Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs. Canada's Trudeau wins plaudits at home as Iran admits causing crash

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's diplomacy was vindicated on Saturday when Iran admitted that it accidentally shot down a Ukrainian airliner as Trudeau had suggested, and his handling of the incident may increase support at home, Canadian political observers said. The crash on Wednesday killed 176 people, including 57 from Canada. Iran insisted for days that it did not down the plane, but Trudeau said on Thursday he had received intelligence that suggested it did. French PM offers concession to unions over pension reform

French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe on Saturday offered a major concession to unions contesting his government's overhaul of the pension system, in a move aimed at ending strikes which are now in their fifth week. Philippe said in a letter to unions and employers that he was prepared to withdraw plans to raise the retirement age for full pension benefits by two years to 64 if certain conditions were met. Iran's handling of plane disaster sparks new challenge to rulers

Iran's clerical rulers risk a legitimacy crisis as popular anger has boiled up at the way the state handled a passenger plane crash, which the military took three days to admit was caused by an Iranian missile fired in error. Amid mounting public fury and international criticism, the belated admission of blame by Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards has squandered the national unity seen after the killing of the country's most influential commander in a U.S. drone strike in Iraq on Jan. 3. Protests and condemnation after Iran admits downing Ukrainian plane

Iran's admission that it shot down a Ukrainian airliner, killing all 176 aboard, has provoked international outrage and triggered protests against Iranian authorities in Tehran and other cities including one in which Britain's ambassador was detained. In what President Hassan Rouhani called a "disastrous mistake", Iran said on Saturday that a missile fired in error on Wednesday by its air defenses while on alert after Iranian missile strikes on U.S. targets in Iraq brought down the plane. Iran had denied for days after the crash that it had shot down the airliner. Libyan forces loyal to Haftar announces conditional ceasefire: spokesman

Libyan eastern forces loyal to commander Khalifa Haftar announced on Saturday a ceasefire in the western region, which includes the capital Tripoli, starting 00:01 a.m. on Sunday (22:01 GMT) conditioned on acceptance by their rivals, a spokesman said. Since April, Libyan National Army forces loyal to Haftar have been waging a campaign to take Tripoli, where they are battling forces aligned with the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA). Venezuela's Guaido calls for more protests against Maduro

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido on Saturday called for more protests against the government of President Nicolas Maduro in the wake of a failed attempt by the ruling Socialist Party to install allied leadership in congress. Guaido held his first rally since troops six days ago blocked his access to congress long enough for the Socialist Party to declare an allied legislator as head of parliament. German chancellor Merkel says Berlin will host Libya peace talks

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Libyan peace talks will be held in Berlin, as Turkey and Russia appealed to the north African nation's warring factions to enter a ceasefire. "We hope that the joint efforts by Russia and Turkey will lead to success, and we will soon send out invitations for a conference in Berlin," Merkel said on Saturday during a joint press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Queen Elizabeth calls family meeting about Prince Harry, Meghan: British media

Britain's Queen Elizabeth has called a family meeting for Monday to discuss the decision by Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, to step back as senior royals, British media reported. The Queen, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry will meet to discuss the future at Sandringham estate, according to reports by Sky News and the Observer. Taiwan president wins landslide victory in stark rebuke to China

Taiwanese re-elected President Tsai Ing-wen by a landslide on Saturday in a stern rebuke that could fuel further tension with China, which has tried military threats and economic inducements to get the island to accept its rule. Anti-government unrest in Chinese-ruled Hong Kong took center stage during a campaign in which Tsai held up Taiwan as a beacon of hope for protesters in the former British colony and rejected Beijing's offer of a "one country, two systems" model. Australian firefighter dies battling blazes, raising death toll to 28

A firefighter died while on duty on Saturday in Australia's state of Victoria, raising the toll from this season's devastating bushfires to 28 deaths as the government deploys mental health services to aid those in affected areas. "It is with great sadness that we confirm that a ... firefighter from Parks Victoria has been involved in an incident while working on a fire in the Omeo area resulting in a fatality," Forest Fire Management Victoria Chief Fire Officer Chris Hardman said in a statement.