Reuters World News Summary

In a complaint filed with the Supreme Electoral Court (TSE) on Tuesday, Bolsonaro's allies argued that votes from some machines should be "invalidated," citing signs of "malfunction" and calling into question the win by his leftist rival Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Australia approves national plan to safeguard Aboriginal heritage Australia will set out a new national legal framework to protect Aboriginal cultural heritage, after a review of mining standards following Rio Tinto's destruction of sacred rock shelters for an iron ore mine, Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said on Thursday.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

North Korea cautions sanctions and pressure will fuel more hostility

North Korea on Thursday denounced Seoul's push to impose additional sanctions on Pyongyang following its repeated missile launches, saying such measures will add to the North's "hostility and anger," state media KCNA reported. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's powerful sister, Kim Yo Jong, made the remarks in a statement carried by KCNA, calling South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol "and other idiots" a "faithful dog" of the United States.

Analysis-Trump lesson on U.S. protectionism guides Canadian foreign policy

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government learned a lesson when former U.S. President Donald Trump forced the renegotiation of the North American trade pact five years ago: never underestimate U.S. protectionism. Taking that lesson to heart has prompted Canada to mirror U.S. strategy in the Pacific and tout itself as an alternative to China for vital clean technology materials in the hope that becoming a long-term strategic partner of the United States will insulate it from protectionist impulses in the future.

Walmart manager opens fire on Virginia co-workers, killing 6 and himself

A manager at a Walmart Inc store in Virginia opened fire on fellow employees in a break room, killing six before turning the gun on himself, eyewitnesses said on Wednesday after the country's latest mass shooting. The gunman, identified as Andre Bing, 31, of Chesapeake, Virginia, said nothing as he began firing on workers gathered late on Tuesday ahead of their overnight shift, according to two employees who were in the break room.

Ukrainians suffer in cold, darkness as president implores U.N. to punish Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged the United Nations Security Council to act against Russia over air strikes on civilian infrastructure that have again plunged Ukrainian cities into darkness and cold as winter sets in. Russia unleashed a missile barrage across Ukraine on Wednesday, killing 10 people, forcing shutdowns of nuclear power plants and cutting water and electricity supply in many places.

Bolsonaro challenge to Brazil election result seen stoking protests

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's attempt to challenge the election he lost last month appears weak on the merits, according to electoral experts and political analysts, but could still fire up his supporters who have been protesting his loss. In a complaint filed with the Supreme Electoral Court (TSE) on Tuesday, Bolsonaro's allies argued that votes from some machines should be "invalidated," citing signs of "malfunction" and calling into question the win by his leftist rival Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Australia approves national plan to safeguard Aboriginal heritage

Australia will set out a new national legal framework to protect Aboriginal cultural heritage, after a review of mining standards following Rio Tinto's destruction of sacred rock shelters for an iron ore mine, Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said on Thursday. The government had accepted all but one recommendation out of the eight from last year's parliamentary inquiry into the destruction of the historically and culturally significant site at Juukan Gorge in Western Australia, Plibersek told parliament.

New space observatory helps solve mystery involving enormous black holes

Most galaxies are built around humongous black holes. While many of these are comparatively docile, like the one at our Milky Way's center, some are fierce - guzzling surrounding material and unleashing huge and blazingly bright jets of high-energy particles far into space. Using data from the recently deployed Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) orbiting observatory, researchers on Wednesday offered an explanation for how these jets become so luminous: subatomic particles called electrons becoming energized by shock waves moving at supersonic speed away from the black hole.

Measles now an imminent global threat due to pandemic, say WHO and CDC

There is now an imminent threat of measles spreading in various regions globally, as COVID-19 led to a steady decline in vaccination coverage and weakened surveillance of the disease, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. public health agency said on Wednesday. Measles is one of the most contagious human viruses and is almost entirely preventable through vaccination. However, it requires 95% vaccine coverage to prevent outbreaks among populations.

Brazil's Lula government to ban or tax guns, says aide

Brazil's government-elect of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will revoke decrees made by President Jair Bolsonaro that have eased access to firearms and is considering banning or taxing guns when it takes office in January, a senior Lula aide said on Wednesday. Senator-elect Flavio Dino, who leads Lula's transition team for public safety and justice, said the next government will reverse a series of Bolsonaro's executive orders that have weakened gun restrictions and caused a sharp increase in the number of gun owners in the country.

Turkish air strikes in Syria threatened safety of U.S. personnel -Pentagon

Turkish air strikes in northern Syria threatened the safety of U.S. military personnel and the escalating situation jeopardized years of progress against Islamic State militants, the Pentagon said on Wednesday. The public comments represent the strongest condemnation by the United States of NATO-ally Turkey's air operations in recent days against a Kurdish militia in northern Syria to date.