Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

For migrants, the Darien Gap is hell; for adventure tourists, it's a magnet

Deep in the Panamanian jungle, Venezuelan migrant Franca Ramirez was scrambling to reach higher ground as a rushing river broke its banks, he said, when something caught his eye: a group of young men, snapping photos of the landscape. The former police officer, who says he fled imprisonment and torture in Venezuela, was surprised.

Drone attack on ammunition depot in Crimea prompts evacuation, bridge closure

A drone attack on an ammunition depot in Crimea prompted authorities to evacuate a 5-km (3-mile) radius and briefly suspend road traffic on the bridge linking the peninsula to Russia, the region's Moscow-installed governor said on Saturday.

Ukraine said its army had destroyed an oil depot and Russian army warehouses in what it called the "temporarily occupied" district of Oktiabrske in central Crimea.

Wildfire on Greek island of Rhodes forces mass evacuations

A wildfire which has been raging on the Greek island of Rhodes for five days forced hundreds of people to flee affected villages and beaches by land and sea on Saturday, authorities said. Coastguard vessels and more than 30 private boats evacuated at least 2,000 people, including tourists, from beaches close to the areas of Kiotari and Lardos in the southeastern part of the island, coastguard spokesman Nikos Alexiou told Skai television.

Eleven killed in suspected arson attack on northern Mexican bar

Eleven people were killed in a suspected arson attack on a bar in the northern Mexican border city of San Luis Rio Colorado after an expelled patron set it ablaze with a Molotov cocktail, authorities in the state of Sonora said on Saturday. Sonora state prosecutors said preliminary findings showed the suspect was young, male and highly intoxicated at the time of the attack in the early hours of Saturday, and had been thrown out of the bar for being disrespectful to women there.

Iraqis protest over Koran desecration; Iran condemns Sweden

Several thousand Iraqis demonstrated in Baghdad on Saturday over the burning or damaging of the Koran during anti-Islam protests in Sweden and Denmark, in a gathering called by ruling Iraqi parties and armed groups, many close to Iran. Iran's supreme leader said those desecrating the Koran should face the "most severe punishment" and that by defending perpetrators Sweden was gearing for "war" against Muslims.

Putin, Lukashenko to meet after Russia warns about aggression against Belarus

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko will meet on Sunday, the Kremlin said, two days after Moscow warned that any aggression against the its neighbour and staunchest ally would be considered an attack on Russia. After Poland decided earlier this week to move military units closer to its border with Belarus in response to the arrival in Belarus of forces from Russia's Wagner Group, Putin said Moscow would use all means it has to react to any hostility towards Minsk.

Cambodia holds lopsided election ahead of historic transfer of power

Cambodia holds a one-sided election on Sunday that is certain to prolong the ruling party's dominance of politics, clearing the path for a historic leadership transition and the end of the reign of one of the world's longest-serving premiers.

The contest is effectively a one-horse race, with Prime Minister Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party (CPP), a political behemoth with a vast war chest, facing no viable opponent after a ruthless, years-long crackdown on its rivals.

Israel's Netanyahu says he will be fitted with pacemaker overnight

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be fitted with a pacemaker overnight between Saturday and Sunday, he said in a video statement released by his office. "A week ago I was fitted with a monitoring device. That device beeped this evening and said I must receive a pacemaker and that I must do this already tonight," Netanyahu said in the video. "I feel great, but I need to listen to my doctors."

Tens of thousands of Israelis march as vote on judicial curbs nears

Tens of thousands of Israelis opposed to a judicial overhaul sought by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu marched to Jerusalem on Saturday, as pressure mounts on his right-wing government to scrap a bill that would curtail the Supreme Court's powers. The government bid to change the judiciary has plunged Israel into one of its worst political crises, sparking nationwide protests, denting the economy and stirring concern among Western allies.

Nova Scotia floods cause 'unimaginable' damage; four people missing

The heaviest rain to hit the Atlantic Canadian province of Nova Scotia in more than 50 years triggered floods causing "unimaginable" damage, and four people are missing, including two children, officials said on Saturday. The storm, which started on Friday, dumped more than 25 cm (10 inches) on some parts in just 24 hours - the same amount that usually lands in three months. The resulting floods washed away roads, weakened bridges and swamped buildings.

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