Reuters World News Summary

The move, which could see Navalny jailed for 3.5 years for allegedly flouting the terms of a suspended prison sentence, may reignite political pressure on the West to tighten sanctions on Russia, especially against an $11.6 billion project to build a natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs. Guatemalan forces clash with migrant caravan, Biden team seeks to halt exodus

Guatemalan security forces on Sunday used sticks and tear gas to beat back a large migrant caravan bound for the United States, just days before the advent of a new U.S. administration, which urged travelers to abandon the journey. Between 7,000 and 8,000 migrants, including families with young children, have entered Guatemala since Friday, authorities say, fleeing poverty and violence in a region hammered by the coronavirus pandemic and back-to-back hurricanes in November. Iran's Zarif tells France: Avoid 'absurd nonsense' about Tehran's nuclear work

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Sunday dismissed a claim by France that Tehran was in the process of building up its nuclear weapons, calling it "absurd nonsense". French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, in an interview with the Journal du Dimanche published on Saturday, said Iran was building up its nuclear weapons' capacity and it was urgent that Tehran and Washington return to a 2015 nuclear agreement. Ugandan opposition party says it will challenge presidential election result

Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine's party said on Sunday that it was preparing to challenge President Yoweri Museveni's election victory and condemned what it called the house arrest of Wine and his wife. "We have evidence of ballot stuffing and other forms of election malpractice and after putting it together we are going to take all measures that the law permits to challenge this fraud," Maathias Mpuuga of Wine's National Unity Party (NUP) told a news conference. Quake death toll at 78 as Indonesia struggles with string of disasters

At least 78 people have been killed after an earthquake struck Indonesia's West Sulawesi province on Friday, the Search and Rescue agency (Basarnas) said on Sunday, the latest in a string of disasters to hit the Southeast Asian country. In a statement, Basarnas confirmed 78 had died, 67 of whom were from the district of Mamuju and the rest from the district of Majene in West Sulawesi. Russia detains Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, faces clash with Western nations

Police detained prominent Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny on arrival in Moscow on Sunday after he flew home to Russia from Germany for the first time since he was poisoned last summer, triggering a political clash with the West. The move, which could see Navalny jailed for 3.5 years for allegedly flouting the terms of a suspended prison sentence, may reignite political pressure on the West to tighten sanctions on Russia, especially against an $11.6 billion project to build a natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany. Fragile Italian government faces do-or-die votes in parliament

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte faces two days of parliamentary votes that will decide if his fragile coalition can cling to power or has lost its majority, pushing Italy into deeper political turmoil. Conte will address the lower house on Monday and the upper house, the Senate, on Tuesday about the future of his government after a junior partner quit the cabinet in a row over his handling of the twin coronavirus and economic crises. Japan PM's approval sinks further on pandemic response: poll

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's approval rating has slid further due to the public's dissatisfaction with his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic with about half of people in Japan now disapproving of his government, a Yomiuri newspaper poll showed on Monday. Support for Suga's Cabinet fell to 39% from 45% last month, with the disapproval rating rising 6 points to 49%, the poll showed. Saudi appeals court reduces sentence of U.S.-Saudi physician: documents

A Saudi appeals court has nearly halved a six-year jail sentence handed to a U.S.-Saudi physician whose case has been closely followed by Washington and suspended the rest of his term, court documents showed, meaning he will not have to serve any more time in prison. Prominent physician Walid al-Fitaihi was detained in 2017 under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's anti-corruption campaign, and was sentenced last month to six years in prison. U.S. senators condemned the sentencing. In final Trump administration days, Israel approves new settler homes

Israel approved on Sunday plans to build hundreds of new settler homes in the occupied West Bank, projects it is advancing in the final days of the pro-settlement Trump administration. The planned construction, on land captured by Israel in the 1967 war that Palestinians seek as part of a future state, was announced on Monday by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Samsung's Lee faces sentencing for bribery charge after four years of trials

A South Korean court will sentence Samsung Electronics Co Ltd heir Jay Y. Lee on a bribery charge on Monday, a ruling likely to have ramifications for his leadership of the tech giant as well as South Korea's views toward big business. If Lee is jailed, he will be sidelined from major decision making at Samsung Electronics as it strives to overtake competitors, and will be diverted from overseeing the process of inheritance from his father, who died in October, crucial to keeping control of Samsung.

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