Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Saudi prince has immunity in Khashoggi killing lawsuit, say lawyers

Lawyers for Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, facing a U.S. lawsuit over the 2018 killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, told a court on Monday the crown prince's appointment as prime minister last week ensured him immunity from prosecution. Khashoggi was killed and dismembered by Saudi agents in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in an operation which U.S. intelligence believed was ordered by Prince Mohammed, who has been the kingdom's de facto ruler for several years.

Iran's Khamenei backs police over Mahsa Amini protests, may signal tougher crackdown

Iran's supreme leader on Monday gave his full backing to security forces confronting protests ignited by the death of Mahsa Amini in custody, comments that could herald a harsher crackdown to quell unrest more than two weeks since she died. In his first remarks addressing the 22-year-old's death after her arrest by morality police over "inappropriate attire", Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Amini's death "deeply broke my heart" and called it a "bitter incident" provoked by Iran's enemies.

Right-wing wins in Brazil's Congress show staying power of 'Bolsonarismo'

A strong election night for allies of President Jair Bolsonaro have given his party the most seats in both chambers of Congress, highlighting the enduring strength of his conservative movement even if he falls short of re-election. His right-wing Liberal Party (PL), won 99 seats in the 513-member lower house, up from 77, and right-leaning parties allied with Bolsonaro now control half the chamber.

IMF to consider $1.3 billion in emergency funding for Ukraine

The International Monetary Fund's (IMF) executive board will consider Ukraine's request for $1.3 billion in additional emergency funding on Thursday as Russia's war against the country continues, two sources familiar with the matter said. IMF staff have prepared the necessary documents and believe Ukraine has received sufficient financial assurances from its global partners to meet the IMF's debt sustainability requirements and qualify for further emergency funds, the sources told Reuters.

North Korea backs Russia's proclaimed annexations, criticises U.S. 'double standards'

North Korea supports Russia's proclaimed annexation of parts of Ukraine, its foreign ministry said on Tuesday, accusing the United States of applying "gangster-like double standards" in interfering in other country's affairs. State media KCNA reported on a U.S.-led U.N. Security Council resolution condemning the proclaimed annexation, which was vetoed on Friday by Russia, backing Moscow's claim that the regions chose to be part of Russia.

UK's Truss forced into tax U-turn after market turmoil, party rebellion

British Prime Minister Liz Truss was forced on Monday into a humiliating U-turn after less than a month in power, reversing a cut to the highest rate of income tax that helped spark turmoil in financial markets and a rebellion in her party.

Finance minister Kwasi Kwarteng said the decision was taken with "humility and contrition", after some lawmakers from the ruling Conservative Party reacted with fury to suggestions that public and welfare spending could be cut to fund tax cuts for the richest.

Swedish geneticist wins Nobel medicine prize for decoding ancient DNA

Swedish geneticist Svante Paabo won the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine on Monday for discoveries that underpin our understanding of how modern day people evolved from extinct ancestors at the dawn of human history. Paabo's work demonstrated practical implications during the COVID-19 pandemic when he found that people infected with the virus who carry a gene variant inherited from Neanderthals are more at risk of severe illness than whose who do not.

N.Korea fires missile over Japan, some residents warned to take cover

North Korea fired a ballistic missile over Japan for the first time in five years on Tuesday, prompting a warning for residents to take cover and a temporary suspension of train operations in northern Japan. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) and the Japanese coast guard reported on the missile test, which was launched over North Korea's east coast.

Ukraine forces break through Russian defences in south, advance in east

Ukrainian forces have broken through Russia's defences in the south of the country while expanding their rapid offensive in the east, seizing back more territory in areas annexed by Moscow and threatening supply lines for Russian troops. Making their biggest breakthrough in the south since the war began, Ukrainian forces recaptured several villages in an advance along the strategic Dnipro River on Monday, Ukrainian officials and a Russian-installed leader in the area said.

Orlene weakens into tropical depression over western Mexico

Orlene weakened into a tropical depression as it crawled farther inland, dumping heavy rains across parts of western and central Mexico on Monday afternoon, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. Orlene had made landfall from the Pacific Ocean earlier in the day as a Category 1 hurricane before weakening into a tropical storm.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)