World News Roundup: Cuban parliament green lights new constitution, heads to referendum; Qatar's emir offers support for Sudan

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Canada to press allies on bid to free detainees in China: Ottawa

Canada will maintain a high-level campaign in the coming days to seek support from allies as it pressures China to free two detained Canadian citizens, Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said on Saturday. Freeland spoke a day after the United States joined Canada in calling on Beijing to release the pair, who were held after Canadian authorities arrested a senior Chinese executive on a U.S. extradition warrant.

Cuban parliament green lights new constitution, heads to referendum

Cuban lawmakers on Saturday unanimously approved a revised draft of a new constitution that retains the island's one-party socialist system but reflects its socio-economic opening since the fall of the Soviet Union. The draft new constitution, which has 229 articles and will replace a Cold War era one, will maintain the Communist Party as the country's guiding force and the state's dominance of the economy, according to state-run media. A copy has not yet been distributed to the public.

Qatar's emir offers support for Sudan: Sudan presidency

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani called Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on Saturday to express his support for Sudan after days of anti-government protests, Bashir's office said in a statement. Qatar and its regional rivals have increasingly vied for influence in Sudan and other countries on the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

Syrian rebels say U.S. troops remain in key garrison near Iraq

U.S. troops have not left the strategic Tanf garrison on the Iraq-Jordan border following President Donald Trump's decision to pull out of Syria, the leader of a Pentagon-backed rebel group there said on Saturday. Colonel Muhanad al Talaa, leader of Maghawir al-Thawra whose several hundred fighters work alongside U.S. troops at the Tanf camp, said although they were notified of Washington's decision, the situation on the ground remained as it was.

Morocco vigils honor Scandinavian women killed in Atlas Mountains

Vigils were held on Saturday evening in Rabat to mark the deaths of two women from Norway and Denmark who were killed in the Atlas Mountains earlier this week. Tens of participants from different political parties and civil society organizations laid flowers and lit candles in front of the Norwegian embassy and later at the Danish embassy.

Few turn out for French 'yellow vest' protests, driver dies at road block

France's anti-government "yellow vest" protest was losing steam on Saturday but caused traffic disruption through road blocks across the country, leading to the death of a 10th person since the start of the movement last month. The turnout on the streets of Paris and other cities was smaller than in previous weekends, authorities said. No major damage or clashes had been reported between police and protesters as of mid-afternoon.

British politician, soldier and diplomat: Paddy Ashdown dies

Paddy Ashdown, the face of centrist politics in Britain for more than a decade and a one-time marine commando who sought to secure peace in the former Yugoslavia, died on Saturday after being treated for cancer. He was 77. Ashdown led the Liberal Democrats for 11 years up to 1999, steering it to become a campaigning force in British politics against the Conservatives and the Labour Party.

Reformist Saudi prince Talal bin Abdulaziz dies aged 87

Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz, a vocal supporter of reform in Saudi Arabia, has died aged 87, the royal court said on Saturday. The senior member of the al-Saud family, father of billionaire investor Alwaleed bin Talal, had been ill for several years.

British police arrest two over Gatwick Airport drone disruption

Police have arrested two people after rogue drone operators crippled London's Gatwick Airport for three days by repeatedly flying onto the airfield, playing cat-and-mouse with the army. Britain's second-largest airport was forced to close its runway in the run up to Christmas after drones started appearing on the site south of London in the most disruptive incursion from unmanned aerial vehicles at any major airport.

At least 20 die when tsunami hits beaches around Sunda Strait in Indonesia: government agency

At least 20 people died when a tsunami hit beaches around Sunda Strait in Indonesia on Saturday night, the government's Disaster Mitigation Agency said in a statement on Sunday. It said 165 other people had been injured.

(With inputs from Reuters)