Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs. Britain's navy to escort UK-flagged ships through Strait of Hormuz

Britain's navy will accompany UK-flagged ships through the Strait of Hormuz to provide protection after the U.S. killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani inflamed tensions in the region. Britain's defence minister, Ben Wallace, ordered the HMS Montrose and HMS Defender to prepare to return to escort duties in the major oil shipping route as Prime Minister Boris Johnson came in for criticism for his silence over the killing. China replaces head of Hong Kong liaison office amid ongoing protests

China has replaced the head of its Hong Kong Liaison Office, the most senior mainland political official based in the Chinese-controlled territory, following more than six months of often-violent anti-government protests in the city. China's Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security said on its website late on Saturday that Wang Zhimin, who had held the post since 2017, had been replaced by 65-year-old Luo Huining, who until November was the top official of China's ruling Communist Party in the northern province of Shanxi. Fourteen killed in bomb attack on bus convoy in Burkina Faso

Fourteen people were killed and 19 wounded when a bus carrying students ran over an improvised explosive device on Saturday in northern Burkina Faso, the government said. It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the blast, which hit one bus in a convoy of three that was carrying 160 passengers in all, it said in a statement. Australian bushfires ease on cooler weather, death toll rises

A weather change eased fire threats in southeastern Australia on Sunday after a horror day of blazes that killed one man and injured four firefighters, though authorities said risks remained with a number of fires burning at emergency levels. Property losses from Saturday's wildfires across eastern Victoria and southern New South Wales were estimated in the hundreds, but authorities said mass evacuations by residents of at-risk areas appear to have prevented major loss of life. French knife attacker was radicalized, anti-terrorism prosecutors say

France's anti-terrorism prosecutors on Saturday took over the investigation of a fatal knife rampage near Paris, saying they had established that the attacker had been radicalized and had carefully planned an act intended to spread terror. A man identified only as Nathan C. stabbed one person to death on Friday in a park in Villejuif, just outside southern Paris, and wounded two others. The attacker, who had a history of drug and psychiatric problems, was shot dead by police. Clashes break out at Paris protest against pension reform

Police on Saturday fired tear gas at demonstrators in Paris's busy Gare du Nord station, used by tourists taking the Eurostar service, and at the Gare de l'Est, during demonstrations against plans to reform France's pension system. The demonstrators, who set fire to rubbish bins, included "Yellow Vests" anti-government activists, whose name is derived from the high-visibility jackets worn at their protests. Trump says U.S. would hit 52 Iranian sites if Iran attacks American targets

President Donald Trump said on Saturday the United States has targeted 52 Iranian sites that it would strike if Iran attacks any Americans or any U.S. assets in response to Friday's U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani in Iraq. Showing no signs of seeking to reduce tensions raised by the strike on Friday that he had ordered, Trump issued a stern threat to Iran on Twitter. Thousands in Iraq mourn top Iranian general killed by U.S.; rockets fired in Baghdad

With shouts of "Death to America", tens of thousands of people marched in Iraq on Saturday to mourn Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani and an Iraqi militia leader who were killed in a U.S. air strike that has raised the specter of wider conflict in the Middle East. On Saturday evening, a rocket fell inside Baghdad's heavily-fortified Green Zone near the U.S. Embassy, another hit the nearby Jadriya neighborhood and two more rockets were fired at the Balad air base north of the city, but no one was killed, the Iraqi military said in a statement. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Starmer launches bid for leadership of UK's Labour Party

Keir Starmer, a former senior public prosecutor, launched his bid to replace Jeremy Corbyn as the leader of Britain's opposition Labour Party on Saturday with a defense of his efforts to stand up for "the powerless and against the powerful". Labour's spokesman on Brexit, who is seen as a party centrist who could struggle to win over left-wing members who backed Corbyn, released a video talking up his role in key flashpoints in Britain's social history. Tens of thousands march in southern India to protest citizenship law

Over one hundred thousand protesters, many carrying the Indian tricolour flag, took part in a peaceful march in the southern city of Hyderabad on Saturday, chanting slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's new citizenship law. The protest, dubbed the ‘Million March’, was organized by an umbrella group of Muslim and civil society organizations. More than 40 percent of Hyderabad's estimated population of nearly 7 million are Muslims.