Reuters World News Summary

WHO IS HAMDOK? Sudan's Hamdok quits as premier after failing to restore civilian government Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok said on Sunday he was resigning, six weeks after returning to his post in a deal with military coup leaders he argued could save a transition toward democracy.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

EU flag removed from Arc de Triomphe after causing stir

A large European Union flag attached to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris on Friday to mark the start of France's six-month presidency of the bloc was removed on Sunday after it drew outrage from far-right and right-wing leaders. Junior European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune, who on Friday had said the flag would remain for "several days", said it had been taken down as planned.

Factbox-Sudan's Abdalla Hamdok

Sudan's Abdalla Hamdok has resigned as prime minister, six weeks after signing a deal with the military to return to his post following a coup. WHO IS HAMDOK?

Sudan's Hamdok quits as premier after failing to restore civilian government

Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok said on Sunday he was resigning, six weeks after returning to his post in a deal with military coup leaders he argued could save a transition toward democracy. Hamdok, who had failed to name a government as protests continued against the military takeover in October, said a roundtable discussion was needed to produce a new agreement for Sudan's political transition.

Biden tells Ukraine that U.S. will 'respond decisively' if Russia further invades

U.S. President Joe Biden on Sunday told Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy the United States and its allies will "respond decisively" if Russia further invades Ukraine, the White House said in a statement. The call came days after Biden held a second conversation https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/biden-speak-with-ukraine-president-sunday-white-house-2021-12-31 in a month with Russian President Vladimir Putin amid tensions on Russia's border with Ukraine, where Russia has massed some 100,000 troops.

Speaker asks Tunisian president for news of arrested Ennahda official

The speaker of Tunisia's suspended parliament, Rached Ghannouchi, said he had asked President Kais Saied in a letter to reveal the whereabouts and condition of Ennahda party official Noureddine Bhairi, who was arrested on Friday. Members of the moderate Islamist party said Bhairi had been in poor health, and that they had received information that he had not been allowed to take his regular medication since his arrest.

Richard Leakey, Kenyan conservationist who campaigned against ivory trade, has died

Richard Leakey, a Kenyan conservationist and paleoanthropologist who spearheaded campaigns against the ivory trade to save the dwindling African elephant population, has died, the Kenyan presidency said on Sunday. He was 77. For years Leakey served in various roles in the government including as director of the state-run National Museums of Kenya and twice as board chairman at the Kenya Wildlife Service.

Suspect arrested in connection with South African parliament fire

A fire at the South African parliament caused extensive damage on Sunday, collapsing the roof and gutting an entire floor in one building and a man in his 50s was arrested in connection with the blaze. The fire broke out in the early morning and authorities said the sprinkler system appeared to have been tampered with and so did not work. By afternoon, firefighters were still trying to contain the blaze in one of the several buildings that make up the parliament complex in the legislative capital, Cape Town.

Dutch police disperse anti-lockdown protesters in Amsterdam

Riot police with batons and shields broke up a crowd of several thousand who had gathered in Amsterdam on Sunday to protest against COVID-19 lockdown measures and vaccinations. Public gatherings of more than two people are prohibited under restrictions imposed by the Netherlands in an effort to prevent the Omicron variant of the coronavirus overwhelming an already strained healthcare system.

South Korean crosses armed border in rare defection to North

A South Korean has crossed the heavily fortified border in a rare defection to North Korea, South Korea's military said on Sunday. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it carried out a search operation after detecting the person around 9:20 p.m. (1220 GMT) on Saturday on the eastern side of the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas.

Russian jets bomb rebel-held Idlib in Syria, witnesses say

Russian jets bombed areas near the northwestern Syrian city of Idlib on Sunday, witnesses and rebel sources said, marking a new year flare-up for the last opposition-held bastion. War planes flying at high altitude, which tracking centres said were Russian Sukhoi jets, dropped bombs on several towns and a main water pumping station serving the overcrowded city of Idlib, whose wider population is more than a million.