World News Roundup: Syria says Israeli airstrikes target areas near Damascus; Worst Tripoli fighting in a year shows limits of Libya peace push and more

But the new government's most immediate priority would be to avert the collapse of an economy grappling with drought and the ravages of a 20-year conflict that killed around 240,000 Afghans before U.S. forces completed a tumultuous pullout on Aug. 30. Japan's struggling PM Suga steps down, sets the stage for new leader Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said in a surprise move on Friday he would step down, setting the stage for a new premier after a one-year tenure marred by an unpopular COVID-19 response and sinking public support.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Syria says Israeli airstrikes target areas near Damascus

Israel carried out airstrikes on targets near Damascus early on Friday, triggering Syrian air defenses but causing no casualties, Syrian state media reported the second such attack in just over two weeks. The Israeli military declined to comment on the report.

Worst Tripoli fighting in a year shows limits of Libya peace push

Fighting broke out in Tripoli early on Friday between rival armed forces, the heaviest clashes in the Libyan capital since the conflict between eastern and western factions paused a year ago. A resident of the Salah al-Din district in southern Tripoli said the shooting began at about 2.30 a.m. and continued through the morning with medium and light weapons.

Taliban co-founder Baradar to lead new Afghanistan govt - sources

Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar will lead a new Afghan government set to be announced soon, sources in the group said on Friday, as its fighters battled forces loyal to the vanquished republic in the Panjshir Valley north of Kabul. But the new government's most immediate priority would be to avert the collapse of an economy grappling with drought and the ravages of a 20-year conflict that killed around 240,000 Afghans before U.S. forces completed a tumultuous pullout on Aug. 30.

Japan's struggling PM Suga steps down, sets stage for new leader

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said in a surprise move on Friday he would step down, setting the stage for a new premier after a one-year tenure marred by an unpopular COVID-19 response and sinking public support. Suga, who took over after Shinzo Abe resigned last September citing ill health, has seen his approval ratings drop below 30% as the nation struggles with its worst wave of COVID-19 infections ahead of a general election this year.

The day the music died: Afghanistan's all-female orchestra falls silent

Negin Khpalwak was sitting at her home in Kabul when she got word that the Taliban had reached the outskirts of the capital. The 24-year old conductor, once the face of Afghanistan's renowned all-female orchestra, immediately began to panic.

Hunted by the men they jailed, Afghanistan's women judges seek escape

Afghanistan's 250 women judges fear for their lives, with men they once jailed now freed by the victorious Taliban to hunt them down. While some women judges were able to flee in recent weeks, most were left behind and are still trying to get out, said judges and activists working around the clock to help them escape.

Police in New Zealand kill "extremist" who stabbed six in supermarket

New Zealand police on Friday shot and killed a knife-wielding "extremist" who was known to authorities, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said, after he stabbed and wounded at least six people in a supermarket. The attacker, a Sri Lankan national who had been in New Zealand for 10 years, was inspired by the Islamic State militant group and was being monitored constantly, Ardern said.

NATO calls on Russia to be transparent with military exercises

NATO's secretary-general called on Russia on Friday to be open about its "Zapad-2021" military exercises and the troop numbers involved as alarm grows in Poland, the Baltics, and Ukraine about Moscow's intentions. Previous "Zapad", or West, exercises along the border that Russia shares with NATO have been on a vast scale, according to allied officials, who say Moscow has habitually underreported their size despite international rules.

Analysis-Afghan Taliban victory brings new challenge: governing a country in crisis

After a lightning military triumph and the departure of the last U.S. flight on Monday, the Taliban faces the challenge of forming a government that can unite different factions and rebuilds Afghanistan after 40 years of war. The movement is expected to announce the makeup of its government in the next few days.

Exclusive: U.S. funding tapped for Pacific undersea cable after China rebuffed

The Federated States of Micronesia will tap a U.S. funding facility to construct a Pacific undersea communications cable, two sources told Reuters, after rejecting a Chinese company-led proposal that was deemed a security threat by U.S. officials. The United States has taken great interest in several plans in recent years to lay optic fiber cables across the Pacific, projects that would bring vastly improved communications to island nations.