Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs. Exclusive: Argentina's Fernandez plans election run against Macri - sources

Former Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner intends to run for the office again this year, two sources close to left-leaning politician told Reuters, the strongest indication yet that the populist leader will look to mount a challenge to incumbent Mauricio Macri. Fernández, who has yet to formally announce herself as a candidate in the elections in October, would make boosting consumer purchasing power a focus, the sources said, a counter to Macri's austerity push that has dented his popularity. Northern Ireland police at scene of shooting incident in Londonderry

Northern Ireland police said late on Friday they were at the scene of a shooting incident in the Ballymagroarty area of Londonderry. Four men were arrested on Jan. 20 over a car bomb attack in Londonderry. No one was injured in the blast, but the incident highlighted the threat still posed by militant groups opposed to a 1998 peace deal that largely ended three decades of violence in the British-run province. U.S. suspends compliance with INFO treaty, may withdraw in six months

The United States is suspending its compliance with the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia on Saturday and will withdraw from the landmark 1987 arms control accord in six months if Moscow does not end its alleged violation of the pact, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday. Russia denies violating the treaty, which bans either side from stationing short- and intermediate-range, land-based missiles in Europe. From sleaze to seaweed: Macron confronts French anger in debates

French President Emmanuel Macron showed a trademark mix of bluntness and humor to field questions from overseas mayors at a debate at the Elysee Palace on Friday, one of a myriad of consultations he launched last month to quell social unrest. The meeting with about 60 mayors from overseas territories - some of them having traveled 8,000 kilometers (5,000 miles) to see him - was part of a two-month "great national debate" Macron launched to mollify the "yellow vest" movement. Small extension to Brexit timetable could be acceptable: Rees-Mogg

Prominent British eurosceptic lawmaker Jacob Rees-Mogg said he could accept a short delay to the departure from the European Union on March 29 if Prime Minister Theresa May pursued his plan for Brexit. Rees-Mogg, who chairs the influential pro-Brexit European Research Group (ERG) within May's party, said a short extension to the timetable could be accepted if the government had struck a deal with Europe along the lines of the so-called Malthouse Compromise. EU irks Britain by calling Gibraltar a 'colony'

Britain complained about the European Union calling Gibraltar a "colony" in a piece of draft legislation on Friday, highlighting how the EU is lining up behind Spain in its territorial dispute as Britain quits the bloc. The 27 remaining member states agreed to offer Britons visa-free travel to the EU after Brexit in March, even if talks on a broader withdrawal treaty collapse, on condition that Britain offers the same terms to EU citizens visiting for up to 90 days. EU states move to recognize Venezuela's Guaido: diplomats

European Union governments will move to recognize Juan Guaido as Venezuela's interim president from next week, but using cautious language for fear of setting a precedent for political crises, two EU diplomats said on Friday. Nervous that Guaido's decision to declare himself president could set an example for other opposition leaders around the world, EU foreign ministers agreed in Bucharest this week to back him only until a new election could be held. Building on Syria war gains, Hezbollah scores political win

Hezbollah's bigger role in Lebanon's new unity government points to a growing appetite to shape state affairs and builds on unprecedented military clout the group is wielding after helping turn the tide in Syria's war. Hezbollah's expanding power in Lebanon reflects a deepening of Iranian influence in an arc of territory from Tehran through Baghdad and Damascus that its foes Saudi Arabia and Israel have struggled to counter. As U.S. starts deportations, asylum-seekers face perils in Mexico

Central Americans who fled violence for refuge in the United States risk kidnapping or death under a new U.S. plan to deport them to murderous and cartel-wracked Mexican border cities while their asylum cases are processed. The city of Reynosa, and a nearby stretch of the Rio Grande that divides Texas from the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, is by far the busiest crossing point along the northern Mexican border for migrants seeking asylum in the United States. Jailed Reuters journalists appeal to Myanmar's top court as rights group decries 'fear'

Lawyers for two Reuters reporters jailed in Myanmar for breaking a colonial-era official secrets law appealed to the Supreme Court on Friday against their conviction, as a rights group said the government wielded repressive laws against peaceful critics. The appeal, citing evidence of a police set-up and lack of proof of a crime, came as New York-based Human Rights Watch said Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's government had dashed hopes for Myanmar's first democratic leader in decades to protect free speech.