World News Roundup: Central American caravan moves on; Mattis looks to calm European allies

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Central American caravan moves on in spite of Mexico jobs offer

A U.S.-bound caravan of Central American migrants pressed on through southern Mexico on Saturday, in spite of government offers of jobs, as authorities stepped up efforts to disperse the convoy that has angered U.S. President Donald Trump. Mexican police in riot gear briefly blocked the march of men, women and children as they neared Oaxaca state before dawn, to relay the offer of temporary identification papers, jobs or education for those seeking asylum in Mexico.

Chinese privately developed rocket fails to reach orbit

A privately developed Chinese carrier rocket failed to reach orbit after lifting off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Saturday, in a blow to the country's nascent attempts by private companies to rival Elon Musk's SpaceX. The three-stage rocket, Zhuque-1, was developed by Beijing-based Landspace. The company said in a microblog post after nominal first and second stages that the spacecraft failed to reach orbit as a result of an issue with the third stage.

Brazil's Bolsonaro poised to win presidency in dramatic swing right

Brazilians fed up with corruption and rising crime are expected to elect former army captain turned politician Jair Bolsonaro as their president as voting begins on Sunday in a turbulent swing to the right in the world's fourth-largest democracy. Bolsonaro's sudden rise was propelled by the rejection of the leftist Workers Party (PT) that ran Brazil for 13 of the last 15 years and was ousted two years ago in the midst of the country's worst recession and biggest graft and bribery scandal.

Merkel's government braces for high-stakes state election

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's ruling coalition faces its second test in as many weeks on Sunday as voters go to the polls in the western state of Hesse for a regional election that could torpedo the national government. The Hesse election has taken on extra significance after another regional vote on Oct. 14 resulted in the worst result since 1950 for Merkel's Bavarian allies and humiliation for the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), her other ruling partner.

Mattis looks to calm European allies nervous about INF treaty

U.S. Defense Secretary said on Sunday that the United States was in consultation with its European allies on an arms control treaty, as NATO members urge Washington to try to bring Russia back into compliance with the pact rather than quit it. President Donald Trump said on Oct. 20 that Washington planned to quit the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty which Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader, and Ronald Reagan had signed in 1987.

In talks with Saudi minister, Mattis calls for transparent investigation in Khashoggi killing

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Sunday that he had met Saudi Arabia's foreign minister and called for a transparent investigation into the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Washington Post columnist Khashoggi's murder has escalated into a crisis for the world's top oil exporter as Saudi Arabia's allies have reacted with outrage.

Thai Leicester City owner, four others, were on crashed helicopter: source

Leicester City soccer club owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, a Thai tycoon, was among five people who were in a helicopter which crashed in a ball of flames after a Premier League match on Saturday, a source close to the club said. Also on board where one of Vichai's two daughters, two pilots and a fifth person whose identity was not immediately known, the source said on Sunday.

Turkish forces bombarded Kurdish YPG militia positions east of Euphrates: Anadolu

Turkish forces bombarded Kurdish YPG militia positions on the eastern shore of the Euphrates River in northern Syria, state-owned Anadolu news agency said on Sunday. The bombardment targeted the Zor Magar area to the west of northern Syria's Ayn al-Arab region and was aimed at preventing "terrorist activities", Anadolu reported.

Iran's Khamenei calls for fight against enemy 'infiltration': state TV

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on Sunday for the stepping up of efforts to fight enemy "infiltration" in a speech to officials in charge of cyber defence, state television reported. "In the face of the enemy's complex practices, our civil defence should ... confront infiltration through scientific, accurate, and up-to-date ... action," Ayatollah Khamenei told civil defence officials, who are in charge of areas including cyber defence.

Blend faith, doctrine with activism, pope tells young at synod's end

Pope Francis, ending a month-long meeting on the theme of Catholic youth, told young people Sunday that in order to be good members of the Church they should not be obsessed with "doctrinal formulae" but blend its rules with social activism to help those in need. Francis said a Mass for about 10,000 people in St. Peter's Basilica to ceremoniously close the Synod of Bishops, officially titled "Young People, Faith and Discernment of Vocation" and attended by some 300 bishops, priests, nuns and lay participants.