World News Roundup: Pentagon chief seeks to reassure concerned Middle East allies; 'Burning the metro': Chile election divides voters between protest and order and more

Crowds of several hundred rioters torched cars https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/dutch-police-fire-warning-shots-during-riots-over-covid-19-measures-2021-11-19, set off fireworks, and threw rocks at police during the protests on Friday evening. Taliban to start paying overdue salaries of Afghan government workers Afghanistan's Taliban administration will begin paying the overdue salaries of government workers from Saturday, officials said.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Pentagon chief seeks to reassure concerned Middle East allies

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin sought on Saturday to reassure allies in the Middle East that President Joe Biden's administration was committed to the region despite Washington increasingly turning its attention towards countering China. It was unclear how much impact Austin's speech would have with Washington's allies in the Middle East since it was not backed by any announcements of further deployments or new weapon sales in the region.

'Burning the metro': Chile election divides voters between protest and order

For many Chileans, Plaza Baquedano, a broad rotary in central Santiago that for decades served as a center of social protest, has become a powerful symbol of hope. For two years, city residents have regularly gathered here https://graphics.reuters.com/CHILE-PROTESTS/0100B32527X/index.html to protest pensions that are too low, public transit fees that are too high and, more generally, an old-guard political class that just does not get it.

Vietnam's resort island welcomes first tourists after nearly 2 years

Two hundred vaccinated foreign tourists arrived in Vietnam's beach-fringed island of Phu Quoc on Saturday, the first wave of visitors to the country in nearly two years as it seeks to resurrect its pandemic-ravaged tourism economy. Vietnam imposed tight border controls at the start of the pandemic in an effort to keep out COVID-19, with some initial success, but that harmed its burgeoning tourism sector, which typically accounts for about 10% of gross domestic product.

Poland reports fewer attempts to cross its border with Belarus

The number of migrants trying to force their way into Poland from Belarus fell again on Friday after an apparent change in tack by Minsk that could help calm a crisis that has escalated into a major East-West confrontation. The Polish Border Guard said on Twitter that there were 195 attempts to cross the frontier on Friday, down from 250 on Thursday and 501 the day before, though Warsaw warned that the migrant crisis was far from over.

Fire beaks out near Place de L'Opera in central Paris

A large fire broke out in a building on boulevard des Capucines, near the Place de L'Opera square in central Paris on Saturday, sending clouds of smoke rising into the air. "Firemen are intervening, avoid the area," the Prefecture de Police said in a statement on Twitter.

Lebanon needs to show that Hezbollah can change behaviour, Bahrain minister says

Bahrain's foreign minister, Abdullatif Al Zayani, said on Saturday that Lebanon needs to demonstrate that its powerful Iran-allied Hezbollah movement can change its behaviour to mend a rift with Gulf Arab states. Lebanon is facing a diplomatic crisis with Gulf states, triggered by a minister's critical comments about the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen that prompted Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait to expel Lebanon's top diplomats and recall their own envoys.

Rotterdam mayor slams violent COVID-19 protests, more than 20 arrested

The mayor of Rotterdam on Saturday condemned "an orgy of violence" at protests against COVID-19 measures in the Dutch port city, in which seven people were wounded and more than 20 arrested. Crowds of several hundred rioters torched cars https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/dutch-police-fire-warning-shots-during-riots-over-covid-19-measures-2021-11-19, set off fireworks and threw rocks at police during the protests on Friday evening. Police responded with warning shots and water canons.

Blinken says U.S. investing in Africa without unsustainable debt

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Saturday his country was investing in Africa without imposing unsustainable levels of debt, as he witnessed the signing of contracts worth more than $1 billion in Senegal's capital Dakar.

The deals between four U.S. companies and Senegal are being billed as part of his country's pitch to help Africa build infrastructure with transparent and sustainable deals. https://www.reuters.com/markets/asia/blinken-vows-avoid-opaque-coercive-africa-infrastructure-deals-2021-11-19

Taliban to start paying overdue salaries of Afghan government workers

Afghanistan's Taliban administration will begin paying the overdue salaries of government workers from Saturday, officials said. Thousands of Afghan government workers are owed at least three months of salary, one of the many crises faced by the Taliban since the Islamist movement took over the country in August.

ICC prosecutor suspends probe into Philippines drugs war

The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has suspended a probe at Manila's request into suspected rights abuses during Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's crackdown on drugs. ICC judges approved a probe https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/international-court-approves-investigation-into-philippines-war-drugs-2021-09-15 in September into the campaign in which thousands of suspected drug peddlers have died. Activists say many have been executed by law enforcement agencies with the tacit backing of the president.

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