World News Roundup: Head of Russian retirement home detained after fire kills 11; Putin congratulates Joe Biden on U.S. election victory and more

The regional branch of the Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, said the director was being held on suspicion of having caused the death of several people by neglecting safety regulations, an offence that can carry up to four years in prison. Putin congratulates Joe Biden on U.S. election victory - Kremlin Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday congratulated Joe Biden on his victory in the U.S. presidential election, after Biden won the state-by-state Electoral College vote that officially determines the U.S. presidency, the Kremlin said.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Head of Russian retirement home detained after fire kills 11

The director of a retirement home in the Russian region of Bashkortostan was detained on Tuesday after 11 elderly people died in a fire that broke out at the facility, authorities said. The regional branch of the Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, said the director was being held on suspicion of having caused the death of several people by neglecting safety regulations, an offence that can carry up to four years in prison.

Putin congratulates Joe Biden on U.S. election victory

Kremlin Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday congratulated Joe Biden on his victory in the U.S. presidential election, after Biden won the state-by-state Electoral College vote that officially determines the U.S. presidency, the Kremlin said. The Kremlin had said it would wait for the official results of the election before commenting on its outcome, even as other nations congratulated Biden on the win in the days after the Nov. 3 vote.

South Korea bans anti-North leaflets; defector says he won't stop South Korea on Monday banned the launching of propaganda leaflets into North Korea, drawing the criticism of rights activists and defiance from a prominent North Korean defector who said he would not stop sending messages to his homeland. Defectors and other campaigners in South Korea have for decades sent anti-North Korean leaflets over the tightly guarded border, usually by balloon or in bottles on border rivers. They also send food, medicine, money, mini radios and USB sticks containing South Korean news and dramas.

Ten years on, anger grows in Tunisian town where 'Arab Spring' began Ten years ago, a fruit seller set himself ablaze in the central Tunisian town of Sidi Bouzid after an altercation with a policewoman about where he had put his cart. Word of Mohammed Bouazizi's fatal act of defiance quickly spread, sparking nationwide protests that eventually toppled Tunisia's long-serving leader and helped inspire similar uprisings across the region - the so-called "Arab Spring".

Suspected Russian hackers breached U.S. Department of Homeland Security - sources A team of sophisticated hackers believed to be working for the Russian government won access to internal communications at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, according to people familiar with the matter. The breach was part of the campaign reported Sunday that penetrated the U.S. departments of Treasury and Commerce.

Sanctioned Turkish defence industry chief expects U.S. ties to survive Turkey's defence industries chief said U.S. sanctions on him and his agency for buying Russian missile systems would not have a big impact on ties and may boost domestic development, though the defence minister said the move had "shaken" their alliance. The sanctions, announced at a delicate moment in the fraught relations between the two NATO partners as President-elect Joe Biden prepares to take office, could affect contracts worth $1.5 billion to $2.3 billion, around 5% of U.S.-Turkish trade.

Wider Image: Christmas wishes from Santas around the world A red suit with white trim and a silky beard have long been Santa's trademark style, but the jolly figure bringing holiday cheer around the world comes in many guises, much like the varied shapes and sizes of the Christmas presents he bears. But one wish unites all Santas, from Lebanon to Nigeria, in this year decimated by the coronavirus pandemic.

Biden's pledges could spur more migration. But in a pandemic, the border is unprepared After spending eight months of 2019 in a makeshift tent camp in the dangerous Mexican border city of Matamoros, Israel Martinez abandoned his hopes of seeking asylum in the United States. Beaten down by the cold and unsanitary conditions in the encampment, Martinez accepted a free flight back to his homeland of Honduras in January 2020.

Somalia cuts ties with Kenya, shots fired at Mogadishu protests Somalia severed diplomatic relations with neighbouring Kenya on Tuesday, accusing it of meddling in politics as protests and gunfire erupted in the capital Mogadishu over delayed elections. The dispute could undermine cooperation in the fight against the Islamist group al Shabaab in Somalia, where Kenya provides 3,600 troops to an African Union peacekeeping force.

Exclusive: Brazil pursues criminal probe of top Trafigura executives - sources Brazilian investigators are pursuing the first criminal probe of current executives at commodities trading firm Trafigura on allegations they approved the bribery of employees at state-controlled oil producer Petrobras, according to three people familiar with the matter. The investigation has focused on two of the three top Trafigura https://www.trafigura.com/about-us/leadership directors, Co-head of Oil Trading Jose Larocca and Chief Operating Officer Mike Wainwright. The criminal probe is advancing alongside a civil lawsuit against the same executives and others disclosed this month, the people said.