Reuters World News Summary

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, in a televised speech, described Trump's administration as "among the worst, if not the worst" in the United States, but said the new president would not alter Washington's pro-Israel policy in the Middle East.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs. After McCarrick report, pope vows to 'uproot evil' of clerical sexual abuse

Pope Francis, in his first public comment after the release of an explosive report on the Vatican's mishandling of the case of ex-U.S. Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, on Wednesday again vowed to put an end to sexual abuse in the Church. "Yesterday, the report about the painful case of ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick was published. I renew my closeness to the victims of every abuse and the commitment of the Church to uproot this evil," Francis said at his weekly general audience. IMF eyes relationship reset with biggest shareholder after Biden win

The election of Joe Biden as U.S. president gives the International Monetary Fund a chance to reset its relationship with its largest shareholder and make green initiatives a bigger part of its global economic recovery plan. IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva sent "personal" letters to President-elect Biden and running mate Kamala Harris this week, an IMF spokesman told Reuters, without providing any details about their contents. Thousands of Armenians demand prime minister quit over ceasefire

Thousands of Armenian demonstrators, chanting "Nikol is a traitor", demanded Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan resign on Wednesday over a ceasefire that secured territorial advances for Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh after six weeks of fighting. The ceasefire, announced on Tuesday, ended the worst fighting in the region in decades, and has been celebrated as a victory in Azerbaijan. Pashinyan has called it a disaster but said he had no choice but to sign it to stave off a defeat. 'We're not a colony': Mexican president stands firm on not recognizing Biden win

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Wednesday dug in his heels as one of the few leaders of major countries yet to congratulate Joe Biden on his presidential election win, saying it was too early and that his country was "not a colony". Lopez Obrador, who accused rivals of electoral fraud in his presidential defeats in 2006 and 2012, says he has no side in the U.S. election, and will wait until legal challenges launched by the Trump administration over the vote have played out. Lebanon's Hezbollah chief gloats over Trump's 'humiliating downfall' in U.S. election

The leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah said on Wednesday he was pleased about "the humiliating downfall" of U.S. President Donald Trump, but urged regional allies to be on alert for any U.S. or Israeli "folly" during the rest of his term in office. Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, in a televised speech, described Trump's administration as "among the worst, if not the worst" in the United States, but said the new president would not alter Washington's pro-Israel policy in the Middle East. 'Countdown to catastrophe' in Yemen as U.N. warns of famine - again

Millions of men, women and children in war-torn Yemen are facing famine - again, top United Nations officials warned on Wednesday as they appealed for more money to prevent it - again. "We are on a countdown right now to a catastrophe," U.N. food chief David Beasley told the U.N. Security Council. "We have been here before ... We did almost the same dog-and-pony show. We sounded the alarm then." Argentina's president, ministers in preventative isolation after coronavirus contact

The president of Argentina, Alberto Fernández, and several of his ministers began preventative isolation after coming in close contact with an official infected with coronavirus, the government said in a statement late on Wednesday. Fernández tested negative for COVID-19 but will nonetheless remain in isolation, the statement said. His foreign and interior ministers, as well as the Minister of Women, Gender and Diversity are still awaiting the results of their respective tests. Japan PM Suga, U.S. President-elect Biden phone talks start: Kyodo

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and U.S. President-elect Joe Biden have started their phone talks, Kyodo reported on Thursday. Hong Kong pro-democracy lawmakers to resign as Beijing moves to quash opposition

Hong Kong's pro-democracy opposition lawmakers said on Wednesday they would resign in protest against the dismissal of four of their colleagues from the city assembly after Beijing gave local authorities new powers to further curb dissent. The Chinese parliament earlier adopted a resolution allowing the city's executive to expel lawmakers deemed to be advocating Hong Kong independence, colluding with foreign forces or threatening national security, without having to go through the courts. Hezbollah leader: U.S. is using sanctions to pressure Lebanese allies

The leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah group, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, said on Wednesday that U.S. sanctions imposed on ally Gebran Bassil, an influential Lebanese Christian politician, are aimed at exerting political pressure. The United States last week blacklisted Bassil, the son-in-law of Lebanon's president, on accusations of corruption and ties to the Iran-backed Shi'ite Hezbollah that Washington deems a terrorist group.