World News Roundup: Children's tales of sheep and wolves incite sedition, HK police say; 'Pingdemic' puts Britain's food supply under strain and more

The ongoing withdrawal of international troops from Afghanistan after almost two decades has galvanized the Taliban, who could retake control of large parts of the country, spurring a new flow of refugees. Madagascar police arrest six over alleged plot to kill president Police in Madagascar this week arrested six people, including one foreign citizen, suspected of plotting to kill the president following what officials in the Indian Ocean island nation said was a months-long investigation.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Children's tales of sheep and wolves incite sedition, HK police say

Hong Kong police arrested five people on Thursday on sedition charges, saying that children's books they had published featuring wolves and sheep as characters were aimed at inciting hatred towards the city's government amongst youngsters. The arrests were the latest involving suspected critics of Hong Kong's government that have raised fears about the shrinking space for dissent since Beijing imposed a national security law in June 2020 to put an end to pro-democracy protests in the semi-autonomous city.

'Pingdemic' puts Britain's food supply under strain

British supermarkets said on Thursday that some products were in short supply and petrol stations had been forced to close after the official health app told hundreds of thousands of workers to isolate the following contact with someone with COVID-19. British newspapers carried front-page pictures of empty shelves in supermarkets, declaring a "pandemic".

Where's the money? Climate activists ask G20 as talks drift

Environment and energy ministers from the Group of 20 rich nations were making little progress on Thursday on how to reach climate goals, officials said, with a cluster of countries resisting any firm commitments. The G20 meeting in Naples is discussing the natural environment on Thursday, and energy and climate change on Friday, and diplomats have struggled for days to find common ground to put together joint statements on both topics.

UK sanctions Equatorial Guinea leader's son who bought Michael Jackson 'Bad' glove

Britain on Thursday sanctioned the son of Equatorial Guinea's president for misappropriating millions of dollars which London said was spent on luxury mansions, private jets and a $275,000 glove that Michael Jackson wore during the "Bad" tour. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab announced new sanctions against Teodoro Obiang Mangue, vice president of Equatorial Guinea, for his misappropriation of state funds.

Bells toll across Norway to mark 10 years since neo-Nazi Breivik killed 77 people

Church bells across Norway rang for five minutes on Thursday to mark 10 years since Anders Behring Breivik, a far right extremist, killed 77 people, most of them teenagers at a youth camp. Breivik, a white supremacist who wanted to bring about a fascist revolution through violent means, detonated a car bomb outside the prime minister's office in Oslo, killing eight, before driving to Utoeya island and shooting 69 people at a Labour Party youth camp on July 22, 2011.

Russia says Ukraine blocking water supply to Crimea in European lawsuit

Moscow complained that Ukraine was blocking water supplies to Russian-annexed Crimea in a lawsuit at Europe's top human rights court on Thursday. Ukraine said the suit contained a series of grievances that it described as Russian propaganda.

Chinese hackers stole Mekong data from Cambodian foreign ministry -sources

Buried in a long U.S. indictment accusing China of a global cyberespionage campaign was a curious detail: Among the governments targeted by Chinese hackers was Cambodia, one of Beijing's most loyal Asian allies. The target of the hack, which two sources with knowledge of the indictment said was Cambodia's foreign ministry, was also revealing: discussions between China and Cambodia over the use of the Mekong River, a new battleground for U.S. and Chinese influence in Southeast Asia.

As war rages, EU weighs more funds to limit Afghans fleeing to bloc

The European Union is weighing a new package of financial aid to Afghanistan and its neighbours to help limit the flow of refugees from the country, ravaged by intense fighting between government forces and the Taliban, two officials said. The ongoing withdrawal of international troops from Afghanistan after almost two decades has galvanized the Taliban, who could retake control of large parts of the country, spurring a new flow of refugees.

Madagascar police arrest six over alleged plot to kill president

Police in Madagascar this week arrested six people, including one foreign citizen, suspected of plotting to kill the president following what officials in the Indian Ocean island nation said was a months-long investigation. Madagascar has a history of political violence. Former coup leader Andry Rajoelina, 44, was sworn in as president in 2019 after a hard-fought election and a constitutional court challenge from his rival.

Uzbekistan says has no grounds to host Afghans awaiting U.S. visas

Uzbekistan said on Thursday there was no legal basis for accepting a U.S. request to temporarily house thousands of Afghans while they await U.S. immigrant visas after having worked for American forces now pulling out of the country. Washington has asked Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan to house some 9,000 Afghans who now risk being targeted by Islamist Taliban militants for cooperating with Western forces, according to a Bloomberg report this month.