Reuters World News Summary

Italy unveils new COVID-19 restrictions as daily infections climb Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte gave mayors the power to shut public squares from 9 p.m. to halt gatherings as he unveiled a further package of measures on Sunday to try to halt a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases.


Reuters | Updated: 19-10-2020 05:25 IST | Created: 19-10-2020 05:25 IST
Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs. Italy unveils new COVID-19 restrictions as daily infections climb

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte gave mayors the power to shut public squares from 9 p.m. to halt gatherings as he unveiled a further package of measures on Sunday to try to halt a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases. As daily cases in Italy hit a new record 11,705 on Sunday, Conte said the situation had become critical but his government has been determined to avoid a repeat of the lockdown imposed at the start of the crisis in March. U.S. military defends air strikes as Taliban warns of 'consequences'

The U.S. military on Sunday defended its air strikes against Taliban fighters last week as the insurgent group accused Washington of violating their signed agreement and warned of consequences if such actions continued. The Taliban launched a major offensive in the southern province of Helmand in a bid to take the provincial capital, prompting U.S. air strikes in support of Afghan security forces, which were being overrun. Armenia and Azerbaijan accuse each other of violating new ceasefire agreement

Armenia and Azerbaijan accused each other on Sunday of violating a new humanitarian ceasefire in fighting over Azerbaijan's ethnic Armenian-controlled enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh. The truce came into force last midnight (2000 GMT). Bolivia polls start to close in crossroads election as socialists eye return

Bolivians polls started to shut on Sunday after a crossroads election many hope can restore stability after a voided ballot last year plunged the Andean nation into political crisis and ended the near 14-year administration of leftwing Evo Morales. The vote is a test of democracy in the country that has been led by an unelected conservative interim government since late last year. The result will set Bolivia's political course beyond Morales, whose shadow still looms large over the country. Tribute planned for beheaded teacher in France; 11th person arrested

An 11th person was detained on Sunday, police said, as authorities investigated the murder of Samuel Paty, a history teacher who was beheaded by a suspected Islamist in an attack that stunned the country. Satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, whose offices were attacked in a mass killing five years ago, was among groups organising a tribute to Paty in Paris in the afternoon. Chileans clang pots, rally in Santiago to mark anniversary of 2019 protests

Tens of thousands of Chileans gathered in the central square of the capital, Santiago, on Sunday, clanging pots, cheering and chanting to mark the one-year anniversary of mass protests over inequality that left more than 30 dead and thousands injured. Protesters gathered early in the day in rallies downtown and in cities throughout Chile that continued to gain size and fervor through early evening. Many touted signs and brightly colored homemade banners calling for a "yes" vote next Sunday in a referendum over whether to scrap the country's dictatorship-era Constitution, a key demand of the 2019 protests. Senior PLO official Erekat taken to hospital after COVID-19 condition worsens

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat was taken by ambulance to a hospital in Israel on Sunday for treatment of a worsening case of COVID-19, the Palestine Liberation Organization said. Witnesses said Erekat, 65, was on a stretcher when he was placed inside an Israeli ambulance outside his home in Jericho, in the occupied West Bank. Erekat, who is also secretary-general of the PLO, disclosed on Oct. 8 that he had contracted coronavirus. U.S. official went to Syria seeking Americans' release: newspaper

A White House official traveled to Damascus for secret meetings with the Syrian government seeking the release of at least two U.S. citizens believed held by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday. The newspaper, citing unnamed Trump administration officials, said Kash Patel, a deputy assistant to President Donald Trump and the top White House counterterrorism official, flew to Damascus earlier this year. Lopez Obrador criticizes DEA role in Mexico after ex-army chief's arrest

Mexico's president has criticized the historic role played by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in his country, days after a former Mexican army chief was arrested in Los Angeles on drug charges at the behest of the DEA. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador described Thursday's arrest of ex-Defense Minister Salvador Cienfuegos as evidence of rampant corruption in past governments. But it also dealt a heavy blow to a powerful institution he relies on. Tens of thousands rally to demand Pakistan PM Khan resign

Tens of thousands of opposition supporters rallied on Sunday in the city of Karachi as part of a campaign to oust Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan, who they accuse of being installed by the military in a rigged 2018 election. Nine major opposition parties formed a joint platform called the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) last month to begin a nationwide agitation against the government.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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