Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs. Oil majors request more Mozambique troops after Islamist attacks: sources

Exxon Mobil Corp and Total have asked Mozambique to send more troops to guard their operations in the far north after a surge of attacks by Islamist militants, an industry source and two security consultants said. Mozambique's northern province of Cabo Delgado is home to one of the world's biggest gas finds in the past decade, and both oil majors are working on massive LNG projects that could transform the economy. China faces more border curbs as virus death toll rises

The number of deaths from a coronavirus epidemic in China has risen by 46 to 259, the country's health authority said on Saturday, as the United States and other nations announced new border curbs on foreigners who have been in China. The central province of Hubei, the center of the epidemic, is under a virtual quarantine, with roads sealed off and public transport shut down. Elsewhere in China, authorities have placed restrictions on travel and business activity. Alleged leader of Iraqi al Qaeda group arrested in Arizona

A man accused of killing two police officers while acting as the leader of an al Qaeda group in the Iraqi city of Fallujah was arrested in Phoenix, Arizona, federal officials said on Friday. Ali Yousif Ahmed Al-Nouri, 42, is wanted in Iraq on charges of premeditated murder of the Iraqi police officers in 2006, according to a statement by the U.S. Attorney's Office District of Arizona. 'A good firefighting day': Crews hold blazes back from Australia's capital

Firefighters kept wild blazes fueled by strong winds and soaring temperatures from reaching suburban areas of Australia's capital, Canberra, using airdrops of fire retardant to create a 2.5-kilometre (1.55-mile) long defensive line late on Saturday. Three drops of the pink retardant created the line along the bottom of a mountain south of Canberra, authorities said, with further drops planned for Sunday. Brexit at last: Britain leaves the EU as champagne corks fly

The United Kingdom finally cast off from the European Union on Friday for an uncertain future, with Brexiteers claiming victory and popping champagne corks for an "independence day" they said marked a new era for the country. In its biggest shift since losing its global empire, the United Kingdom slipped away at 2300 GMT, turning its back after 47 years on the post-World War Two project that sought to build the ruined nations of Europe into a global power. French fishermen temporarily lose access to Guernsey waters

French fishermen are temporarily banned from entering the waters of Guernsey due to post-Brexit administrative changes that the authorities expect to resolve in the coming days, the French Agriculture Ministry said on Saturday. The agreement on water access to Guernsey coasts, one of the Channel Islands situated near the French coast of Normandy, was based on a European fisheries treaty that expired automatically on Friday night with Britain's exit from the European Union. Syrian rebels launch attack near Aleppo: rebel sources, monitor

Turkish-backed Syrian rebels attacked government-held positions northeast of Aleppo on Saturday, rebel sources and a war monitor said, opening a new front against Syrian army forces that have made significant advances in nearby Idlib over the last week. The attack was focused on territory near the city of al-Bab, which has been controlled by Turkey and its Syrian opposition allies since 2017. Syrian state media made no mention of a new attack. Turkish forces were not taking part, rebel sources said. Pompeo visits Belarus as Minsk's ties with Moscow fray

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo traveled to Belarus on Saturday, seeking to "normalize" ties at a time when relations between Minsk and its traditional ally Russia are under strain. The United States and the European Union have been frequent critics of authoritarian rule and the human rights record in Belarus, where President Alexander Lukashenko has been in office since 1994. Kidnapping of students sparks anti-government protests in Ethiopia

Several thousand protesters took to the streets in Ethiopian cities this week, demanding Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed do more to tackle simmering ethnic violence following the kidnapping of a group of university students. Armed men abducted the students from Dembi Dollo University in the Oromiya region in early December, according to survivors who escaped. The government said earlier this week that the army had rescued 21 of the students, but at least 12 others are still missing. Trump's expanded travel ban targets Nigeria, five other countries

U.S. President Donald Trump issued an expanded version of his travel ban on Friday that targets prospective immigrants from Nigeria and five other countries, a move that could affect thousands of people and reignite debate on whether the policy is discriminatory. Of the six countries added to the ban, four are African nations and three have Muslim-majority populations. Democrats and immigration advocates accuse the Trump administration of seeking to expand its original 2017 ban that targeted Muslim-majority countries and of disproportionately focusing on African countries.