Reuters World News Summary

Accusing neighbouring Eritrea of sending tanks and thousands of troops into Tigray in support of an Ethiopian government offensive, Debretsion Gebremichael said his forces were under attack "on several fronts." North Korea's Kim orders tightening of anti-virus measures amid global pandemic: KCNA North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered a tightening of state emergency anti-coronavirus systems in the face of the worldwide pandemic, as he presided over a meeting of the politburo of the ruling Workers Party, state news agency KCNA said on Monday.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs. As Hurricane Iota nears Central America, experts predict more climate-linked migration

Hurricane Iota is rapidly gathering strength as it barrels toward Central America, a region still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Eta, and experts predict this year's unprecedented storm season will force more people to migrate. As of 1 p.m. EST (1800 GMT) Sunday, Hurricane Iota was about 315 miles (507 km) off the Nicaraguan-Honduran coast, packing maximum sustained winds of 90 miles per hour (145 kph), according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC). Pro-EU candidate Sandu on course to win Moldova presidential run-off

Moldova opposition candidate Maia Sandu, who favours closer ties with the European Union, promised to unite the country and tackle corruption as she looked on course to beat pro-Moscow incumbent Igor Dodon in a presidential run-off on Sunday. Workers at Sandu's campaign office chanted "victory" after the former World Bank economist won 53.38% of votes compared to 46.62% for Dodon, with 96.55% of ballots counted. An exit poll had put Sandu on 54.8% of votes compared to 45.2% for Dodon. In escalation of Ethiopia war, Tigray leader says his forces fired rockets at Eritrea

The leader of Ethiopia's rebellious Tigray region confirmed on Sunday that his forces had fired rockets at the airport in Eritrea's capital, a major escalation that raises fears of a wider war in the Horn of Africa region. Accusing neighbouring Eritrea of sending tanks and thousands of troops into Tigray in support of an Ethiopian government offensive, Debretsion Gebremichael said his forces were under attack "on several fronts." North Korea's Kim orders tightening of anti-virus measures amid global pandemic: KCNA

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered a tightening of state emergency anti-coronavirus systems in the face of the worldwide pandemic, as he presided over a meeting of the politburo of the ruling Workers Party, state news agency KCNA said on Monday. The meeting came amid economic and political uncertainty surrounding the global COVID-19 pandemic that is putting additional pressure on the North's economy, already battered by international sanctions aimed at stopping its nuclear program. Coronavirus emerged in Italy earlier than thought, Italian study shows

The new coronavirus was circulating in Italy since September 2019, a study by the National Cancer Institute (INT) of the Italian city of Milan shows, signaling that COVID-19 might have spread beyond China earlier than previously thought. The World Health Organization has said the new coronavirus and COVID-19, the respiratory disease it causes, were unknown before the outbreak was first reported in Wuhan, in central China, in December. British PM Johnson self-isolating after COVID-19 contact

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is self-isolating after coming into contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19, a fresh setback after infighting among his top advisers plunged Downing Street into chaos last week. Johnson, who was admitted to intensive care in a London hospital earlier this year with the novel coronavirus, is well and does not have any symptoms, a spokesman for the prime minister said on Sunday. Earthquake of magnitude 6.1 hits Mindanao, Philippines: EMSC

An earthquake of magnitude 6.1 struck Mindanao in the Philippines, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said on Sunday. The quake was at a depth of 15 kilometers, it added. Sandbags and monks in khaki: Russian troops guard Armenian monastery after ceasefire

Soldiers unloaded sandbags and monks donned khaki vests over their cassocks on Sunday after Russian peacekeepers arrived to guard the 12th century Armenian Dadivank monastery in territory due to be ceded to Azerbaijan within days. Russia has deployed troops as part of a Moscow-brokered ceasefire deal to end six weeks of fighting between ethnic Armenian forces and Azeri troops over the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas. Peru's interim president resigns after protest deaths spark fury

Peru's interim president, Manuel Merino, resigned on Sunday, leaving the country in limbo and without a leader after lawmakers demanded he step down following the deaths of two people in protests over the sudden ouster of his predecessor. Merino had been in office for less than a week, after Peru's Congress voted last Monday to remove Martin Vizcarra as president over bribery allegations, which he denies. Lawmakers met late on Sunday afternoon to determine who should be the country's next president, or at least, how he or she might be chosen. Macron: Europe needs its own sovereignty in defence, even with new U.S. government

Europe still needs its own independent and sovereign defence strategy, even if it is dealing with a new U.S. government which may result in friendlier ties, French President Emmanuel Macron told the "Revue Grand Continent" publication. In an interview with the publication, Macron rebuffed comments from German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer to Politico on Nov. 2, in which the German minister said Europe would have to remain dependent on U.S. military protection for the near future.

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