Reuters World News Summary

The announcement comes after Kim inspected a test of the country's new Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), and pledged to counter U.S. nuclear threats with nuclear weapons on Nov. 18. Landslide hits Italian island of Ischia, one woman dead, 10 missing A woman was found dead and around 10 people were still missing on the southern Italian holiday island of Ischia after a landslide engulfed buildings during heavy rain on Saturday, a local Italian government official said.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Belarus foreign minister Makei dies suddenly - Belta

Belarus's long-standing foreign minister has died suddenly, the state news agency Belta reported on Saturday, two days before he was meant to meet his Russian counterpart. "Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei has passed away suddenly," Belta reported without giving further detail. Makei had held his post since 2012.

Equatorial Guinea president wins re-election, VP says on Twitter

Equatorial Guinea's President Teodoro Obiang Nguema has won re-election with 95% of the Nov. 20 vote and his party took all the senate and parliament seats, his son Vice President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue said on Twitter on Saturday. Reuters was not able to immediately verify the claim.

Ukraine, partners launch $150 million grain export plan to help vulnerable nations

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy hosted a summit in Kyiv with allied nations on Saturday to launch a plan to export $150 million worth of grain to countries most vulnerable to famine and drought. The "Grain from Ukraine" initiative demonstrated global food security was "not just empty words" for Kyiv, he said.

Iran's Khamenei praises Basij forces for confronting 'rioters'

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Saturday Iran's Basij militia forces have sacrificed their lives in what he called riots, the wave of protests sparked by the death in custody of a young Iranian Kurdish woman in September. The protests that began after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in the custody of Iran's morality police on Sept. 16 have turned into one of the boldest challenges to the clerical leadership since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Protests erupt in Xinjiang and Beijing after deadly fire

Public anger in China towards widening COVID-19 lockdowns across the country erupted into rare protests in China’s far western Xinjiang region and the country's capital of Beijing, as nationwide infections set another record. Crowds took to the streets on Friday night in Xinjiang's capital of Urumqi, chanting "End the lockdown!" and pumping their fists in the air, after a deadly fire on Thursday triggered anger over their prolonged COVID-19 lockdown according to videos circulated on Chinese social media on Friday night.

Taiwan president quits as party head after China threat bet fails to win votes

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen resigned as head of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on Saturday after her strategy to frame local elections as showing defiance to China's rising bellicosity failed to pay off and win public support. The elections for mayors, county chiefs and local councillors are ostensibly about domestic issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic and crime, and those elected will not have a direct say on China policy.

Venezuela's frozen funds to be gradually released for humanitarian aid

Venezuela's government and opposition have asked the United Nations to manage a fund for billions of dollars now held in foreign banks, which will be gradually unfrozen to combat a humanitarian crisis in the oil-rich nation, delegates announced in Mexico City on Saturday. Sources told Reuters last month the frozen funds amount to more than $3 billion.

Former Ivory Coast militia leader Ble Goude returns home after exile

Charles Ble Goude, a former militia leader who was acquitted of crimes against humanity related to his role in Ivory Coast's civil war, returned from exile on Saturday as politicians sought to reconcile after years of instability and conflict. Hundreds of supporters wearing clothes printed with Ble Goude's image sang and danced in the Yopougon suburb of Abidjan to welcome him home after eight years.

Kim Jong Un says North Korea's goal is for world's strongest nuclear force

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country's ultimate goal is to possess the world's most powerful nuclear force, as he promoted dozens of military officers involved in the recent launch of North Korea's largest ballistic missile, state media reported on Sunday. The announcement comes after Kim inspected a test of the country's new Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), and pledged to counter U.S. nuclear threats with nuclear weapons on Nov. 18.

Landslide hits Italian island of Ischia, one woman dead, 10 missing

A woman was found dead and around 10 people were still missing on the southern Italian holiday island of Ischia after a landslide engulfed buildings during heavy rain on Saturday, a local Italian government official said. Torrential rain hit the port of Casamicciola Terme, one of the six small towns on the island, in the early hours, triggering flooding and bringing down buildings.