World News Roundup: EU and Britain to keep talking past Johnson's Brexit deadline; Thai protest brought forward over disruption fears and more

Kyrgyzstan's new PM to press for president's resignation New Kyrgyz Prime Minister Sadyr Japarov said on Wednesday he would press President Sooronbai Jeenbekov to resign as promised to end a political crisis in the Central Asian nation, where the result of an Oct. 4 election was annulled after protests.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Vatican court hears graphic description of sexual abuse

(Note graphic content in paragraph 6) A Vatican court heard graphic descriptions of sexual abuse on Wednesday as two priests went on trial, one charged with repeatedly raping an altar boy in a youth seminary and the other of covering up the attacks.

Russia appeals to Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire

Russia made a new appeal to Armenia and Azerbaijan to stop fighting in and around the mountain enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh after the warring sides accused each other of fresh ceasefire violations on Wednesday. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu made the appeal by telephone to the Azeri and Armenian defence ministers, urging the countries to "fully meet the commitments" made under the fraying humanitarian ceasefire brokered by Moscow on Saturday.

Mexican president's anti-corruption drive buffeted by scandals

Three months after taking charge of a new office created by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to compensate Mexicans for years of public sector embezzlement, its director quit, complaining the organization was tainted by corruption. The blow to the Institute for Returning to the People What Was Stolen (INDEP) is one of several recent cases to blot Lopez Obrador's image and undercut the message that his December 2018 investiture marked a sea change for a country awash in graft.

Kremlin says no deal yet with U.S. on arms pact despite U.S. assertions

The Kremlin said on Wednesday that Russia had not clinched a deal with the United States to extend the New START arms pact, the last major nuclear treaty between the two countries, despite U.S. assertions suggesting significant progress. The New START accord, signed in 2010, limits the number of strategic nuclear warheads that Russia and the United States can deploy. It expires in February next year.

Russia will respond in kind against EU sanctions over Navalny case, foreign minister says

Moscow will respond in kind against European Union sanctions over the case of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday. European Union foreign ministers backed a Franco-German plan on Monday to impose sanctions on Russians suspected of poisoning Navalny with a nerve agent.

Britain's spies defending COVID-19 vaccine work, MI5 chief says

British spies are trying to defend COVID-19 vaccine work against hostile powers that seek to either steal or sabotage research data in the race for the global prize of a jab that could provide immunity, the head of MI5 said on Wednesday. Oxford University's vaccine candidate, which has been licensed to AstraZeneca, is in late stage trials, while a vaccine candidate being developed by Imperial College London is in early stage clinical trials.

Kyrgyzstan's new PM to press for president's resignation

New Kyrgyz Prime Minister Sadyr Japarov said on Wednesday he would press President Sooronbai Jeenbekov to resign as promised to end a political crisis in the Central Asian nation, where the result of an Oct. 4 election was annulled after protests. Parliament had earlier confirmed nationalist Japarov as premier for the second time, after Jeenbekov vetoed its previous decision on Oct. 10 because of proxy voting by some legislators.

UK's Sunak says new national lockdown would have 'stark' costs

British finance minister Rishi Sunak said on Wednesday that he believed a second national lockdown to slow the spread of the coronavirus would carry heavy economic and social costs. "We cannot allow the virus to take hold. We must prevent the strain on our NHS becoming unbearable. But we must also acknowledge the stark reality of the economic and social impacts of another national lockdown," he told parliament.

Thai protest brought forward over disruption fears

Thai anti-government protesters hurriedly brought forward a demonstration in Bangkok on Wednesday, saying they feared confrontation with royalist groups planning to assemble nearby in support of the king. Three months of protests demanding a new constitution and the departure of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha - a former junta leader - have largely been peaceful, although demonstrators scuffled with police on Tuesday and 21 activists were arrested.

EU and Britain to keep talking past Johnson's Brexit deadline

The European Union and Britain are set to prolong Brexit talks past a mid-October deadline to try bridge persistent gaps holding up a new agreement, according to sources and documents. As the year-end deadline approaches to put in place a new trade agreement with Britain, EU leaders meeting on Thursday and Friday will tell their Brexit negotiator to step up talks to get a deal by Jan. 1, 2021, according to a draft summit decision seen by Reuters.