Reuters World News Summary

The worsening air pollution is an annual problem for South Asian nations as winter approaches and cold, heavy air traps pollution in a thick layer of smog. UK's Sunak brings back Cameron, sacks interior minister in new reset British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak brought back former leader David Cameron as foreign minister on Monday in a reshuffle triggered by his firing of interior minister Suella Braverman after her criticism of police threatened his authority.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Zelenskiy tells Ukrainians to prepare for Russian winter onslaught

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned Ukrainians on Sunday to prepare for new waves of Russian attacks on infrastructure as winter approached and said troops were anticipating an onslaught in the eastern theatre of the war. A military spokesman said Russian attacks on the shattered eastern town of Avdiivka had eased in the past day, but were likely to intensify in the coming days.

Spain's Sanchez to seek new term as PM in lower house on Nov. 16

Spain's acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will seek to clinch a new term in a parliamentary vote on Thursday, the lower house speaker Francina Armengol said on Monday. The vote will follow a parliamentary debate scheduled to start at noon local time (1100 GMT) on Wednesday, she told reporters.

UNRWA says its Gaza fuel depot is now empty, warns of further shutdowns

The U.N. Palestinian refugee agency's fuel depot in Gaza has run dry and within a few days UNRWA will no longer be able to resupply hospitals, remove sewage and provide drinking water, its chief said on Monday. UNRWA is sheltering nearly 800,000 people, or about half of the total population of Gazans who have fled their homes since an Israeli military campaign began over a month ago in response to deadly Hamas attacks on Israel on Oct. 7.

Three Indian cities among world's 10 most polluted after Diwali festivities

Two Indian cities joined New Delhi to become among the world's top 10 most polluted cities on Monday, with smoke heavy in the air a day after revellers let loose with firecrackers for Diwali, the annual Hindu festival of light. The capital New Delhi took, as it often does, the top spot. It had an air quality index (AQI) figure of 407, putting it the "hazardous" category, according to Swiss group IQAir.

Biden to meet with Indonesia president ahead of Xi summit

Leaders from the United States and the Southeast Asian country of Indonesia will meet on Monday for talks that will set the stage for U.S. President Joe Biden's first face-to-face meeting in a year with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Biden will host Indonesian President Joko Widodo at the White House as the two leaders prepare for a Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco, where Washington hopes to ease tensions with Beijing.

Explainer-Why is South Asia the global hotspot of pollution?

Toxic levels of air pollution are disrupting the lives of millions of people in South Asia forcing closure of schools, impacting sporting events and leaving governments urging people to stay in doors to avoid health problems. The worsening air pollution is an annual problem for South Asian nations as winter approaches and cold, heavy air traps pollution in a thick layer of smog.

UK's Sunak brings back Cameron, sacks interior minister in new reset

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak brought back former leader David Cameron as foreign minister on Monday in a reshuffle triggered by his firing of interior minister Suella Braverman after her criticism of police threatened his authority. It was the latest reset for a prime minister whose party is badly lagging the Labour Party before an election expected next year. The return of Cameron suggested Sunak wanted to bring in a more centrist, experienced hand rather than appease the right of his party which supported Braverman.

Israeli tanks at gates of main Gaza hospital where patients trapped in 'circle of death'

Israeli forces reached the gates of Gaza City's main hospital on Monday, the primary target in their battle to seize control of the northern half of the Gaza Strip, where medics said patients including newborn babies were dying for lack of fuel. Gaza health ministry spokesperson Ashraf Al-Qidra, who was inside Al Shifa hospital, said 32 patients had died in the past three days, including three newborn babies, as a result of the siege of the hospital and the cut-off of its power.

Pakistan opens new border crossings to expedite Afghans' repatriation

Pakistan on Monday opened three new border crossings to accelerate the repatriation of undocumented Afghan nationals who have been ordered to leave the country or face expulsion, officials said. Many Afghans have opted to go home voluntarily to avoid deportation under a government push for undocumented migrants to be expelled. Pakistan's move affects more than 1 million Afghans, many of whom Islamabad says have been involved in militant attacks and crime, a claim Kabul rejects.

US, South Korea revise deterrence strategy, boost drills over North Korea threat

South Korea and the United States on Monday revised a bilateral security agreement aimed at deterring North Korea's advancing nuclear and missile threats, and vowed to maintain pressure on Pyongyang despite global distractions. South Korean Defence Minister Shin Won-sik and his U.S. counterpart, Lloyd Austin, signed the updated Tailored Deterrence Strategy (TDS) at security talks in Seoul, the defence ministry said.

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