World News Roundup: India train tragedy, Australian by-election, Trump-Kim summit

Macedonia's parliament on Friday approved a proposal to change the country's name, bringing a decades-old dispute with Greece one step closer to being resolved.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Eyed in Middle East; Australians vote in by-election, government's majority at stake

Voting began in a Australian by-election on Saturday that could determine how long Scott Morrison's two-month-old premiership lasts, with the outcome keenly watched in the Islamic world after Morrison's brazen bid to woo Jewish voters. Morrison, Australia's sixth prime minister in eight years, needs the ruling Liberal Party to hold onto Wentworth, an affluent Sydney harborside constituency, to keep his centre-right coalition government's one-seat majority in parliament.

Saudi Arabia admits Khashoggi died in consulate, fires two senior officials

Saudi Arabia said on Saturday that Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi has died, and said it fired two senior officials over the incident that has provoked an international outcry and strained relations between Riyadh and the West. A statement from the Saudi public prosecutor said a fight broke out between Khashoggi and people who met him in the consulate and led to his death.

Israeli forces wound 130 Palestinians at Gaza border protest

Israeli soldiers shot and wounded 130 Palestinians during protests near the Gaza Strip border on Friday, the enclave's Health Ministry said. An Israeli military spokeswoman said about 10,000 demonstrators massed at the border and that some threw burning tires, grenades and explosive devices at the troops across the fence.

Migrant caravan streams out of Guatemala, halted by Mexican police

Hundreds of members of a caravan of migrants who had crossed Guatemala tried to breach the Mexican border on Friday, as the Mexican government vowed to tackle the convoy that U.S. President Donald Trump says must be stopped before it reaches the United States. Central American migrants pushed through Guatemalan border posts and streamed onto a bridge connecting the two countries, only to be halted by dozens of Mexican police dressed in riot gear on the other side, Mexican television footage showed.

Macedonian parliament approves country's name change

Macedonia's parliament on Friday approved a proposal to change the country's name, bringing a decades-old dispute with Greece one step closer to being resolved. A total of 80 deputies in the 120-seat parliament voted in favour of renaming the Balkan country Republic of North Macedonia - just reaching the two-thirds majority needed to enact constitutional changes.

WikiLeaks' Assange sues in Ecuador for better asylum terms: lawyer

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has filed a lawsuit in Ecuador against new terms of asylum in the Andean country's London embassy that require him to pay for medical bills and phone calls and clean up after his pet cat, his lawyer said on Friday. Ecuador this month created the new protocol governing his stay at the embassy. Lawyer Baltasar Garzon told a press conference in Quito that the rules were drawn up without consulting the Australian national, who has sued Foreign Minister Jose Valencia in a Quito court to have them changed.

At least 59 killed as train hits crowd in northern India

A commuter train travelling at high speed ran through a crowd of people on the rail tracks in northern India killing at least 59 people on Friday, state officials said, making it India's worst rail disaster this year. Video footage from the scene showed hundreds had gathered to watch the burning of an effigy as part of the Dussehra festival celebrations when a commuter train ran through the crowd.

Next summit for Trump, North Korea's Kim likely after first of year: senior U.S. official

The next summit meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is likely to happen early next year, a senior administration official said on Friday. The two sides have been engaged in talks on the leaders' second meeting after the first, unprecedented, one in Singapore in June.

Afghans set to vote amid chaos, corruption and Taliban threats

Afghans vote on Saturday in parliamentary elections overshadowed by chaotic organization, allegations of corruption and the threat of violence after decades of war. The United Nations, which has been supporting the process, has urged Afghans to "use this opportunity to exercise their constitutional right to vote" and called for the election to take place in a safe and secure environment.

Liberia launches investigation into U.S. charity after rape allegations

Liberia's government has launched an investigation into U.S. charity More Than Me (MTM) following allegations that a founding staff member raped several children in its care, government ministers said on Friday. U.S. news website ProPublica last week detailed allegations that before 2014 the charity's Liberian co-founder, Macintosh Johnson, sexually assaulted at least 10 girls over several years including on MTM property. The report has sparked outrage among Liberians.

(With inputs from Reuters)