Reuters World News Summary

The missile was intercepted over the city of Dammam, according to a source familiar with the matter who declined to be named and social media reports. Canada opposition chief, leading in election race, under fire over gun control The head of Canada's opposition Conservative Party, who has a chance of beating Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in an election, on Saturday pushed back against charges he plans to weaken gun controls, an issue that could prove costly.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Protesters block roads to stop enthronement of Montenegro's top cleric

Several thousand protesters used tyres, rocks and vehicles to block roads leading to the city of Cetinje in southwest Montenegro on Saturday in a bid to stop the Serbian Orthodox Church holding an enthronement ceremony for its new top cleric. The protests reflect tensions in the Balkan country, which remains deeply divided over its ties with Serbia, with some advocating closer ties with Belgrade and others opposing any pro-Serb alliance.

'Resist': Russian opposition candidates rally media

A dozen opposition candidates for Russia's September parliamentary election met scores of journalists in Moscow on Saturday with a message of resistance against the Kremlin's squeezing of independent media. Authorities have designated nearly 50 journalists and media "foreign agents": a term they say denotes foreign-funded outlets with political bias but which critics denounce as a throwback to Soviet-style persecution.

Missile attack on Saudi oil region foiled - Saudi-led coalition

A ballistic missile attack aimed at Saudi Arabia's oil-rich eastern region was intercepted on Saturday, the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthi group in Yemen said in a statement carried by Saudi state media. The missile was intercepted over the city of Dammam, according to a source familiar with the matter who declined to be named and social media reports.

Canada opposition chief, leading in election race, under fire over gun control

The head of Canada's opposition Conservative Party, who has a chance of beating Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in an election, on Saturday pushed back against charges he plans to weaken gun controls, an issue that could prove costly. Conservative leader Erin O'Toole has been pressed repeatedly this week over his campaign promise to overturn a 2020 ban on weapons such as the AR-15, used by a gunman to kill 26 adults and children in the U.S. 2012 Sandy Hook massacre.

New Zealand tried to deport extremist Samsudeen for years

New Zealand has tried for years to deport the knife-wielding militant who wounded seven people at a mall in Auckland last week, the government said after it released more details on the attacker following the lifting of a court suppression order. Court documents made public on Sunday named the attacker as Ahamed Aathil Mohamed Samsudeen, 32, a Tamil Muslim from Sri Lanka. He had arrived in New Zealand 10 years ago on a student visa seeking refugee status, which was granted in 2013.

Raisi says Iran ready for talks but not with Western 'pressure'

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said on Saturday Iran was ready to hold talks with world powers to revive its 2015 nuclear accord but not under Western "pressure", adding Tehran was seeking negotiations leading to a lifting of U.S. sanctions.

France and Germany have urged Iran to return to negotiations after a break in talks following Iranian elections in June, with Paris demanding an immediate restart amid Western concerns over Tehran's expanding atomic work.

New migrant caravan sets off for U.S. from southern Mexico

A migrant caravan of around 400 people, including many children, set off from the southern Mexican city of Tapachula for the United States on Saturday, just a couple of days after security and migration officials dispersed another large group. Mostly comprising Central Americans and Haitians, the caravan left at around 7:30 a.m. local time from a park in Tapachula where they had been staying, ignoring an earlier attempt by security forces to make them give up, a Reuters witness reported.

ASEAN's Myanmar envoy in talks with junta over visit and access to Suu Kyi

The Brunei diplomat appointed by a Southeast Asian regional bloc as its special envoy to Myanmar said on Saturday he is still negotiating with the military on the terms of a visit and has sought access to ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been trying to end violence in Myanmar and open a dialogue between the military rulers and their opponents following the overthrow of Suu Kyi in February.

Taliban, opposition fight for Afghan holdout province, top U.S. general warns of civil war

Taliban and opposition forces battled on Saturday to control the Panjshir Valley north of Kabul, the last Afghan province holding out against the militant group, as the top U.S. general warned of a "civil war" if the Islamists failed to consolidate power. Both sides claimed to have the upper hand in Panjshir but neither could produce conclusive evidence to prove it. The Taliban, which swept through the country ahead of the final withdrawal of U.S.-led forces this week, were unable to control the valley when they ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001.

Algerian court detains Tunisian ex-presidential candidate Karoui

An Algerian court on Saturday ordered former Tunisian presidential candidate Nabil Karoui to be placed in custody on a charge of illegally crossing a border, a judicial source said. The court in the eastern city of Constantine also ordered the detention of four Algerians on people-smuggling charges, the source said. They are accused of helping Karoui enter the country and provide a house for him before his arrest on Sunday.