World News Roundup: 189 feared dead in Indonesian plane crash, Merkel plans exit in 2021

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

South Korean court to rule on war survivors' claim against Japanese firm

South Korea's top court is due to rule on Tuesday on a damages lawsuit against a Japanese company filed by South Koreans forced into labour during Japan's 1910-45 occupation, a decision that could unsettle ties between the uneasy neighbours. Japan and South Korea share a bitter history that includes Japan's 35-year occupation of the peninsula and the use of comfort women, Japan's euphemism for women - many of them Korean - forced to work in its wartime brothels.

UK academic charged with spying in UAE released on bail: sources

A British academic charged with espionage in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been released on bail, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Monday. Matthew Hedges, a 31-year-old doctoral student at Durham University, was arrested on May 5 at Dubai airport after a two-week research visit. He was formally charged this month with spying on the Gulf state, where he has been held in solitary confinement.

WikiLeaks' Assange says Ecuador seeking to end his asylum

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said on Monday that Ecuador is seeking to end his asylum in its London embassy and hand him over to the United States, but a judge rejected his lawsuit over embassy living conditions. Assange spoke from the embassy via teleconference at a hearing in Quito of a lawsuit challenging the Ecuadorean government requiring him to pay for medical bills, phone calls and clean up after his pet cat.

Trump sends 5,200 troops to Mexico border as caravan advances

The United States said on Monday it will send over 5,200 troops to help secure the border with Mexico, a far larger-than-expected deployment as President Donald Trump hardens his stance on immigration ahead of Nov. 6 mid-term elections. The deployment will create an active-duty force comparable in size to the U.S. military contingent in Iraq, as Trump's administration draws attention to a caravan of migrants that is trekking through Mexico toward the United States.

Germany's under-fire Merkel plans era-ending exit in 2021

Germany's Angela Merkel said that her fourth term as chancellor would be her last and that she would step down as leader of the Christian Democrats (CDU), heralding the end of a 13-year era in which she has dominated European politics. Merkel, who has been CDU chairwoman since 2000 and chancellor since 2005, announced the decision after her party suffered its second regional election setback in as many weeks.

Brazil's far-right president-elect eyes close U.S. ties

Jair Bolsonaro, a far-right former Army captain who won Brazil's presidential election by a comfortable margin, received a supportive call from U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday and began planning trips to Washington and a conservative ally in Chile. Bolsonaro, who early in his legislative career declared he was "in favour" of dictatorships and demanded that Congress be disbanded, has vowed to adhere to democratic principles while holding up a copy of the country's Constitution.

Khashoggi fiancee hits at Trump response, warns of 'money' influence

The fiancée of Jamal Khashoggi on Monday criticized President Donald Trump's response to his killing, urging him to set aside U.S. trade interests in the push for truth, and demanded Riyadh disclose more details to bring those who ordered it to justice. The death of Khashoggi - a Washington Post columnist and a critic of Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman - sparked global outrage and pitched the world's top oil exporter into crisis.

Woman blows herself up in Tunis, wounding 15 people including 10 police officers

A woman blew herself up in the centre of the Tunisian capital on Monday, wounding 15 people including 10 police officers in an explosion that breaks a period of calm after dozens died in militant attacks three years ago. Witnesses said the blast happened on Tunis's central Habib Bourguiba Avenue. Hundreds of police cordoned off an area near the landmark Municipal Theatre and the French embassy, while ambulances evacuated the wounded.

Merkel jams spanner into EU reform, but some see acceleration ahead

Angela Merkel's announcement that she will step down as party leader and, in time, as German chancellor jams a wrench into EU reforms but might just eventually, some think, invigorate Berlin's key role in European integration. Merkel, 64, said her fourth term, ending in 2021, would be her last. For many European Union policymakers and analysts picking over a historic day, the consequence is likely to be prolonged paralysis and a Germany less inclined to share its wealth and locked in confrontation with its neighbours.

Indonesian plane crashes into sea, all 189 on board feared dead

An Indonesian airliner crashed into the sea on Monday, with the likely loss of all 189 people on board, as it tried to return to Jakarta minutes after take-off. Lion Air flight JT610, an almost new Boeing 737 MAX 8, was en route from the capital to Pangkal Pinang, centre of the Bangka-Belitung tin mining region. Rescue officials said they had recovered human remains from the crash site, about 15 km (nine miles) off the coast.

(With inputs from Reuters)