Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Jailed Catalan separatist leaders start hunger strike

Two jailed Catalan separatist leaders awaiting trial for their role in the region's failed bid to secede from Spain began a hunger strike on Saturday to protest over their treatment by Spanish courts, a lawyer for the men said. After Catalonia declared independence last year, Madrid took direct control of the region and brought charges including misuse of public funds and rebellion against Catalan leaders, nine of whom are in jail awaiting trial.

North Korean soldier defects to South: South's military

A North Korean soldier defected to South Korea on Saturday, the South Korean military said, but there were no unusual movements by North Korea's military in response. The North Korean soldier was spotted moving toward South Korea, and then crossed over a military demarcation line separating the two sides, the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a statement.

Mexico leftist takes power torn between principles and pragmatism

Veteran leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador assumes the Mexican presidency on Saturday vowing to champion the poor and contain business elites he says have conspired with politicians for years to fuel corruption and lawlessness. After a busy five-month transition that has spooked financial markets, Lopez Obrador will take responsibility for fixing escalating gang violence, chronic poverty and widespread discontent with the political class in Mexico.

Trump, China's Xi poised for high-stakes summit over trade war

U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will wrap up a global summit on Saturday with high-stakes talks expected to determine whether they can begin defusing a damaging trade war between the world's two biggest economies. With the United States and China locked in growing disputes over commerce and security that have raised questions about the future of their relationship, Trump and Xi are due to sit down for dinner at the end of a two-day gathering of world leaders in Buenos Aires.

Lost idol: New wave of Myanmar youth activists look beyond Suu Kyi

Myanmar youth activist and television host Thinzar Shun Lei Yi would once have called herself one of Aung San Suu Kyi's greatest fans. Now, she is one of her most vocal critics. The 27-year-old belongs to a small but high-profile group of liberal activists, many former die-hard Suu Kyi supporters, who are growing increasingly disillusioned with the administration they voted into power with sky-high hopes three years ago.

Iran navy launches stealth warship in the Gulf

Iran's navy on Saturday launched a domestically made destroyer, which state media said has radar-evading stealth properties, as tensions rise with arch-enemy, the United States. In a ceremony carried live on state television, the Sahand destroyer -- which can sustain voyages lasting five months without resupply -- joined Iran's regular navy at a base in Bandar Abbas on the Gulf.

EU document says Czech PM in conflict of interest over Brussels funds

Billionaire Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis has a conflict of interest over EU funds received by companies in which he is a beneficiary and should cut ties with the firms, according to a European Commission legal opinion seen by Reuters. Babis, who before becoming premier in Dec. 2017 served as finance minister since 2014, denied any wrongdoing on Saturday following publication of media reports about the confidential document, which is meant to inform decisions by the European Union's executive.

Labour rules out any deal on new Scottish independence vote: The Times

Britain's opposition Labour Party has ruled out a deal with Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon that would deliver a second referendum on independence for Scotland as the price of her support for a Labour government, the Times newspaper reported. Labour finance spokesman John McDonnell was quoted in Saturday's Times as saying there would be no bartering with Sturgeon to win the support of her Scottish National Party (SNP) lawmakers.

'Yellow vest' protesters battle riot police in Paris, 81 arrested

French police fired tear gas, stun grenades and water cannon in battles with "yellow vest" protesters trying to breach security cordons on the Champs Elysees in Paris on Saturday ahead of a third rally against high living costs. Police said 81 people had been arrested amid concerns that violent far-right and far-left groups were infiltrating the "yellow vests" movement, a spontaneous grassroots rebellion over the struggle of many in France to make ends meet.

Caravan migrants in Mexico fill new border shelter after rains force exodus

Hundreds of mostly Central American migrants poured into a new shelter on Friday as bus loads fled a filthy, flooded sports complex on the eve of a presidential inauguration in Mexico that could recast the border crisis with U.S. President Donald Trump. Earlier in the day, streams of migrants laden with heavy backpacks, tents and blankets, much of it soaking wet, loaded buses leaving their original migrants shelter within sight of the border.