World News Roundup: Bulgaria charges five people in connection with Istanbul blast; Women priests, homosexuality, not closed debate in Church, German bishop says and more

The isolated country tested the Hwasong-17 ICBM on Friday a day after warning of "fiercer military responses" to Washington beefing up its regional security presence including nuclear assets. Polish villagers bury man killed in blast near Ukrainian border One of the men killed by a missile that hit a southeastern Polish village this week will be buried on Saturday, the first of two funerals this weekend following a blast that raised fears that the war in Ukraine could spiral into a wider conflict.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Gay people living under radar in Qatar prepare warily for World Cup

A group of Arab friends living in Qatar's capital Doha met up over cocktails and snacks last week, exchanging opinions as they flicked through profiles of gay men on dating apps Tinder and Grindr. The phone of one flashed with a message from a suitor around the corner. The man in his 20s leapt up from the table, leaving to meet his date face-to-face.

North Korea's Kim oversees ICBM test, vows more nuclear weapons

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged to counter U.S. nuclear threats with nuclear weapons as he inspected a test of the country's new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), state media KCNA said on Saturday. The isolated country tested the Hwasong-17 ICBM on Friday a day after warning of "fiercer military responses" to Washington beefing up its regional security presence including nuclear assets.

Polish villagers bury man killed in blast near Ukrainian border

One of the men killed by a missile that hit a southeastern Polish village this week will be buried on Saturday, the first of two funerals this weekend following a blast that raised fears that the war in Ukraine could spiral into a wider conflict. Poland and other Western states have said the missile that landed in Przewodow, a village near the border with Ukraine, was a Ukrainian air defence missile that went astray in pursuit of a Russian missile.

Bulgaria charges five people in connection with Istanbul blast

Bulgarian prosecutors have charged five people for supporting terrorist acts in connection with an explosion in central Istanbul that killed six people on Nov. 13, the country's chief prosecutor Ivan Geshev said on Saturday. Three men of Moldovan origin and a man and woman of Syrian Kurdish descent were detained by Bulgarian special police forces earlier this week following investigations and close cooperation with prosecutors in neighbouring Turkey, Geshev told Reuters.

China reports 24,473 new COVID cases; some Beijing businesses shut

China reported a slight decline in new COVID-19 cases on Saturday as numerous cities battled outbreaks, and as restaurants and other businesses in Beijing shut after authorities urged people to stay home over the weekend. Authorities have recently sought to ease the impact of their tough zero-COVID policy, which is battering the world's second-biggest economy and sowing frustration and anger as case numbers have risen to their highest since April.

Women priests, homosexuality, not closed debate in Church, German bishop says

A leading German Catholic bishop on Saturday contested the Vatican's view that debates about women priests and homosexuality were closed, saying they will have to be confronted in the future. Bishop Georg Baetzing spoke at a news conference at the end of a week of talks between Pope Francis and Vatican officials on one side, and all of Germany's bishops on the other.

APEC pledges to boost trade as geopolitical rifts hijack regional summits

Leaders of the 21-member APEC bloc pledged on Saturday to boost trade and do more to tackle other economic challenges, wrapping up the last of three summits in the region in a week that have been overshadowed by intense geopolitical rivalry.

The summits have been attended by global leaders, and the talks have often been disrupted by friction spilling over from the war in Ukraine as well as flashpoints such as the Taiwan strait and the Korean peninsula.

COP27 climate negotiators scramble for deal with summit in overtime

Countries were struggling to reach agreement at the COP27 climate talks in Egypt on Saturday, with some threatening to walk away if negotiators failed to make progress on fighting climate change. With the talks already in overtime, officials from the 27-country European Union said they were worried about a lack of progress overnight and even the possibility of backsliding from parts of the COP26 climate deal agreed in Glasgow, Scotland, last year.

Ukraine's prosecutor general says over 400 children killed in war to date

At least 437 Ukrainian children have been killed as a result of Russia's invasion, Ukraine's Prosecutor General's office said on Saturday. More than 837 children have also been injured in a tally officials said was "not final" because they were still verifying information from zones of active fighting, liberated areas and territory still occupied by Russian forces.

Malaysia votes in general election, Anwar seen leading tight race

Malaysians voted on Saturday in a general election that may fail to end the recent phase of political instability in the Southeast Asian nation as polls have predicted no clear winner. The alliance led by veteran opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim is forecast to take the most seats in parliament but fail to reach the majority needed to form a government.