World News Roundup: EU, U.S. denounce Bangladesh election violence, irregularities; Kim ready to meet Trump 'anytime'

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Trump and Egypt's Sisi discuss Middle East in phone call

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi discussed the stability of the Middle East with U.S. President Donald Trump in a phone call on Tuesday night, a spokesman for the Egyptian presidency said. They discussed Egypt's efforts in fighting terrorism, and the importance of continuing coordination and cooperation with the United States to support these efforts, the spokesman added.

Manchester stabbings suspect may have mental problems as UK terrorism probe ongoing

A 25-year-old man suspected of stabbing three people with a kitchen knife at Manchester Victoria train station on New Year's Eve was being held and assessed for mental health issues on Tuesday, police said. Greater Manchester Police were, however, continuing to investigate the attack because of suspected links to terrorism, they said in a statement. A raid of the man's home in the city's Cheetham Hill area was still taking place.

EU, U.S. denounce Bangladesh election violence, irregularities

Western powers condemned election day violence in Bangladesh and described a range of other irregularities that marred a vote in which Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's alliance secured more than 90 percent of parliamentary seats. The strongly worded assessments of the election from the United States and European Union could hurt the image of Hasina, who has been in power since 2009 and also ruled from 1996-2001.

Kim ready to meet Trump 'anytime', but warns of 'new path'

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said on Tuesday he is ready to meet U.S. President Donald Trump again at anytime to achieve their common goal of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, but warned he may have to take an alternative path if U.S. sanctions and pressure against the country continued. In a nationally televised New Year address, Kim said denuclearization was his "firm will" and North Korea had "declared at home and abroad that we would neither make and test nuclear weapons any longer nor use and proliferate them".

Baby boy found alive after 35 hours under rubble after Russia blast

A baby boy has been found alive after 35 hours spent in freezing cold in the rubble of a Russian apartment block that partially collapsed in an explosion, emergency officials reported, calling it a miracle. The blast, thought to have been caused by a gas leak, damaged 48 apartments in a 10-storey building in the industrial city of Magnitogorsk on Monday, killing at least seven people with 36 people still missing.

Bolsonaro takes office in Brazil, says nation 'liberated from socialism'

Brazil's newly inaugurated President Jair Bolsonaro said on Tuesday his election had freed the country from "socialism and political correctness," and he vowed to tackle corruption, crime and economic mismanagement in Latin America's largest nation. Bolsonaro, a former army captain turned lawmaker who openly admires Brazil's 1964-1985 military dictatorship, promised in his first remarks as president to adhere to democratic norms, after his tirades against the media and political opponents had stirred unease.

U.S. fires tear gas to deter migrants making New Year's run at border

U.S. border agents launched tear gas into Mexico early Tuesday to deter a group of migrants from crossing the U.S.-Mexico border at Tijuana, according to a Reuters witness and the U.S. government. Clouds of the noxious gas could be seen wafting up from around the fence at the border, and one migrant picked up a canister and threw it back across the border into U.S. territory.

Retired U.S. Marine held in Russia for spying is innocent: family

A retired U.S. Marine detained by Russia on spying charges was visiting Moscow for a wedding and is innocent, his family said on Tuesday. Paul Whelan had been staying with a wedding party for a fellow former Marine at the Metropol hotel in Moscow, said his brother David Whelan, who learned of the arrest on Monday.

Armed men kill 37 civilians in part of Mali hit by ethnic violence

Armed men killed 37 Fulani civilians on Tuesday in central Mali, where ethnic violence cost hundreds of lives last year, the government said. Violence between Fulani and rival communities has compounded an already dire security situation in Mali's semi-arid and desert regions, which are used as a base by jihadist groups with ties to al Qaeda and Islamic State.

Four injured after German man rams car into crowd; racist motive suspected

A 50-year-old German man clearly intended to kill foreigners when he rammed his silver Mercedes into a crowd of people in the northwestern German town of Bottrop in the early hours of New Year's Day, injuring four, a senior government official said. Police said the man, who was not named, made racist comments when he was stopped and arrested in the nearby city of Essen after fleeing the scene of the attack.

(With inputs from agencies.)