World News Roundup: UNAIDS chief stepping down early after scathing report; U.S. Senate hands Trump historic rebuke on Saudi Arabia

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Russia, China abstain in U.N. vote on Syria cross-border aid

Russia and China on Thursday abstained from an annual United Nations Security Council vote to extend approval for cross-border humanitarian aid deliveries in Syria because Moscow said the four-year-old authorization was "divorced from reality." The remaining 13 council members voted in favor of the resolution drafted by Sweden and Kuwait. It renewed action first taken by the council in 2014 to allow aid deliveries into then rebel-held areas at four border crossings from Turkey, Iraq and Jordan, even though Syria warned against the measure.

U.N. chief joins Yemen peace talks as pressure builds for port deal

The United Nations chief will join the final day of peace talks on Thursday between Yemen's warring parties that have brought agreement on reopening Sanaa airport and restarting oil exports but no deal on a strategic Red Sea port. Western nations are pressing the Iran-aligned Houthi group and the Saudi-backed government to agree confidence-building steps for a political process to end the war that has killed tens of thousands of people and pushed Yemen to the brink of famine.

France ready to take Strasbourg suspect dead or alive, says government spokesman

Hundreds of police scoured eastern France on Thursday for a fugitive gunman behind a deadly Strasbourg Christmas market attack that left two people dead and six others fighting for their lives. France has raised its security threat to the highest level and police issued a wanted poster for Cherif Chakatt, the main suspect in the attack who was on an watchlist as a potential security threat.

UNAIDS chief stepping down early after scathing report

The head of the U.N. agency for HIV and AIDS is stepping down in June, six months before his term ends, after an independent panel said that his "defective leadership" tolerated "a culture of harassment, including sexual harassment, bullying, and abuse of power". Michel Sidibe announced the decision on Thursday at the end of a three-day board meeting of UNAIDS that examined the panel's report, the agency said in a statement.

U.S. Senate hands Trump historic rebuke on Saudi Arabia

The U.S. Senate delivered a rare double rebuke to President Donald Trump on Saudi Arabia on Thursday, voting to end U.S. military support for the war in Yemen and blame the Saudi crown prince for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The votes were largely symbolic because to become law the resolutions would have to pass the House of Representatives, whose Republican leaders have blocked any legislation intended to rebuke the Saudis.

U.S. to counter China, Russia influence in Africa: Bolton

The United States plans to counter the rapidly expanding Chinese and Russian economic and political influence in Africa, U.S. national security adviser John Bolton said on Thursday, calling business practices of the two nations "corrupt" and "predatory." Washington's No 1. priority will be developing economic ties with the region to create opportunities for American businesses and protecting the independence of African countries along with U.S. national security interests, he said in a speech at the Heritage Foundation.

Exclusive: U.S.-backed SDF vows to fight any Turkish attack in north Syria

The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces will respond strongly to any Turkish attack but is pressing diplomatic efforts to deter an assault, its commander-in-chief said on Thursday. In a rare interview, Mazloum Kobani told Reuters that Washington had made "serious attempts" to prevent a Turkish offensive against Kurdish fighters who control a swathe of northern Syria at the Turkish border, but the United States should ramp up its efforts further.

Russia, China abstain on U.N. Central Africa vote, unhappy with France

Russia and China abstained on Thursday in a United Nations vote to extend a peacekeeping mission in Central African Republic (CAR) because the French-drafted resolution did not make direct reference to Russia's efforts to help the country. The remaining 13 U.N. Security Council members voted for the annual renewal of the operation, deployed in 2014, which has more than 12,000 troops and police. Violence broke out in CAR in 2013 when mainly Muslim Seleka rebels ousted the president, prompting reprisals from mostly Christian militias.

Weakened UK PM May turns to Brussels for help on Brexit

A weakened Theresa May was set to ask European leaders for help on Thursday after a mutiny by more than a third of her lawmakers failed to unseat her but left parliament heading for deadlock over Brexit. May won the backing of 200 Conservative members of parliament in the high-stakes secret vote while 117 dissented, far from the robust affirmation she needs as she heads to Brussels to ask for an improvement to the Brexit divorce deal.

U.S. House calls on Myanmar to release Reuters journalists

The U.S. House of Representatives called nearly unanimously on Thursday for the government of Myanmar to release Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, who were imprisoned one year ago in a landmark free speech case. House members voted by 394 to 1 for a resolution calling for release of Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, who were found guilty in September of violating Myanmar's Official Secrets Act and sentenced to seven years in prison. The case has raised questions among a number of political leaders in the United States and Europe, human rights advocates and the United Nations about Myanmar's progress toward democracy.

(With inputs from Reuters)