World News Roundup: Nigeria's Okonjo-Iweala to make history as head of WTO; Erdogan says U.S. supports militants who executed Turkish forces in Iraq and more

Duterte last week said the United States should fork out more if it wants to maintain a two-decade old Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), which he unilaterally cancelled last year in an angry response to an ally being denied a U.S. visa. Smaller protests in Myanmar as junta deploys more soldiers, armoured vehicles Protesters in Myanmar kept up demands on Monday for the release of ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and an end to military rule, though crowds were smaller after the junta deployed armoured vehicles and more soldiers on the streets.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Erdogan says U.S. supports militants who executed Turkish forces in Iraq

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan accused the United States on Monday of supporting Kurdish militants who Ankara says executed 13 kidnapped Turks in northern Iraq, adding that a U.S. statement of condemnation was a "a joke". Turkey said on Sunday militants from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) executed the 13 Turks, including military and police personnel, amid a military operation against the group. Washington said it condemned the killings if reports that the PKK was responsible were confirmed.

Nigeria's Okonjo-Iweala to make history as head of WTO

Three months after the Trump administration rejected her, former Nigerian finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is set to receive unanimous backing on Monday to become the first woman and first African director-general of the World Trade Organization. A self-declared "doer" with a track record of taking on seemingly intractable problems, Okonjo-Iweala will have her work cut out for her at the trade body, even with Donald Trump, who had threatened to pull the United States out of the organisation, no longer in the White House.

India's arrest of activist tied to Greta Thunberg's movement sparks outrage

Indian politicians and activists on Monday condemned the arrest of a 22-year-old climate campaigner accused of helping edit and distribute an online document that Sweden's Greta Thunberg had promoted in support of farmers protesting in the country. Thunberg had shared a "toolkit" on Twitter which listed ways to help Indian farmers, who have been protesting agricultural reforms https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-farms-protests-idUSKBN2A30QI they fear will ruin their livelihoods.

Iran says it will end snap IAEA inspections if nuclear deal terms not met

Iran said on Monday it will block snap inspections by the U.N. nuclear watchdog from next week if other parties to the 2015 nuclear deal do not fulfil their obligations, a challenge to U.S. President Joe Biden's hope of reviving the accord. "If others do not fulfil their obligations by Feb. 21, the government is obliged to suspend the voluntary implementation of the Additional Protocol," Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said.

Philippines says wants more than 'loose change' for U.S. troops deal

The United States is providing the Philippines with military aid that amounts to "loose change" compared to other Asian countries, a top official said on Monday, justifying demands by President Rodrigo Duterte for Washington to pay more. Duterte last week said the United States should fork out more if it wants to maintain a two-decade-old Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), which he unilaterally cancelled last year in an angry response to an ally being denied a U.S. visa.

Smaller protests in Myanmar as junta deploys more soldiers, armoured vehicles

Protesters in Myanmar kept up demands on Monday for the release of ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and an end to military rule, though crowds were smaller after the junta deployed armoured vehicles and more soldiers on the streets. Suu Kyi, detained since a Feb. 1 coup against her elected government, had been expected to face a court on Monday in connection with charges of illegally importing six walkie-talkie radios, but a judge said her remand lasted until Wednesday, her lawyer, Khin Maung Zaw, said.

UK PM Johnson wants 'cautious but irreversible' path out of COVID-19 lockdown

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday he would plot a cautious but irreversible path out of the COVID-19 lockdown this week after the vaccination of 15 million vulnerable people. With nearly a quarter of the United Kingdom's population now inoculated with a first dose of a COVID vaccine in a little over two months, Johnson is under pressure from some lawmakers and businesses to reopen the shuttered economy.

U.N. decries attacks on Afghan media at time when dialogue needed most

The United Nations on Monday denounced attacks on Afghan journalists and human rights activists at a time when dialogue was needed more than ever amid talks to try to end two decades of war. The Afghan government and Taliban militants began peace talks in Doha last September, but negotiations have largely stalled.

Washington is reviewing a deal that would have seen Western troops leave the country by May.

Israel cancels participation in UAE defence expo, citing air travel curbs Israel has cancelled its planned participation in a major defence expo in the United Arab Emirates next week due to COVID-19 curbs on air travel, Israeli officials said on Monday. Dozens of Israeli defence firms had been due to take part in the IDEX conference in Abu Dhabi from Feb. 21-25 - a first for both countries, which last September established formal relations after closing ranks given their shared worries about Iran.

Briton pleads guilty to illicit meet-up during Singapore quarantine

A British man pleaded guilty on Monday to breaking Singapore's strict coronavirus rules by sneaking out of his hotel room to meet his fiancée while he was undergoing two weeks of mandatory quarantine. Nigel Skea, 52, faces six months in prison for leaving his room three times on Sept. 21 last year, one of which was to meet Singaporean partner Agatha Maghesh Eyamalai, who was not in quarantine but had booked a room in the same hotel.