Reuters World News Summary

The country of 10 million people, which fared better than others in the first wave of the pandemic, now has the world's highest seven-day rolling average of new cases and deaths per capita. Bolsonaro's support falls sharply, but a majority reject impeachment, polls show Support for Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who has overseen the world's second deadliest coronavirus outbreak, has fallen sharply, a Datafolha poll shows, as a brutal second wave and a lack of vaccines sour views of his far-right government.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs. Scottish nationalists lay groundwork for second independence referendum

The Scottish National Party published a "Roadmap to Referendum" on Saturday, laying out plans for another vote on Scottish independence just as the United Kingdom grapples with COVID-19 and the impact of Brexit. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who would have to agree to a new referendum, argues there is no need for a new vote after independence was rejected by Scottish voters in 2014. U.S. plans to reverse Trump administration's immigration policies, Biden tells Mexican president

U.S. President Joe Biden discussed plans to reverse the Trump administration's immigration policies with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Friday, according to a readout of a phone call released by the White House on Saturday. Biden outlined his plan to reduce migration in the call by focusing on "addressing its root causes," the readout states. The plan includes efforts to increase "resettlement capacity and lawful alternative immigration pathways" as well as improving processing at the border.

Portugal holds presidential election as COVID-19 cases spiral Portuguese voters - largely confined to their homes due to a strict COVID-19 lockdown - will pick a new president on Sunday, but many fear going to the polls could worsen a surge in coronavirus cases and low turnout is expected. The country of 10 million people, which fared better than others in the first wave of the pandemic, now has the world's highest seven-day rolling average of new cases and deaths per capita.

Bolsonaro's support falls sharply, but a majority reject impeachment, polls show Support for Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who has overseen the world's second deadliest coronavirus outbreak, has fallen sharply, a Datafolha poll shows, as a brutal second wave and a lack of vaccines sour views of his far-right government. However, despite his declining support, a majority of Brazilians are now against him being impeached, a second Datafolha poll found. Both were released late on Friday.

French COVID-19 intensive care numbers down for first time in two weeks The number of people with coronavirus in French intensive care units fell by 16 to 2,896 in data released on Saturday, the first decline in two weeks after a period of sharp rises. The number of people in intensive care is a key measure of a health system's ability to cope with the pandemic.

Police crack down on Russian protests against jailing of Kremlin foe Navalny Police detained more than 3,000 people and used force to break up rallies across Russia on Saturday as tens of thousands of protesters ignored extreme cold and police warnings to demand the release of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny. Navalny had called on his supporters to protest after being arrested last weekend as he returned to Russia from Germany for the first time since being poisoned with a nerve agent he says was slipped to him by state security agents in August.

Hundreds march in Tunisia as protests sharpen Hundreds of people marched in central Tunis on Saturday against inequality and police brutality, in defiance of a ban on demonstrations and as security forces tried to block off the city's main central avenue. Protesters chanted "the people want the fall of the regime" - a chant popularised during the so-call Arab Spring a decade ago - and held up banners and slogans decrying the security response to more than a week of demonstrations and nightly clashes between youths and police in cities across Tunisia.

Italy's Lombardy spars with government over virus data mishap Italy's Lombardy region and the central government exchanged blame on Saturday over the release of COVID-19 data that wrongly condemned the region to stricter restrictions. Lombardy, the country's wealthiest and most productive area which includes the fashion capital Milan, was forced to close most shops a week ago after being classed "red" under Italy's system of tiered restrictions.

'Choose - I kill you or rape you': abuse accusations surge in Ethiopia's war The young coffee seller said she was split from family and friends by an Ethiopian soldier at the Tekeze river, taken down a path, and given a harrowing choice. "He said: 'Choose, either I kill you or rape you'," the 25-year-old told Reuters at the Hamdayet refugee camp in Sudan where she had fled from conflict in Ethiopia's Tigray region.

UK's Johnson says he looks forward to working with Biden on shared goals British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Saturday he looked forward to working with U.S. President Joe Biden on their shared goals, including tackling climate change. Johnson used his first phone call with the U.S. president to welcome Biden's announcements that the United States would rejoin the 2015 Paris climate accord and the World Health Organization, and they discussed the prospects of a free trade deal.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)