Reuters World News Summary

Pavel, a 61-year-old retired general running for office for the first time, won 58.3% of the vote with all voting districts reporting final results, defeating billionaire ex-premier Andrej Babis, a dominant but polarising force in Czech politics for a decade. Three killed in Russian strike on east Ukraine city A Russian strike killed three people in a residential district of the eastern Ukrainian city of Kostiantynivka on Saturday, the regional governor said.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Tens of thousands of teachers march in Lisbon to demand better pay and conditions

Tens of thousands of public school teachers and other staff marched in Lisbon on Saturday to demand higher wages and better working conditions, putting further pressure on the Portuguese government as it grapples with a cost of living crisis. Shouting slogans like "for the banks there are millions, for us there are only pennies," about 80,000 protesters filled the Portuguese capital, police said.

Israel promises swift response to synagogue shooting

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged on Saturday a "strong, swift and precise" response to a deadly Palestinian shooting attack near a synagogue on Jerusalem's outskirts, as its military sent more troops into the occupied West Bank. Seven people were killed in Friday's attack and two others were wounded in another shooting in the city on Saturday.

Ukraine in talks with allies about getting long-range missiles, aide says

Expedited talks are under way among Kyiv and its allies about Ukraine's requests for long-range missiles that it says are needed to prevent Russia from destroying Ukrainian cities, a top aide to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday. Ukraine has won promises of Western battle tanks and is seeking fighter jets to push back against Russian and pro-Moscow forces, which are slowly advancing along part of the front line.

Syria denies OPCW's findings on chemical weapon attack in 2018

Syria's foreign ministry said on Saturday that a report by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) that found the Syrian government was responsible for a chemical weapon attack on the rebel-held Syrian city of Douma in 2018 lacked any evidence, and denied the allegations. The global chemical weapons watchdog said on Friday a nearly two-year investigation had found that at least one Syrian military helicopter had dropped gas cylinders onto residential buildings in Douma, killing 43 people.

Holiday trips within China surge after COVID curbs lifted

Lunar New Year holiday trips inside China surged 74% from last year after authorities scrapped COVID-19 travel curbs, state media reported on Saturday, though the number of journeys was still only half of pre-pandemic levels. According to official data, the number of COVID deaths a showed weekly decline, however.

Pro-Western, retired general Pavel sweeps Czech presidential vote

Former army chief and high NATO official Petr Pavel won the Czech Republic's presidential election on Saturday with a pledge to keep the country firmly anchored in the West and bridge society's political differences. Pavel, a 61-year-old retired general running for office for the first time, won 58.3% of the vote with all voting districts reporting final results, defeating billionaire ex-premier Andrej Babis, a dominant but polarising force in Czech politics for a decade.

Three killed in Russian strike on east Ukraine city

A Russian strike killed three people in a residential district of the eastern Ukrainian city of Kostiantynivka on Saturday, the regional governor said. Fourteen other people were wounded in the attack, which also damaged four apartment buildings and a hotel, Donetsk governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said.

Peru bus plunges off cliff, killing at least 24

At least 24 people died in northern Peru after a bus carrying 60 passengers plunged off a cliff in early on Saturday, police told local media. Peru's transportation supervisory agency (SUTRAN) confirmed the crash in a statement, without providing a number of fatalities or injuries.

U.S. four-star general warns of war with China in 2025

A four-star U.S. Air Force general said in a memo that his gut told him the United States would fight China in the next two years, comments that Pentagon officials said were not consistent with American military assessments. "I hope I am wrong," General Mike Minihan, who heads the Air Mobility Command, wrote to the leadership of its roughly 110,000 members. "My gut tells me will fight in 2025."

Blast heard at military plant in Iran's central city of Isfahan

A loud blast was heard at a military plant in Iran's central city of Isfahan, but a security official said there were no casualties, Iranian state broadcaster IRIB said on its website early on Sunday. "The explosion took place in one of the munitions manufacturing centres of the Defence Ministry and, according to an announcement by the ...deputy Isfahan governor for security, there were no casualties," IRIB reported.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)