World News Round-Up: China says ex-Interpol, U.S.' Pompeo, Britain, EU,Haiti quake

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

China says ex-Interpol chief focus of bribery probe back home

China said on Monday it was investigating former Interpol chief Meng Hongwei for bribery and other violations, days after French authorities said the Chinese official had been reported missing by his wife after travelling to his home country. Under President Xi Jinping, China has been engaged in a sweeping crackdown on official corruption. On Sunday, Interpol, the France-based global police coordination body, said that Meng had resigned as its president.

U.S.' Pompeo hails 'significant' North Korea progress; experts skeptical

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday hailed "significant progress" in talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the weekend and said the sides were "pretty close" to agreeing on details for the second summit between Kim and President Donald Trump. However, experts questioned what Pompeo had achieved on Sunday on his fourth visit to Pyongyang this year. They said the North Korean leader appeared simply to be repackaging and dragging out past pledges.

Britain, EU play game of chicken in Brexit countdown

Britain said on Monday it could not agree on a divorce deal with the European Union without a framework pact on future relations, throwing down the gauntlet to the bloc which also says it cannot move on talks until London does. Both sides are eyeing significant progress at an Oct. 17-18 summit in Brussels but in different sequences - Prime Minister Theresa May wants to see the EU's proposal for post-Brexit ties while the EU seeks a new offering from her on the Irish border.

Syrian rebels complete withdrawal of heavy weapons from Idlib frontline: Anadolu

Syrian rebels completed the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the frontline in Idlib on Monday, under the deal between Russia and Turkey to create a demilitarized zone, the state-owned Anadolu news agency said. Under the agreement struck last month between Turkey and Moscow, the main backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, rebels deemed as radicals are required to withdraw by the middle of this month from the zone, and heavy weaponry must be withdrawn by Oct. 10.

Haiti quake death toll rises to 15, and 300 injured

An earthquake that struck Haiti on Saturday killed 15 people, injured another 300 and destroyed 40 houses, Jerry Chandler, head of the Caribbean country's civil protection agency, said on Monday. Chandler was speaking at a news conference to report on the human cost of the relatively shallow, magnitude 5.9 quake, which hit the north of the impoverished country late on Saturday.

Venezuela says jailed lawmaker commits suicide; opposition says he was killed

Venezuela's government said on Monday that a jailed opposition lawmaker killed himself by jumping from the 10th floor of the state intelligence agency headquarters (SEBIN) where he was being held, but his party said that he was murdered by the government. Municipal lawmaker Fernando Alban, 56, was jailed last Friday for alleged involvement in the explosion of two drones during a military parade in August that was led by President Nicolas Maduro, Interior Minister Nestor Reverol said in a post on Twitter.

Brazilians vote in tense presidential race led by right-winger

Brazilians will vote on Sunday in a polarized presidential race that could result in the election of a far-right former Army captain, whose praise of past dictatorships enrages critics but whose promise of a brutal crackdown on crime and corruption has electrified his supporters. Front-runner Jair Bolsonaro, who some call a tropical Trump, has surged in opinion polls in the past week.

Turkey's Erdogan tells Saudis to prove missing journalist left Istanbul consulate

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Monday called on Riyadh to prove its claim that Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who has been missing since last week, left the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The disappearance of Khashoggi, previously a prominent newspaper editor in Saudi Arabia and an adviser to its former head of intelligence, has sparked global concern, particularly after Turkish sources said over the weekend that authorities believed he was killed inside the consulate.

Second Russian blamed for Skripal poisoning named as GRU doctor: Bellingcat

The second of two Russians who Britain blames for the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal was named by investigative website Bellingcat on Monday as a military doctor for Russia's GRU intelligence service. Bellingcat, which covers intelligence matters, named him as Alexander Yevgenyevich Mishkin, aged 39, who was charged by Britain last month under the name of Alexander Petrov.

U.S. economists win Nobel for work on climate change, innovation

Americans William Nordhaus and Paul Romer, pioneers in adapting the western economic growth model to focus on environmental issues and sharing the benefits of technology, won the 2018 Nobel Economics Prize on Monday. In a joint award that turned the spotlight on a rapidly shifting global debate over the impact of climate change, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said the duo's work was helping to answer basic questions over how to promote long-term, sustainable prosperity.