World News Roundup: Navalny allies accuse Telegram of censorship in Russian election; Kin of Philippines 'drug war victims' hope for justice as ICC approves probe and more

The activists have already accused Alphabet's Google and Apple of buckling under Kremlin pressure after they removed an app from their stores that Navalny's allies had hoped to use against the ruling party at the election. In escalation over submarine deal, France recalls envoys from U.S. and Australia France plunged into an unprecedented diplomatic crisis with the United States and Australia on Friday after it recalled its ambassadors from both countries over a trilateral security deal which sank a French-designed submarine contract with Canberra.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Venezuelan leader Maduro lands in Mexico ahead of Latin American leaders' summit

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrived in Mexico City on Friday, Mexico's foreign ministry said, ahead of a summit of a recently elected "pink tide" of leftist Latin American leaders. The socialist leader will attend a meeting of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), a regional body that Venezuela's late President Hugo Chavez helped set up in 2011.

Kin of Philippines 'drug war victims' hope for justice as ICC approves probe

Families of people killed in the Philippines' war on drugs are hopeful that a formal investigation into possible crimes against humanity approved by judges from the International Criminal Court earlier this week will result in justice for the victims. Rights groups say Philippines' President Rodrigo Duterte incited deadly violence and accuse police of murdering unarmed suspects on a massive scale as part of the anti-narcotics campaign launched in 2016.

Australia made 'huge' mistake' cancelling submarine deal, says French ambassador

Australia has made a "huge" diplomatic error, the French ambassador said on Saturday having been recalled to Paris after Canberra ditched a multi billion dollar order for French submarines in favour of an alternative deal with the United States and Britain. "I think this has been a huge mistake, a very, very bad handling of the partnership – because it wasn't a contract, it was a partnership that was supposed to be based on trust, mutual understanding and sincerity," Ambassador Jean-Pierre Thebault told journalists in Canberra.

Navalny allies accuse Telegram of censorship in Russian election

Allies of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny accused Telegram of censorship on Saturday after the popular messaging app followed Google and Apple in restricting access to their voting campaign in Russia's parliamentary election. The activists have already accused Alphabet's Google and Apple of buckling under Kremlin pressure after they removed an app from their stores that Navalny's allies had hoped to use against the ruling party at the election.

In escalation over submarine deal, France recalls envoys from U.S. and Australia

France plunged into an unprecedented diplomatic crisis with the United States and Australia on Friday after it recalled its ambassadors from both countries over a trilateral security deal which sank a French-designed submarine contract with Canberra. The rare decision taken by French President Emmanuel Macron was made due to the "exceptional gravity" of the matter, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a statement.

Japan PM candidates deny toning down views on hot-button issues to attract votes

Two of the candidates vying to become Japan's next prime minister denied on Saturday they had toned down their positions on nuclear energy and gender issues to attract conservative backing in a tight ruling party leadership election this month. The winner of the Sept. 29 contest to lead the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is almost certain to succeed Yoshihide Suga as the country's next premier because the party has a majority in the lower house.

Australian police clash with anti-lockdown protesters, arrest nearly 270

Australia's police arrested 235 people in Melbourne and 32 in Sydney on Saturday at unsanctioned anti-lockdown rallies and several police officers were injured in clashes with protesters. Victoria police said six officers required hospitalisation. Several officers were knocked to the ground and trampled, the police said and television footage showed.

Tunisians protest over president's seizure of powers

Several hundred demonstrators gathered in Tunis on Saturday to protest against Tunisian President Kais Saied's seizure of governing powers in July, which triggered a constitutional crisis and prompted accusations of a coup. The protesters gathered in the centre of the capital chanting "shut down the coup" and "we want a return to legitimacy", while a few dozen Saied supporters held a counter-demonstration chanting "the people want to dissolve parliament".

U.S. says Kabul drone strike killed 10 civilians, including children, in 'tragic mistake'

A drone strike in Kabul last month killed as many as 10 civilians, including seven children, the U.S. military said on Friday, apologizing for what it called a "tragic mistake". The Pentagon had said the Aug. 29 strike targeted an Islamic State suicide bomber who posed an imminent threat to U.S.-led troops at the airport as they completed the last stages of their withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Yemen's Houthis execute nine men for involvement in Samad death

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement said on Saturday that authorities had executed nine men who were convicted of involvement in the 2018 killing of Saleh al-Samad, then the armed group's top civilian leader. Samad, who held the post of president in the Houthi-controlled administration which runs most of northern Yemen, was killed in April 2018 by a Saudi-led coalition air strike in the port city of Hodeidah on Yemen's west coast.