Reuters World News Summary

Military officers led by General Brice Oligui Nguema seized power on Wednesday, minutes after an announcement that Bongo had secured a third term in an election. Belarus says Polish helicopter crossed border, Warsaw denies it Belarus, Russia's closest ally, summoned a Polish diplomat to protest what it said was a Polish military helicopter's violation of its border on Friday, but a military official in Warsaw denied any incursion had occurred.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Exclusive-US to send controversial depleted-uranium munitions to Ukraine -sources

The Biden administration will for the first time send controversial armor-piercing munitions containing depleted uranium to Ukraine, according to a document seen by Reuters and separately confirmed by two U.S. officials. The rounds, which could help destroy Russian tanks, are part of a new military aid package for Ukraine set to be unveiled in the next week. The munitions can be fired from U.S. Abrams tanks that, according to a person familiar with the matter, are expected be delivered to Ukraine in the coming weeks.

US Capitol attack: Proud Boys leader gets 18 years in prison, matching longest

A leader of the far-right Proud Boys was sentenced on Friday to 18 years in prison over the U.S. Capitol attack, equaling the longest punishment in the case so far, while another member sentenced to 10 years yelled "Trump won" as he left court. The pair were the latest members of far-right groups sentenced for taking part in the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on Congress, an attempt to overturn Donald Trump's election defeat.

Flights scrapped, businesses shut as super typhoon Saola nears Hong Kong, Guangdong

The Asian financial hub of Hong Kong and the Chinese province of Guangdong cancelled hundreds of flights and evacuated nearly 800,000 people Friday as the imminent arrival of Typhoon Saola forced closures of businesses, schools and financial markets. Packing winds of around 200 kph (125 mph), the super typhoon could make landfall late on Friday or early on Saturday in Guangdong, and rate among the five strongest to hit the populous province since 1949, authorities have warned.

Sniffer dogs search for clues in ashes of deadly South African fire

Police with sniffer dogs searched through the gutted remains of a Johannesburg apartment block on Friday, as authorities stepped up investigations into the cause of a fire that killed more than 70 people. Officers used razor wire to cordon off areas around the run-down five-storey building that was destroyed in a blaze in the early hours of Thursday in one of South Africa's worst such disasters in living memory.

Mohamed al-Fayed, ex-Harrods owner whose son died with Princess Diana, dead at 94

Mohamed al-Fayed, the self-made Egyptian billionaire who bought the Harrods department store and promoted the discredited conspiracy theory that the British royal family was behind the death of his son and Princess Diana, has died, his family said.

Born in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, al-Fayed began his career selling fizzy drinks and then worked as a sewing-machine salesman. He built his family's fortune in real estate, shipping and construction, first in the Middle East and then in Europe.

North Korea fires several cruise missiles towards sea, says South Korean military

North Korea fired several cruise missiles towards the sea off the west coast of the Korean peninsula in the early hours of Saturday, according to the South Korean military. Details of the launch are being analyzed by South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

Ukraine says troops breach Russian lines, heavier defences lie ahead

Ukraine said on Friday its troops had broken through Russia's first line of defences in several places, though they then encountered even more heavily fortified Russian positions. Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said Kyiv's troops, in a much-vaunted counteroffensive against Russian forces, were advancing in the Zaporizhzhia region. Washington also said on Friday that Kyiv had made notable progress on the southern front in the last 72 hours.

Peru tears down Lima 'wall of shame' but wealth divide stays strong

A 4.5-kilometer "wall of shame" separating luxurious estates in Peru's capital Lima from neighboring communities living in poverty is being torn down after some four decades, though divisions remain strong. The wall, which has sections up to three meters high and secured with barbed wire, separates people living in precarious housing on dirt roads with no basic services from residents of an asphalt-paved gated neighborhood of well-to-do homes, some luxurious mansions even equipped with swimming pools.

Gabon coup leader will not rush to elections despite mounting pressure

The leader of a coup that this week overthrew Gabon's President Ali Bongo said on Friday that he wanted to avoid rushing into elections that "repeat past mistakes", as pressure mounted on the junta to hand back power to a civilian government. Military officers led by General Brice Oligui Nguema seized power on Wednesday, minutes after an announcement that Bongo had secured a third term in an election.

Belarus says Polish helicopter crossed border, Warsaw denies it

Belarus, Russia's closest ally, summoned a Polish diplomat to protest what it said was a Polish military helicopter's violation of its border on Friday, but a military official in Warsaw denied any incursion had occurred. The Belarusian State Border Commission said the Polish Mi-24 military helicopter crossed the border "at an extremely low altitude, flew to a depth of up to 1,200 metres into the territory of Belarus, and then turned back".