World News Roundup: Thousands join protest against Indonesia jobs law; Israel says UAE visit 'making history' and more

Israel says UAE visit 'making history' - Palestinians call it 'shameful' In an historic first visit by a Gulf Arab nation, a United Arab Emirates delegation arrived in Israel on Tuesday, accompanied by top U.S. officials, to cement a normalisation deal signed last month.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Israel says UAE visit 'making history' - Palestinians call it 'shameful'

In an historic first visit by a Gulf Arab nation, a United Arab Emirates delegation arrived in Israel on Tuesday, accompanied by top U.S. officials, to cement a normalisation deal signed last month. The UAE and Gulf neighbour Bahrain became the first Arab states in a quarter of a century to sign deals to establish formal ties with Israel despite ongoing differences over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Thousands join protest against Indonesia jobs law

Several thousand students and workers protested in Indonesia's capital Jakarta on Tuesday against President Joko Widodo's new jobs law, the latest in a series of rallies opposing legislation that the government says is needed to attract investment. Dressed in yellow, blue and green jackets denoting their universities, students demanded the president, widely known as Jokowi, revoke the so-called 'omnibus' bill that critics say harms labour rights and the environment.

Sudanese strains surface as U.S. pressure triggers debate on Israel

U.S. pressure on Sudan to normalise ties with former adversary Israel has stirred public debate on a topic that was long taboo, exposing splits that could complicate any swift settlement of a deal. An agreement between Sudan and Israel may have edged closer on Monday when U.S. President Donald Trump signalled that Washington would remove Khartoum from its list of state sponsors of terrorism.

EU takes legal action against 'golden passport' schemes in Cyprus, Malta

The European Union's executive said on Tuesday it was launching legal action against Cyprus and Malta over their investor citizenship programmes, also known as "golden passport" schemes. The schemes allow wealthy foreigners to buy citizenship in exchange for an investment of around 1 million euros ($1.2 million) in Malta and 2 million euros in Cyprus.

Swelled by rain and COVID curbs, locust swarms ravage Ethiopia

Widow-of-ten Marima Wadisha screamed, threw rocks and in her desperation even fired bullets at the locusts that descended on her sorghum fields in northeast Ethiopia. But the insect swarms were so relentless that her entire crop - her family's only source of income - was destroyed.

Washington to host talks on Nagorno-Karabakh, warring sides say

Armenia and Azerbaijan said on Tuesday their foreign ministers would meet U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Washington on Friday in efforts to end the heaviest fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh since the 1990s. The State Department did not immediately comment. But the planned meetings suggest that, just before the U.S. presidential election, Washington is stepping up involvement in moves to calm a conflict that has killed hundreds of people since Sept. 27.

Yazidi Iraqi keeps tradition alive of arak-making from dates

Saad Hussein, a 42-year-old Yazidi Iraqi, is one of the last in the northern region of Nineveh producing the anise-flavoured spirit, arak, from local dates. Forced to flee his home town of Bashiqa, close to Mosul, when it fell to Islamic State in 2014, he returned after the defeat and expulsion of the Islamic militants to reopen his small distillery.

China says U.S. should stop meddling after exiled Tibetan leader visits State Department

China's foreign ministry said the United States should immediately stop interfering in its internal affairs, after the leader of the head of the Tibetan government-in-exile met a U.S. State Department official in Washington. Lobsang Sangay, the president of the Tibetan Central Administration (CTA), met the new U.S. special coordinator on Tibet last week. Sangay said it was the first time that the head of the CTA had been received at the State Department.

France shuts Paris mosque in crackdown after teacher's beheading

France ordered the temporary closure of a mosque outside Paris on Tuesday, part of a crackdown on Muslims who incite hatred after the decapitation of a teacher who showed his class caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad. The Grand Mosque of Pantin, a low-income suburb on the capital's northeastern outskirts, had shared a video on its Facebook page before the attack that vented hatred against history teacher Samuel Paty.

Sudan has transferred compensation for U.S. bombing victims: cenbank

Sudan has transferred the compensation it has agreed to pay U.S. victims of militant attacks and their families, the central bank governor said on Tuesday. The payment of $335 million is part of a deal with the United States to get Sudan removed from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, which has been a hurdle for Khartoum as it sought debt relief and external borrowing.