World News Roundup: Surge in Gambia child deaths linked cough syrup under control, president says; Lula leading Bolsonaro in second round of Brazil election, poll shows and more

Authorities launched a probe last month after doctors in July noticed that a number of children developed symptoms after taking a locally-sold paracetamol syrup used to treat fevers. OPEC+ oil output cut shows widening rift between Biden and Saudi royals The OPEC+ organization's decision this week to cut oil production despite stiff U.S. opposition has further strained already tense relations between President Joe Biden's White House and Saudi Arabia's royal family, once one of Washington's staunchest Middle East allies, according to interviews with about a dozen government officials and experts in Washington and the Gulf.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Surge in Gambia child deaths linked cough syrup under control, president says

Gambia's President Adama Barrow on Friday said a surge in acute kidney injuries likely linked to a paracetamol syrup that killed dozens of children in past months was under control, with only two diagnoses in the last two weeks. Authorities launched a probe last month after doctors in July noticed that a number of children developed symptoms after taking a locally-sold paracetamol syrup used to treat fevers.

OPEC+ oil output cut shows widening rift between Biden and Saudi royals

The OPEC+ organization's decision this week to cut oil production despite stiff U.S. opposition has further strained already tense relations between President Joe Biden's White House and Saudi Arabia's royal family, once one of Washington's staunchest Middle East allies, according to interviews with about a dozen government officials and experts in Washington and the Gulf. The White House pushed hard to prevent the OPEC output cut, these sources said. Biden hopes to keep U.S. gasoline prices from spiking again ahead of midterm elections in which his Democratic party is struggling to maintain control of the U.S. Congress. Washington also wants to limit Russia's energy revenue during the Ukraine war.

Memorial: Nobel prize is a tribute, but the struggle gets no easier

It may have been one of the highest accolades that the international community can bestow, but to the human rights defenders of Russia's Memorial, the Nobel Peace Prize was above all a reminder of continued struggle and sacrifice. "I want this award to help somehow," said Yan Rachinsky, head of the Memorial Human Rights Centre. "But in any case - it indicates priorities."

Lula leading Bolsonaro in second round of Brazil election, poll shows

Leftist Brazilian presidential candidate Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is leading right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro, with 49% of voter support against the incumbent's 44%, ahead of an Oct. 30 runoff vote, according to a poll published on Friday.

The survey by pollster Datafolha was conducted Oct. 5-7, interviewing 2,884 people with a margin of error of 2 percentage points up or down. Datafolha was one of several polling firms criticized for underestimating support for Bolsonaro in the first-round vote on Oct. 2.

Exclusive-U.S. Navy jet flew across Baltic hours after Nord Stream burst

A U.S. Navy reconnaissance aircraft flew near the site of the ruptured Nord Stream 2 pipeline in the Baltic Sea hours after the first damage emerged, according to tracking reviewed by Reuters, a flight Washington said was routine. Russia's Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines burst on Sept. 26, draining gas into the Baltic Sea off the coast of Denmark and Sweden. Seismologists registered explosions in the area, and police in several countries have launched investigations.

U.S. stages carrier drills, announces new sanctions, after N.Korea launches

The United States and South Korea held joint maritime exercises involving a U.S. aircraft carrier on Friday, a day after Seoul scrambled fighter jets in reaction to an apparent North Korean bombing drill. The United States also announced new sanctions on Friday in response to North Korea's latest missile launches this week, targeting a fuel procurement network that it said supports Pyongyang's weapons programs and its military.

Families traumatised by Thailand attack cling to slain children's toys

Grief-stricken relatives sobbed and clutched toys at a children's daycare centre on Friday, a day after a former policeman killed 34 people, most of them young children, in a knife and gun rampage there that has horrified Thailand. Government buildings flew flags at half mast to mourn victims - 23 of them children - of the carnage in Uthai Sawan, a town 500 km (310 miles) northeast of Bangkok, the capital of the largely Buddhist country.

Iranian state coroner says Mahsa Amini did not die from blows to body

An Iranian coroner's report denied Mahsa Amini had died due to blows to the head and limbs while in the custody of Iran's morality police and linked her death to pre-existing medical conditions, state media said on Friday. The death of 22-year-old Amini while in police custody has ignited three weeks of nationwide unrest, marking the biggest challenge to Iran's clerical leaders in years.

Putin marks low-key birthday as Ukraine pressures mount

Russian President Vladimir Putin marked his 70th birthday on Friday with little fanfare, amid further signs that key parts of his invasion of Ukraine were unravelling and triggering unprecedented criticism at home. News programmes made only glancing references to the birthday and public events were low-key - in contrast to just a week ago when Putin held a huge concert on Red Square to proclaim the annexation of nearly a fifth of Ukrainian land.

Organization of American States head faces probe of romantic relationship with staffer - report

The chief of the Organization of American States (OAS) is facing an internal probe into allegations he had a romantic relationship with a staff member that may have violated the organization's ethics policies, a media report said on Friday. The Associated Press reported that Secretary General Luis Almagro formed a "long-running" consensual relationship with a Mexican-born woman two decades his junior, citing a half-dozen sources.

(With inputs from agencies.)