World News Roundup: Lebanon army arrests 18 Lebanese, Syrians linked to Islamic State: statement; Russian prosecutors seek Navalny jail term as Kremlin tells U.S. to back off and more

Italy's PD stands by economy minister; president seeks continuity: sources Italy's co-ruling Democratic Party (PD) will not let Economy Minister Roberto Gualtieri be shunted aside in any cabinet reshuffle that might arise from the ongoing government crisis, political sources said on Monday.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Lebanon army arrests 18 Lebanese, Syrians linked to Islamic State: statement

Lebanon's army said on Monday it had arrested 18 people, some Lebanese and others Syrian, with links to Islamic State. The arrests came in "field operations" that took place over the past two weeks in the border town of Arsal in the north, an army statement said.

Italy's PD stands by economy minister; president seeks continuity: sources

Italy's co-ruling Democratic Party (PD) will not let Economy Minister Roberto Gualtieri be shunted aside in any cabinet reshuffle that might arise from the ongoing government crisis, political sources said on Monday. Separately, a source who had spoken with President Sergio Mattarella -- the man tasked with finding a solution to the turmoil -- said the head of state wanted "continuity" in the main ministries, including the economy, health and defence portfolios.

Russian prosecutors seek Navalny jail term as Kremlin tells U.S. to back off

Russian state prosecutors said they would back an effort to jail opposition politician Alexei Navalny for up to three and a half years at a court hearing on Tuesday, as the Kremlin said it would not heed U.S. complaints about his case. Riot police used forced to break up protests across Russia on Sunday calling for Navalny, a prominent critic of President Vladimir Putin, to be freed. More than 5,300 people were detained in a massive show of force.

'Pray for Tom': UK's record fundraiser Captain Moore in hospital with COVID

Prime Minister Boris Johnson was among a host of well-wishers from across Britain and beyond willing record-breaking fundraiser Captain Tom Moore to pull through after the centenarian was admitted to hospital with COVID-19. Moore, who raised more than 30 million pounds ($41 million)by walking 100 lengths of his garden during last year's lockdown, was admitted to Bedford hospital after testing positive for the virus, his daughter said on Sunday.

Splendid isolation: Hungarian family outsails COVID nightmare on the sea

While the world was grappling with the pandemic, a Hungarian family of four decided last summer to fulfil their dream: sailing around the globe in a 50-feet boat called "Teatime." They left a Croatian port in late June 2020 and have since sailed around Italy and Spain, then stopped for some time on Cape Verde before crossing the Atlantic.

Uganda opposition leader Bobi Wine challenges election result in court

Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine filed a supreme court challenge on Monday seeking cancellation of the results of a presidential election that handed victory to incumbent Yoweri Museveni, his party's lawyer said. Museveni, a former guerrilla leader who has led the East African country since 1986, was declared winner of the Jan. 14 election with 59% of the vote, while Wine was given 35%. Mexicans defy pandemic blues with record remittance surge

Alberto Burgos is one of thousands of Mexican migrants living in the United States who dug deep and sent extra money to family back home last year to alleviate the devastating impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Growing plants and helping to handle their sale at a huge nursery in Alabama, the 35-year-old dipped into savings to transfer about a third more to his home town in central Mexico than he did in 2019, he said in an interview. Myanmar military seizes power, detains elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi

Myanmar's military seized power on Monday in a coup against the democratically elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who was detained along with other leaders of her National League for Democracy (NLD) party in early morning raids. The army said it had carried out the detentions in response to "election fraud", handing power to military chief Min Aung Hlaing and imposing a state of emergency for one year, according to a statement on a military-owned television station. UK PM Johnson says must keep up restrictions to lower COVID rates further

British infection rates flattening and possibly beginning to fall, but they remain at a high level which means there can be no premature easing of COVID-19 restrictions, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday "We're starting to see some signs of flattening, and maybe even a falling off infection rates and hospitalisations. But don't forget that they're still at a very high level," Johnson told broadcasters. Prince Harry receives apology over story saying he turned back on military

Britain's Prince Harry has won an apology and substantial damages from the publishers of the Mail on Sunday after he sued the tabloid for libel over claims he had turned his back on the military when he ended his royal role. Harry launched the legal action after an article in the paper in October said he had lost touch with the Marines, a commando force of the British navy with which he had a formal relationship until he stepped back from royal duties last March.