch a third five-year leadership term as party general secretary, breaking with precedent and solidifying his place as China's most powerful ruler since Mao Zedong, the founding leader of the People's Republic.
