Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs. Sierra Leone's president declares 'rape scourge' a national emergency

The brutal rape of a young girl by her uncle in Sierra Leone became the rallying point for a campaign that on Thursday pushed President Julius Maada Bio to declare the prevalence of sexual violence a national emergency. The five-year-old girl, whose identity has been kept secret for her own safety, has been paralyzed from the waist down since a 28-year-old male relative raped her a year ago, crushing her spine. Trump-Kim summit venue shows possibility of moving beyond conflict: State Department

The choice of Vietnam as the venue for a second U.S.-North Korea summit this month shows the possibility of moving beyond conflict and division toward a thriving partnership, the U.S. State Department said on Thursday. State Department spokesman Robert Palladino told a news briefing that U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun was in Pyongyang to prepare the Feb. 27-28 summit and seeking progress on commitments made at the first meeting between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore in June. Iran reveals missile, shows off underground factory

Iran's Revolutionary Guards inaugurated a surface-to-surface ballistic missile with a range of 1,000 km (621 miles), the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Thursday, ignoring demands Western demands that Tehran halt its missile program. Fars published pictures of an underground missile factory called "underground city", saying the "Dezful" missile was a version of the Zolfaghar missile that has a 700 km range and a 450 kg (992 lb) warhead. Work urgently with me on Brexit: Britain's May appeals to EU

Prime Minister Theresa May will call on the European Union on Thursday to work with her to change a divorce deal and help her win the support of a divided parliament to smooth Britain's departure from the bloc. Before arriving in Brussels for talks with EU leaders, May acknowledged that her task - to force change to a deal agreed almost three months ago - would not be easy, and a government source said a breakthrough on Thursday was not expected. U.S. calls on Russia to allow regular access to jailed ex-marine

The United States called on Russia on Thursday to allow U.S. officials to regularly visit a former U.S. Marine detained on spying charges after a planned visit by U.S. consular officials last month was postponed at the last minute. Paul Whelan, who also holds British, Canadian and Irish passports, was detained by Russia's Federal Security Service on Dec. 28 and accused of espionage. Whelan denies the charges and his family has said he was in Moscow to attend a wedding. U.S. calls on Iran to halt space launches that defy U.N. resolution

The U.S. State Department said on Thursday it was aware of reports of a failed Iranian attempt to launch a satellite into space last month and it called on Tehran to halt activities that violate U.N. resolutions. "I've seen the reports, and it failed, correct?" State Department spokesman Robert Palladino told a news briefing, his first since the start of the year. France tells Italy 'Basta! - withdraws envoy after war of words

France recalled its ambassador to Italy on Thursday, a remarkable diplomatic split between neighbors and European Union allies, after what it described as "repeated, baseless" attacks by Italian political leaders against France. The rupture, the first withdrawal of a French envoy to Rome since World War Two, was announced by the foreign ministry. Evidence shows Khashoggi murder planned, carried out by Saudi officials: U.N.

A United Nations-led inquiry into the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi said on Thursday that evidence pointed to a brutal crime "planned and perpetrated" by Saudi officials. Khashoggi's killing by a team of Saudi operatives on Oct. 2 provoked widespread revulsion and tarnished the image of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, previously admired in the West for pushing deep changes including tax reform, infrastructure projects and allowing women to drive. Venezuela aid trucks arrive in Colombia as EU calls for dialogue

Trucks carrying humanitarian aid for crisis-stricken Venezuela arrived in the Colombian border city of Cucuta on Thursday as diplomatically-isolated President Nicolas Maduro appeared set to block its entry amid an escalating political crisis. The arrival of the aid convoy, which includes supplies provided by the United States, has increased the pressure on Maduro hours after a European Union-backed group called for dialogue and elections and warned against interventionism. For Putin, economic and political reality dampen appetite for arms race

With his ratings down and state funds needed to hedge against new Western sanctions and raise living standards, Russian President Vladimir Putin cannot afford to get sucked into a costly nuclear arms race with the United States. Alleging Russian violations, Washington said this month it was suspending its obligations under the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) and starting the process of quitting it, untying its hands to develop new missiles.