World News Roundup: On cusp of Brexit trade deal, EU and UK haggle over fish; Nigeria school abductions sparked by cattle feuds, not extremism, officials say and more

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

On cusp of Brexit trade deal, EU and UK haggle over fish

Britain and the European Union were on the cusp of striking a narrow trade deal on Thursday, swerving away from a chaotic finale to a Brexit split that has shaken the 70-year project to forge European unity from the ruins of World War Two. While a last-minute deal would avoid the most acrimonious ending to the divorce, the United Kingdom is heading for a much more distant relationship with its biggest trade partner than almost anyone expected at the time of the 2016 referendum.

Nigeria school abductions sparked by cattle feuds, not extremism, officials say

The kidnap of 344 schoolboys in northwest Nigeria had the appearance of an Islamist militant attack. There was even a video purporting to show some of the boys with members of Boko Haram, the extremists behind the 2014 kidnapping of more than 270 schoolgirls in the northeast. But four government and security officials familiar with negotiations that secured the boys' release told Reuters the attack was a result of inter-communal feuding over cattle theft, grazing rights and water access – not spreading extremism.

Thousands of migrants left without shelter after Bosnia camp burned down

More than a thousand migrants from Asia, the Middle East and North Africa were left to sleep in the cold after their camp in northwestern Bosnia burned down amid a dispute among Bosnian politicians over where to house them. On Wednesday, a fire destroyed the camp in Lipa housing about 1,200 people. Police and UN officials have said the blaze was probably started by migrants unhappy at the temporary closure of the camp, scheduled for the same day, and uncertainty about where they would be relocated in Bosnia.

In Brazil, vaccine trial volunteers hope to save lives, not win fame From doctors weary of seeing patients die to relatives who lost their loved ones, thousands of Brazilians have volunteered for COVID vaccine trials in one of the world's worst-affected countries in the hope their quiet heroism will save lives. Latin America's largest country has become a major testing ground for vaccines because of the scale of its outbreak, which has seen more than 7.3 million people infected and over 180,000 killed by the coronavirus.

Special Report-How a British COVID-19 vaccine went from pole position to troubled start On June 5, researchers at the University of Oxford quietly made a change to a late-stage clinical trial of their COVID-19 vaccine. In an amendment noted in a document marked CONFIDENTIAL, they said they were adding a new group of participants. The adjustment might seem minor in a large-scale study. But it masked a mistake that would have potentially far-reaching consequences: Many of the United Kingdom trial subjects had inadvertently been given only about a half dose of the vaccine.

The blast that blew away Lebanon's faith in itself They gather in groups, wearing black, in the shadow of buildings gutted by the explosion that shook this city on Aug. 4. Men, women and children from Christian and Muslim sects cradle portraits of their dead. Beirut has been blown back to the vigils of its 1975-1990 civil war. Then, families demanded information about relatives who had disappeared. Many never found out what happened, even as the country was rebuilt. Today's mourners know what happened; they just don't know why.

'Like water eroding rocks': Thai protesters prepare for long fight As they paraded through a Bangkok shopping mall in crop tops to mock Thailand's king, protesters made an incongruous sight among the festive decorations. They brought stares, smiles and some muted cheers, but the few dozen activists were far short of the tens of thousands who joined earlier anti-government protests that broke the taboo on criticising King Maha Vajiralongkorn.

Ex-Japan PM Abe says sorry over political funding case Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday apologized for denying allegations that his office may have possibly violated Japan's strict political funding laws and admitted he was unaware what his office had done. Abe said he will correct his false statements in parliament on Friday, marking a stunning reversal of fortunes for Japan's longest-serving premier and one of its political bluebloods, whose grandfather and great-uncle also held the post.

Indian opposition demands repeal of farm laws after protests India's main opposition party pressed the government on Thursday to call a special parliamentary session to withdraw new agricultural laws that farmers say will leave them at the mercy of big corporations. Rahul Gandhi, a senior leader from the opposition Congress party, handed the president a copy of a petition that he said had attracted 20 million signatures online.

Pope promises to visit Lebanon, South Sudan, as soon as possible Pope Francis promised in his Christmas messages on Thursday to visit Lebanon and South Sudan as soon as he could. The pope traditionally mentions countries in his Christmas Day message, but he singled out those two nations with Christmas Eve messages because of difficulties each has faced this year.