Reuters World News Summary
Following is a summary of current world news briefs.
Missile hits military parade in Yemen, killing at least seven
A missile fired by the Iran-aligned Houthi group struck a military parade in Yemen's town of al-Dhalea, killing at least seven people and wounding several, government-allied southern separatist forces who control the area said on Sunday. No claim of responsibility was made and Houthi media did not immediately comment on the blast or the accusation.
Ukraine holds big prisoner swap with pro-Russian separatists
Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatists in the east completed a large-scale prisoner swap on Sunday after bussing scores of detainees in the five-year conflict to an exchange point in the breakaway Donbass region. The swap should help build confidence between the two sides, who are wrangling over how to implement a peace deal after the loss of more than 13,000 lives, but major disagreements remain and full normalization is far off.
Turkey evacuates wounded after deadly Mogadishu blast
A Turkish military cargo plane landed in the Somali capital on Sunday to evacuate people badly wounded in a devastating truck bombing that killed at least 90 people including two Turkish nationals. The plane also brought emergency medical staff and supplies, the Turkish embassy said in a tweet, adding these had been taken to a Turkish-run hospital in Mogadishu.
Evacuation order in Australia's south-east as bushfires rage and temperatures soar
Thousands of residents and holiday makers are evacuating a swathe of Victoria, in Australia's southeast, as soaring temperatures and strong winds fan massive bushfires. With the mercury set to top 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in Melbourne, authorities urged an estimated 30,000 tourists to leave East Gippsland, an area half the size of Belgium.
More than 1,000 gather for rain-soaked Hong Kong rally
More than 1,000 people rallied in the rain in a park in Hong Kong's financial district on Sunday, chanting slogans for democracy as they huddled under a sea of umbrellas. The crowd, a mix of young and elderly people, wore black and turquoise surgical masks to hide their identities as they listened to organizers speaking on a makeshift stage.
North Korea's Kim stressed armaments, defense industry at key party meeting
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un discussed foreign affairs, armaments and the defense industry at a key ruling Workers' Party meeting on Sunday, state media KCNA said on Monday. Kim convened a meeting of top party officials on Saturday to pore over important policy matters ahead of a year-end deadline he has set for the United States to soften its stance in stalled denuclearization talks.
U.S. strikes in Iraq, Syria target Iranian-backed Shi'ite Muslim militia group
The U.S. military carried out air strikes in Iraq and Syria against the Kataib Hezbollah militia group in response to the killing of a U.S. civilian contractor in a rocket attack on an Iraqi military base, U.S. officials said on Sunday. Iraqi security and militia sources said at least 25 militia fighters were killed and at least 55 wounded following three U.S. air strikes in Iraq on Sunday.
Russia, China to hold more U.N. talks on lifting North Korea sanctions: diplomats
U.N. Security Council members are due to meet informally on Monday for a second round of negotiations on a Russian and Chinese proposal to lift a raft of sanctions on North Korea, a move that some diplomats say has little support. China and Russia are convening negotiations a day before North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's deadline for the United States to show flexibility in stalled talks aimed at getting Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons program. North Korea has warned the United States could receive an unwanted "Christmas gift" if it fails.
Putin thanks Trump for tip Russia says foiled attacks
Russia said on Sunday it had thwarted terrorism attacks reportedly planned in St. Petersburg thanks to a tip from Washington, bringing personal thanks again from President Vladimir Putin to his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump. Russian news agencies cited the Federal Security Service (FSB) as saying that thanks to the information, two Russians were detained on Dec. 27 on suspicion of plotting attacks during New Year festivities in St. Petersburg.
Israel trims funds to Palestinians over militant casualties
Israel will withhold around $43 million in tax handovers to the cash-strapped Palestinian Authority (PA) over its financial support for the families of slain or wounded Palestinian militants, the Israeli security cabinet said on Sunday. The decision followed Israel's similar trimming in February of funds to offset PA payouts to jailed Palestinian militants, for which the PA retaliated by boycotting all tax handovers for more than half a year, stirring worries it could go bankrupt.
