Reuters World News Summary

But U.N. Special Envoy on Afghanistan Deborah Lyons told the Security Council the country was in danger of "a total breakdown of the economy and social order" without an infusion of money. U.N. warns Afghanistan needs money to prevent total breakdown The United Nations warned on Thursday that the freezing of billions of dollars in Afghan assets to keep them out of Taliban hands would inevitably spark "a severe economic downturn" and could push millions more Afghans into poverty and hunger.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Libyan parliament speaker says election plan approved

Libya's eastern-based parliament speaker on Thursday signed a law allowing a presidential election to take place in December, though another body of state rejected the move, saying the legislation was flawed. Parliament speaker Aguilah Saleh has sent the law that would allow the Dec. 24 presidential election to other political bodies and to the United Nations, the chamber's spokesman said.

Russia and Belarus agree closer energy, economic integration

The leaders of Russia and Belarus on Thursday agreed to set up a unified oil and gas market and to deepen economic integration in the face of what they regard as unjustified Western sanctions on both their economies. The agreement, reached after Kremlin talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, is likely to be seen as the latest show of support by Putin for Lukashenko who last year used force to break up huge protests against his rule.

Spanish police arrests ex-Venezuelan spy chief Carvajal

The Spanish police said on Thursday it had arrested the former head of Venezuela's military intelligence unit, Hugo Carvajal, who had been in hiding since a Spanish court approved his extradition to the United States almost two years ago. "Arrested tonight in Madrid "Pollo Carvajal", fugitive from justice and wanted for extradition to the US," the Spanish police said in a tweet, which a included a video of the detention.

Buckingham Palace supports BLM movement, senior aide says

Britain's Queen Elizabeth and other members of the royal family support the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, a senior representative of Buckingham Palace told Channel 4 News in an interview. Ken Olisa, the first Black Lord-Lieutenant of London, told the channel he had discussed the topic of racism with the royals in the aftermath of protests triggered in the United States following the death of George Floyd.

Afghanistan commercial flights resume as U.N. warns of humanitarian crisis

Kabul on Thursday saw the departure of its first international commercial flight since last month's chaotic Western airlift, but hopes for a return to order were offset by U.N. reports of rising restrictions on women and a looming humanitarian disaster. The flight marked an important step in the Taliban's efforts to bring a degree of normality back to the country after they seized power last month. But U.N. Special Envoy on Afghanistan Deborah Lyons told the Security Council the country was in danger of "a total breakdown of the economy and social order" without an infusion of money.

U.N. warns Afghanistan needs money to prevent total breakdown

The United Nations warned on Thursday that the freezing of billions of dollars in Afghan assets to keep them out of Taliban hands would inevitably spark "a severe economic downturn" and could push millions more Afghans into poverty and hunger. U.N. special envoy on Afghanistan, Deborah Lyons, said a way needed to be found to get money quickly flowing to the country "to prevent a total breakdown of the economy and social order" and with safeguards to ensure it is not misused by the Taliban.

Migrants denounce Mexico's crackdown amid bilateral talks in Washington

U.S.-bound migrants, mostly from Central America and the Caribbean, said on Thursday that a Mexican government crackdown was keeping them "prisoner" in the south of the country. The migrant comments contrasted with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's promises of humane treatment ahead of Thursday's high-level meeting between Mexican and U.S. officials in Washington, where the two countries agreed that development of poor regions was a long-term solution to slow migration north.

Merkel says her conservatives face hard battle after 16 years in power

Angela Merkel said on Thursday nobody in her conservative bloc ever doubted that they faced a tough battle to hold the chancellery after her 16 years in office, declining to speculate on the outcome of Germany's Sept. 26 national election. "That after 16 years one does not automatically ... return to the chancellery, that was clear to everyone in the CDU and CSU," she told a news conference, adding she anticipated a closely fought election.

Small Canada party expels official for throwing gravel at Canada PM Trudeau

The small right-wing People's Party of Canada (PPC) expelled one of its local officials on Thursday over allegations he threw gravel at Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau earlier this week, a party spokesman said. Trudeau was hit by a handful of gravel on Monday, television images showed, while campaigning in London, Ontario, ahead of the Sept. 20 election. He was making his way back to his campaign bus past a crowd shouting their opposition to COVID-19 vaccines.

Bolsonaro steps back from Supreme Court battle, boosting Brazil markets

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Thursday said he never intended to attack any branch of the government, comments that boosted markets as he sought to defuse a dispute with the Supreme Court. On Tuesday, as pro-Bolsonaro marches took place across Brazil, the president called on Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes to step down and said he would no longer comply with his rulings, deepening a rift with the judiciary.