Reuters World News Summary

The request called for the session "to address the deteriorating human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran, especially with respect to women and children," according to the letter signed by the two countries' ambassadors. Mexico president eyes giving presidential jet to planned military-run airline Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Friday proposed handing over the opulent presidential plane, which he inherited from his predecessors and failed to sell as promised, to a planned military-run airline, where it could be rented to workers.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Analysis-North Korea’s other missiles: Salvaged debris shines light on aging air defences

The recovery of a Soviet-era anti-aircraft missile after a recent North Korean launch shows the age of the nuclear-armed country's air defences - systems and aircraft Pyongyang has been working to modernize alongside the rest of its arsenal. Although North Korea’s ballistic missiles get most of the attention, the country has been quietly pouring resources into trying to find ways to counter stealth fighters, analysts say.

COP27: Biden says the climate crisis is about 'very life of the planet'

U.S. President Joe Biden told the COP27 climate conference in Egypt on Friday that global warming posed an existential threat to the planet and promised the United States would meet its targets for fighting it. His speech was intended pump up global ambition to prevent the worst of climate change, even as a slew of other crises - from a land war in Europe to rampant inflation - distract international focus.

A nation waits: U.S. election workers toil to count thousands of votes

Arizona and Nevada election workers were toiling on Friday to tally hundreds of thousands of ballots that could determine control of the U.S. Senate and the shape of President Joe Biden's next two years in office, in a vote count that officials in the two battleground states warn could drag on for days. Winning both contests would give either Democrats or Republicans a Senate majority, while a split would transform a Dec. 6 runoff Senate election in Georgia into a proxy battle for the chamber.

Countries request U.N. human rights debate on Iran - document

Germany and Iceland submitted a request on Friday on behalf of dozens of countries to hold a special session at the U.N. Human Rights Council on the ongoing protests in Iran later this month, a document showed. The request called for the session "to address the deteriorating human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran, especially with respect to women and children," according to the letter signed by the two countries' ambassadors.

Mexico president eyes giving presidential jet to planned military-run airline

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Friday proposed handing over the opulent presidential plane, which he inherited from his predecessors and failed to sell as promised, to a planned military-run airline, where it could be rented to workers. Lopez Obrador, who has an austere approach to spending, has cast the luxury Boeing 787 Dreamliner as a symbol of the excesses of previous governments and since campaigning for office had vowed to sell it. But finding a buyer willing to pay its $130 million price tag has proved challenging.

Bolivia census protests hit turbulent three-week milestone, strike continues

Bolivia's largest city Santa Cruz marked three weeks of protests on Friday as demonstrations over a delayed census boiled over. Santa Cruz, a relatively wealthy farming hub and opposition bastion, has in recent days grinded to a halt due to a general strike demanding that authorities hold a census next year before elections in 2025.

Exclusive-India can buy as much Russian oil as it wants, outside price cap, Yellen says

The United States is happy for India to continue buying as much Russian oil as it wants, including at prices above a G7-imposed price cap mechanism, if it steers clear of Western insurance, finance and maritime services bound by the cap, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Friday. The cap would still drive global oil prices lower while curbing Russia's revenues, Yellen said in an interview with Reuters on the sidelines of a conference on deepening U.S.-Indian economic ties. Russia will not be able to sell as much oil as it does now once the European Union halts imports without resorting to the capped price or significant discounts from current prices, Yellen added.

Congo says it expelled Reuters journalist for alleged immigration breach

Democratic Republic of Congo said that it expelled a French journalist working for Reuters because she was in breach of immigration rules. Sonia Rolley received a written summons on Tuesday to present herself to immigration police in Kinshasa, who she said confiscated her passport and put her on a flight to Paris via Addis Ababa. No reason for the decision was provided to her at the time, and she was not permitted to collect any personal belongings, she said.

Ukrainians celebrate soldiers retaking Kherson, Russia's latest defeat

Jubilant residents welcomed Ukrainian troops arriving in the centre of Kherson on Friday after Russia abandoned the only regional capital it had captured since its invasion began in February. "Today is a historic day. We are getting the south of the country back, we are getting Kherson back," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in an evening video address.

Cuba agrees to accept U.S. deportation flights as border crossings rise

Cuba has agreed for the first time since the pandemic to accept U.S. deportation flights carrying Cubans caught at the U.S.-Mexico border, three U.S. officials told Reuters, giving U.S. authorities a new but limited tool to deter record numbers of Cuban border crossers. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has about a dozen Cubans in custody who failed an initial screening for asylum at the border, the officials said, requesting anonymity to discuss the diplomatic situation. The U.S. agency is waiting until it has enough Cuban deportees to fill a plane before sending one to Havana, they said.