World News Roundup: PM Hasina expected to hold power in Bangladesh; Congo heads to polls for long-delayed presidential vote

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Israel's Jewish Home party splits ahead of April election

A religious-nationalist party in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition government split on Saturday, with its leaders saying they were bolting to appeal to more secular constituents ahead of an April election. The Jewish Home party's schism posed no immediate threat to Netanyahu, for whom polls predict an easy win to a fifth term. But it suggested his fellow rightists were interested in poaching votes from a center-left opposition energized by the candidacy of an Israeli ex-general, Benny Gantz.

Egyptian forces kill 40 suspected militants after tourist bus bombed

Egyptian security forces have killed 40 suspected militants in three separate incidents in North Sinai and Giza, the Interior Ministry said on Saturday, a day after a bombing on a Vietnamese tourist bus in Giza killed four people. The bombing, less than 4 km from the pyramids, on the outskirts of Cairo, is the first deadly attack against foreign tourists in Egypt for more than a year and comes as the tourism sector, a vital source of foreign currency, recovers from a sharp drop in visitor numbers since the country's 2011 uprising.

Morocco arrests Swiss national in connection with killing of Scandinavians

Morocco arrested a Swiss national on Saturday in connection with the killing of two Scandinavian women, the counter-terrorism agency said. Louisa Vesterager Jespersen, 24, from Denmark, and Maren Ueland, 28, from Norway were found dead early on Dec. 17 near the village of Imlil in the Atlas Mountains.

UK trade minister says '50-50' chance Brexit may be stopped: paper

Britain's trade minister Liam Fox said there is a "50-50" chance that Brexit may be stopped if parliament rejects the government's divorce deal with the European Union next month. "If we were not to vote for that, I'm not sure I would give it (Brexit) much more than 50-50," Fox, a leading supporter of leaving the EU, told the Sunday Times newspaper.

Bangladesh votes in general election; PM Hasina expected to hold power

Bangladeshis vote in a general election on Sunday with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina seeking a third straight term in a face-off against a main opposition party whose leader is in jail on what she says were trumped up charges. A win for Hasina's Awami League party is widely expected.

China court orders retrial for Canadian jailed for drug smuggling

A Chinese court ordered a retrial of a Canadian citizen on drug smuggling charges on Saturday after prosecutors said his sentence of 15 years was too light - a case that could further test relations between Beijing and Ottawa. Tensions between the two governments have been high since Canada's arrest of a high-ranking Chinese executive at the request of the United States this month, followed by China's detention of two Canadian citizens on suspicion of endangering state security.

Exclusive: U.S. commanders recommend letting Kurdish fighters in Syria keep weapons

U.S. commanders planning for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria are recommending that Kurdish fighters battling Islamic State be allowed to keep U.S.-supplied weapons, four U.S. officials said, a move that would likely anger NATO ally Turkey. Three of the officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the recommendations were part of discussions on a draft plan by the U.S. military. It is unclear what the Pentagon will ultimately recommend to the White House.

Congo heads to the polls for tense, long-delayed presidential vote

Voters in Democratic Republic of Congo head to the polls on Sunday for a presidential election that could lead to the country's first democratic transfer of power but has been marred by campaign violence and chaotic preparations. President Joseph Kabila, in power since his father's assassination in 2001, is due to step down after the vote in a milestone for a country plagued by authoritarian rule, coups and civil wars since independence from Belgium in 1960.

Hundreds flee Islamist attacks in northeast Nigeria to seek refuge in Maiduguri

Hundreds of people in northeast Nigeria who fled a town targeted by militants linked with Islamic State have sought refuge in capital of Borno state, Reuters witnesses said on Saturday. An uptick in attacks by Islamists and the resulting upheaval in the region comes in the run up to an election in which President Muhammadu Buhari will seek a second term. Security has become a campaign issue following a series of attacks.

Thousands protest against Serbian president

Serbians protested against President Aleksandar Vucic and his ruling Serbian Progressive Party in downtown Belgrade on Saturday. Thousands of people chanted "Vucic thief" as they marched peacefully through the city center in the fourth such protest in as many weeks. They demanded media freedoms, an end to attacks on journalists and opposition politicians.