World News Roundup: Lesotho PM granted medical leave; Egyptian court acquits Mubarak's sons and more

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

South Sudan set to swear in former rebel leader as first vice president

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir is due to swear in former rebel leader Riek Machar as his first vice president on Saturday after the two men agreed to form a unity government, a move that could definitively end years of fighting in the country. Riek and Machar had repeatedly pushed back deadlines to form a government of national unity following a peace accord signed in 2018. The civil war killed 400,000 people and triggered Africa's biggest refugee crisis since the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

Lesotho PM granted medical leave from wife murder case: police

Lesotho's 80-year-old prime minister has been granted sick leave until Feb. 27 when he will behave to appear in court on charges of murdering his wife, the country's deputy police commissioner said on Saturday. Thomas Thabane was due to be charged on Friday, but he failed to appear in court and instead traveled to South Africa for what aides said was a medical appointment.

Assange's fate hangs in balance as UK court considers U.S. extradition bid

Almost a decade after his WikiLeaks website enraged Washington by leaking secret U.S. documents, a London court will begin hearings on Monday to decide whether Julian Assange should be extradited to the United States. A hero to admirers who say he has exposed abuses of power, Assange is cast by critics as a dangerous enemy of the state who has undermined Western security. He says the extradition is politically motivated by those embarrassed by his revelations.

Hardline Guards make early gains in restricted Iran election

Candidates affiliated with Iran's Revolutionary Guards looked on course to win a parliamentary majority on Saturday, reportedly leading in the race in Tehran and towns and villages elsewhere, after a vote stacked in favor of the anti-American hardliners. An Interior Ministry official said a list of candidates affiliated with the Guards led in the capital. Lists linked to hardliners captured 83 seats in towns and villages across the country following Friday's vote, according to a Reuters tally.

U.N. says it fears 'bloodbath' in northwest Syria fighting

The United Nations warned on Friday that fighting in northwest Syria could "end in a bloodbath" and called again for a ceasefire, while Moscow denied reports of a mass flight of civilians from a Russian-led Syrian government offensive. Syrian troops backed by Russian airpower have been battling since December to eliminate the last rebel strongholds in the region in a war that has killed an estimated 400,000 Syrians, displaced millions more and left much of the country in ruins.

Pope moves slain Salvadoran priest, an icon for poor, closer to sainthood

A Jesuit priest who was murdered at the threshold of the Salvadoran civil war and who in death became an icon for human rights in rural Latin America was moved a step closer to sainthood by Pope Francis on Saturday. The Vatican said the pope had approved a decree recognizing that Rutilio Grande and two lay Salvadorans were killed "in hatred of the faith".

Egyptian court acquits Mubarak's sons of illicit share trading

The two sons of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak were acquitted on Saturday of illicit share trading during the sale of a bank four years before the 2011 uprising that ended their father's 30-year autocratic rule. Alaa and Gamal Mubarak and seven others had faced charges of illegally profiting from the process of selling the Al Watany Bank of Egypt to the National Bank of Kuwait in 2007.

China reports fall in new coronavirus cases but concerns grow over rising global spread

China reported a sharp decrease in new deaths and cases of the coronavirus on Saturday but a doubling of infections in South Korea and 10 new cases in Iran added to unease about its rapid spread and global reach. Mainland China had 397 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infections on Friday, down from 889 a day earlier, but only 31 cases were outside of the virus epicenter of Hubei province, the lowest number since the National Health Commission started compiling nationwide data a month ago.

Kazakhstan detains dozens of anti-government protesters

Kazakh police detained dozens of opposition supporters who staged public protests against the government of the Central Asian nation on Saturday. Demonstrations have intensified since the resignation of President Nursultan Nazarbayev last March after almost three decades in power. Nazarbayev nominated close ally Kassym-Jomart Tokayev as successor, ensuring his victory in a subsequent snap election.

Optimism, fear and expectations mark the first day of violence cut period in Afghanistan

Afghans on Saturday welcomed the pledge by the Taliban and U.S to reduce violence, despite uncertainty looming over the war-torn country. Saturday was the first morning of a seven-day "reduced violence" period that is meant to lead to an agreement between the United States and the Taliban in Doha on Feb. 29.

(With inputs from agencies.)