World News Roundup: Putin critic Navalny under guard after likely poisoning; New Zealand shooter emotionless as victims' families address sentencing hearing and more

Japan's Abe says wants to do his best at job, amid worries over health Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe wants to take care of his health and do his utmost at his job, he said on Monday, after a second hospital visit within days sparked concern whether he could stay on as leader of the world's third biggest economy.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Putin critic Navalny under guard after likely poisoning, says Germany

Germany said on Monday it had placed Alexei Navalny under guard in hospital after determining that the long-time critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin had most likely been poisoned while campaigning in Siberia. Navalny collapsed on a plane on Thursday last week after drinking tea that his allies said they believe was laced with poison. He was flown to Germany for treatment on Saturday.

Chile truckdrivers call for country-wide strike after nine-year old girl shot

Truckdrivers in Chile late on Sunday called for a countrywide strike to begin Thursday if President Sebastian Pinera and Congress do not act immediately to stem a rising tide of attacks against their number in Chile´s Araucania region. The threat of a walk-off comes after a nine-year-old girl was hospitalized with a gunshot wound after an attack on her father´s cement truck. Police have launched an investigation but have yet to identify suspects.

New Zealand shooter emotionless as victims' families address sentencing hearing

A white supremacist who killed 51 people at two mosques in New Zealand last year watched without emotion on Monday as relatives of his victims recounted the horror of a massacre which prosecutors said he carefully planned to cause maximum carnage. Australian national Brenton Tarrant, 29, has pleaded guilty to 51 murders, 40 attempted murders and one charge of committing a terrorist act during the shooting rampage in the city of Christchurch which he livestreamed on Facebook.

Japan's Abe says wants to do his best at job, amid worries over health

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe wants to take care of his health and do his utmost at his job, he said on Monday, after a second hospital visit within days sparked concern whether he could stay on as leader of the world's third biggest economy. The visit came as Japan's longest-serving prime minister surpassed a record for longest consecutive tenure as premier set by his great-uncle Eisaku Sato half a century ago, adding to speculation Abe could resign after reaching the milestone.

Tsikhanouskaya hopes dialogue with Belarusian authorities will start soon

Belarusian opposition presidential candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who has led the biggest challenge to Alexander Lukashenko's 26-year rule, hopes a dialogue with the authorities will start soon, she told Polish Gazeta Wyborcza daily. Belarus is facing its biggest political crisis since the breakup of the Soviet Union, with tens of thousands of demonstrators rejecting Lukashenko's victory in an Aug. 9 vote his opponents say was rigged.

Canada's Conservatives pick O'Toole to challenge PM Trudeau

Canada's main opposition Conservative Party on Monday elected Erin O'Toole, a former cabinet minister and armed forces veteran, to be its new leader and the primary challenger to Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. O'Toole replaces Andrew Scheer, who failed to unseat Trudeau in an election last year.

In Mexico's televised 'return to classes,' parents turn to state schools

Millions of students return to classes virtually in Mexico on Monday after a hiatus lasting months caused by the coronavirus pandemic that has sparked an exodus from private schools. Mexico has yet to publish official data, but private-school bodies consulted by Reuters said almost 2 million students at all levels were expected to quit private schools because of the crisis to join an already overcrowded public system.

Pompeo reassures Netanyahu U.S. will ensure Israel's military advantage

The United States will ensure Israel retains a military advantage in the Middle East under any future U.S. arms deals with the United Arab Emirates, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday. "The United States has a legal requirement with respect to qualitative military edge. We will continue to honour that," Pompeo told reporters after a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Thousands evacuate as dueling storms take aim at U.S. Gulf Coast

Hurricane Marco and Tropical Storm Laura tore through the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico on Sunday, forcing thousands of coastal residents in Louisiana and Cuba to flee, and flooding roads in Haiti's capital, with damage across the region expected to worsen this week. Marco, which strengthened into a hurricane on Sunday with sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph), is forecast to make landfall along the Louisiana coast on Monday.

Biegun says U.S. sees no indication of Russian military plans in Belarus

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun said on Monday Washington had no indication of any Russian plans for military intervention in Belarus, and called on Minsk to release all political prisoners. "Of course that would be most unwelcome, but we don't have any indication beyond some of the public remarks that we've heard," the number two U.S. diplomat said in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius, after meeting the Belarus opposition leader Sviatlana Tskikhanouskaya.