Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs. Uganda police disperse Bobi Wine supporters with tear gas

Police in Uganda on Monday fired tear gas to disperse supporters of pop star and presidential hopeful Bobi Wine when he tried to hold a rally, underscoring the hurdles he faces in seeking to unseat President Yoweri Museveni. Police also arrested Wine, a lawmaker whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, accusing him of trying to stage an illegal assembly. Bloody Philippine drug war fails to curb methamphetamine supply: VP

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs has only managed to curb the supply of methamphetamines by less than 1% of annual consumption, proof that it has been a bloody failure, his main political rival, the vice president, said on Monday. Thousands of suspected drug traffickers and users have been killed in the campaign that Duterte launched soon after he won election in 2016. Smoke stalls rescues as Australia plans for next fiery onslaught

Australian officials took advantage of better weather on Monday to reopen roads blocked by wildfires and move some people to safety although thick smoke stalled rescue efforts and hundreds of people remained stranded. Fires have ravaged more than 8 million hectares (19.8 million acres) of land across the country, an area nearly the size of Austria, killing 25 people, destroying thousands of building and leaving some towns without electricity and mobile coverage. Britain's Prince Charles to visit Israel and Palestinian Territories

Britain's Prince Charles will commemorate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz becoming the most senior British royal to visit Israel and the Palestinian Territories later this month. Charles will attend the World Holocaust Forum on Jan 23 in Jerusalem, his office said on Monday, to honor the victims of the Holocaust. Auschwitz-Birkenau in southern Poland was the largest Nazi death camp in World War Two. UK will not extend Brexit transition period: PM Johnson's spokesman

Britain has no intention of seeking an extension to the transition period beyond December 2020 after it leaves the European Union, Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesman said on Monday. Huge crowds in Iran for general's funeral as new commander promises revenge

Hundreds of thousands of Iranians thronged Tehran's streets on Monday for the funeral of military commander Qassem Soleimani, killed by a U.S. drone strike, and his successor promised to drive U.S. forces out of the region in revenge. The coffins of Soleimani and Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who also died in Friday's attack in Baghdad, were passed over the heads of mourners chanting "Death to America". Beijing's new top man in Hong Kong hopes city returns to 'right path'

The new head of China's liaison office in Hong Kong, who was unexpectedly announced at the weekend, said on Monday he hoped the Asian financial hub, roiled by more than six months of anti-government protests, would return to "the right path." Luo Huining's appointment is seen as a sign of Beijing's frustration with how his predecessor, Wang Zhimin, handled the crisis and makes Wang the shortest serving liaison office director since the city's 1997 return to Chinese rule. Ghosn took bullet train to Osaka en route to Lebanon: Kyodo

Former Nissan and Renault boss Carlos Ghosn began his astonishing escape from Japan with a bullet train ride from Tokyo to Osaka, possibly accompanied by several people, Japanese news agency Kyodo reported Monday. Japanese authorities also said on Monday they may still press for Ghosn's extradition from Lebanon to face multiple charges of financial wrongdoing, even though the country does not normally extradite its nationals. Facing criticism, Delhi police probe attack on students at elite university

Delhi police are investigating how masked men burst into a leading university and attacked a student protest with sticks and rods, an officer said on Monday, the latest incident to ignite criticism of India's ruling Hindu nationalists. Sunday's attack at a university long seen as a bastion of left-wing politics comes as students nationwide lead a campaign against a citizenship law introduced last month by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that is seen as discriminating against Muslims. Putin invites Merkel to Russia to discuss Middle East crisis

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will travel to Russia on Jan. 11 for talks with President Vladimir Putin on the crisis triggered by the killing of top Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani in a U.S. air strike, the Kremlin press service said. Merkel will make the trip on the invitation of Putin and they will also discuss the situation in Syria, Libya and Ukraine, it said.