World News Roundup: China accuses U.S. of deflecting blame as diplomatic row shifts to climate; Pompeo says U.S. will open embassy in Maldives for first time and more

Armenian-backed officials in Nagorno-Karabakh said Azeri shells had fallen on the enclave's two largest cities, killing one person. President Donald Trump finalized his plan in a memo overnight and said the ceiling for fiscal 2021, which started this month, includes 6,000 unused placements from last year "that might have been used if not for the COVID-19 pandemic."

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

China accuses U.S. of deflecting blame as diplomatic row shifts to climate

A senior Chinese official accused the United States on Wednesday of deflecting blame and breaking its word when it comes to fighting climate change, as the simmering diplomatic row between the world's two biggest economies shifts to the environment. The U.S. State Department said last month that China had showed "willful disregard" for air, land and water quality, and was putting global health at risk, with its climate-warming greenhouse gases the highest in the world and still rising.

German infectious disease agency hit by hackers days before arson attack: Spiegel

Germany's Robert Koch Institute for infectious disease control was hit by a cyber attack days before its headquarters was the target of an arson attempt, Der Spiegel reported on Wednesday. The news weekly, citing the Federal Centre for Information Technology, said the website was knocked out for two hours on Oct. 22 by a distributed denial of service attack. No sensitive data was lost.

Engine problems and human error caused Ukraine military plane crash: deputy PM

A combination of factors including engine problems and human error caused the Ukrainian military plane crash that killed 26 people in September, the deputy prime minister said on Wednesday, announcing the results of an investigation. The Antonov An-26 aircraft transport plane carrying air force cadets crashed and burst into flames near a highway in northeastern Ukraine while trying to land during a training exercise.

Pompeo says U.S. will open embassy in Maldives for first time

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday that Washington will open an embassy in the Maldives for the first time, during a five-day Asia trip attempting to counterbalance the rise of China in the region. "Getting this facility open won't happen overnight but it's worth it," Pompeo told a news conference on an island resort near the archipelago's capital Male.

Libyan investigators find more mass graves in recaptured city

Libyan authorities have dug 12 bodies from four more unmarked graves in the city of Tarhouna, adding to the scores of corpses already discovered since the area was recaptured in June by the Government of National Accord (GNA). Tarhouna had for years been controlled by a militia known as the Kaniyat, run by the local Kani family, which fought alongside Khalifa Haftar's eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA).

Indian parliamentary panel slams Twitter in China map dispute

The head of an Indian parliamentary panel accused Twitter of disrespecting New Delhi's sovereignty on Wednesday, after mapping data showed Indian-ruled territory as part of China in what the social network said was a quickly resolved mistake. Twitter executives appeared before the Joint Committee on the Personal Data Protection Bill to explain the error that came to light last week and which the company said had since been resolved.

Turkey hits at 'crusades' against Islam in cartoons row with France

Turkey's leader said on Wednesday that Western countries mocking Islam wanted to "relaunch the Crusades", heightening a confrontation with France over cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad that have stirred anger in Muslim-majority countries. In a speech to lawmakers of his AK Party in parliament, President Tayyip Erdogan also said that standing against attacks on the Prophet was "an issue of honour for us", suggesting Ankara may be digging in for a prolonged standoff.

Renewed shelling claims lives in Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

Azerbaijan and Armenia accused each other of killing civilians by shelling cities in and around Nagorno-Karabakh on Wednesday, in an escalation of a month-long conflict over the mountain enclave that has defied three ceasefires. Azerbaijan said 14 people were killed when Armenian shells hit the town of Barda, northeast of Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenian-backed officials in Nagorno-Karabakh said Azeri shells had fallen on the enclave's two largest cities, killing one person.

Analysis: Biden would face uncertain path to detente with wary Iran

Joe Biden plans to scrap what he calls the "dangerous failure" of President Donald Trump's maximum pressure policy on Iran should he win the U.S. election, but after years of confrontation his diplomacy-first approach to a historic Middle East foe could prove an unforgiving challenge. Vice president under President Barack Obama when Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with six powers was struck, Biden has pledged that if Tehran resumes compliance with the pact he will return to the agreement, which Trump quit in 2018, reimposing sanctions.

Trump administration sets record low limit for new U.S. refugees

The Trump administration has slashed the number of refugees it will allow to resettle in the United States in the coming year, capping the number at 15,000, a record low in the history of the country's modern refugee program. President Donald Trump finalized his plan in a memo overnight and said the ceiling for fiscal 2021, which started this month, includes 6,000 unused placements from last year "that might have been used if not for the COVID-19 pandemic."

(With inputs from agencies.)