World News Roundup: China scraps extra-judicial forced labor for sex workers and more

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Philippines bans two U.S. senators, mulls new visa rules for Americans

The Philippines has banned two U.S. lawmakers from visiting and will introduce tighter entry restrictions for U.S. citizens should Washington enforce sanctions over the detention of a top government critic, the president's spokesman said on Friday. President Rodrigo Duterte will impose visa requirements on U.S. nationals should any Philippine officials involved in the incarceration of Senator Leila de Lima be denied entry to the United States, as sought by U.S. senators Richard Durbin and Patrick Leahy.

Wider image: Mexico Mormon family has tearful Christmas after cartel murders

Surrounded by dozens of his descendants, Adrian LeBaron gave thanks to God as he prepared to celebrate Christmas for the first time since suspected Mexican drug cartel hitmen murdered his daughter and four grandchildren last month. The patriarch of a large family of U.S.-Mexican Mormon origin, LeBaron was thrust into the media spotlight when gunmen shot dead nine women and children in the northern state of Sonora on Nov. 4, sparking outrage on both sides of the border.

Algeria names Abdelaziz Djerad as its new prime minister

Algeria's president Abdelmadjid Tebboune named Abdelaziz Djerad as the country's new prime minister on Saturday, state TV reported. Djerad is a former diplomat who teaches political science at the University of Algiers.

Hardline leader in Indian state defends "strict" action to quell protests

The chief minister of India's Uttar Pradesh state has rebuffed accusations from rights groups of police abuses during protests against a new citizenship law, crediting his tough stand with restoring calm to the streets. The northern state has seen the most violent turmoil over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's citizenship law, which activists say is discriminatory towards the Muslim community, which makes up some 14% of India's population.

Hong Kong police arrest protesters in shopping mall

Hong Kong police arrested about a dozen protesters and used pepper spray on Saturday to break up a protest in a shopping mall aimed at disrupting retail businesses near the border with mainland China. Demonstrators have been targeting malls across Hong Kong since earlier this week and more than a hundred protesters, many dressed in black with face masks, marched through a mall in Sheung Shui on Saturday, chanting "Go back to China".

China scraps extra-judicial forced labor for sex workers

China's parliament abolished on Saturday an extra-judicial system of forced labor used to punish sex workers and their clients for up to two years, but it stressed that prostitution remains illegal. China banned prostitution after the Communist revolution in 1949, but it returned with a vengeance after landmark economic reforms began in the late 1970s, despite periodic crackdowns.

At least 90 people killed in Mogadishu checkpoint blast: international organization

At least 90 people were killed and dozens were wounded when a bomb-laden vehicle exploded at a bustling checkpoint in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Saturday, an international organization working in the country said, in one of the most deadly recent attacks. The dead included many students and two Turkish nationals, the Somali foreign minister said.

Exclusive: FBI investigating British socialite and others who 'facilitated' Epstein

The FBI is investigating British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell and several other people linked to U.S. financier Jeffrey Epstein, who killed himself while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, according to two law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation. They said a principal focus of the FBI's investigation is Maxwell, a longtime associate of Epstein, and other "people who facilitated" Epstein's allegedly illegal behavior. Vietnam court sentences ex-minister to life in MobiFone corruption scandal

A court in Vietnam on Saturday sentenced a former information minister to life in prison after finding him guilty of taking $3 million in bribes in connection with a controversial deal at state telecoms firm MobiFone. Nguyen Bac Son received the money to facilitate a deal in which MobiFone overpaid for a 95% stake in a loss-making pay television provider, the Ministry of Public Security said in a statement.

Japan police find human remains in boat suspected from North Korea: Coast Guard

Japanese police found the remains of at least five people in a wooden boat suspected to be from North Korea on the coast of one of Japan's outlying islands on Saturday, a Coast Guard official said. Police made the discovery in the wooden boat's stem around 9:30 a.m. (0030 GMT) on Saturday on Sado island, which is off the coast of Japan's northwestern prefecture of Niigata, Coast Guard official Kei Chinen said.