World News Roundup: Putin critic Navalny's approval rating surges in wake of poisoning; Turkey deal clears way for Belarus sanctions and more

Armenia says it will work with OSCE on Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire Armenia said on Friday it would engage with a European security watchdog on renewing a ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh as the death toll rose from five days of fighting over the breakaway enclave in the South Caucasus.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Exclusive: New global lab network will compare COVID-19 vaccines head-to-head

A major non-profit health emergencies group has set up a global laboratory network to assess data from potential COVID-19 vaccines, allowing scientists and drugmakers to compare them and speed up selection of the most effective shots. Speaking to Reuters ahead of announcing the labs involved, Melanie Saville, director of vaccine R&D at the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), said the idea was to "compare apples with apples" as drugmakers race to develop an effective shot to help control the COVID-19 pandemic.

Armenia says it will work with OSCE on Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire

Armenia said on Friday it would engage with a European security watchdog on renewing a ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh as the death toll rose from five days of fighting over the breakaway enclave in the South Caucasus. Azerbaijan, which is fighting ethnic Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh, has not responded to a call for a ceasefire on Thursday by France, the United States and Russia - co-chairs of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) watchdog's Minsk Group which mediates in the crisis.

UK PM Johnson's battle with COVID-19 may be a warning for Trump

When Boris Johnson caught COVID-19 in March, the overweight British prime minister tried to work through the illness "in denial" - but ended up wearing an oxygen mask in an intensive care unit and was ultimately out of action for almost a month. He later said he had fought for his life as the state prepared for the unthinkable: the possible death in office of a prime minister.

Protests rumble in India over alleged gang-rape of young woman

Galvanised by the alleged gang-rape of a young woman who died of her injuries earlier this week, political parties representing India's downtrodden Dalit community held small protests in several cities on Friday. In Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, the capital of the state where the crime took place, police baton-charged more than 100 activists from the Samajwadi Party, who held placards demanding justice for the dead woman.

Putin critic Navalny's approval rating surges in wake of poisoning

One-fifth of Russians now approve of poisoned Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, according to an opinion poll published on Friday, a figure more than twice as high as a year ago but one accompanied by a doubling of disapproval of his activities. A vocal opponent of President Vladimir Putin, Navalny, 44, fell ill on a domestic flight in August and was airlifted to a Berlin hospital. Germany says he was poisoned with a rare nerve agent. Russia says it has seen no evidence he was poisoned.

Merkel: Turkey deal clears way for Belarus sanctions

A summit of European leaders in Brussels agreed after lengthy and difficult discussions that they wanted constructive ties to Turkey while protecting the rights of fellow bloc members Cyprus and Greece in the Mediterranean, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said. Agreement on a common EU approach towards Turkey's energy prospecting in the Mediterranean satisfies a key demand of Cyprus, which had been blocking sanctions against political leaders of Belarus.

Mexican president sees U.S. election link to migrant caravan

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Friday said he suspected an ulterior motive behind the latest migrant caravan from Central America given that it had set out just a month before the U.S. presidential election. Speaking at a regular government news conference, Lopez Obrador said the timing of the caravan was "very strange."

UK university students' first lesson: coping with COVID

For thousands of new students in Britain, their first weeks of university have been all too similar to their final weeks of school, marked by lockdowns, isolation and staring at a screen. COVID-19 outbreaks have hit nearly 50 universities in the last few weeks, forcing students to self-isolate in halls of residence just days after their arrival.

Macron launches crackdown on 'Islamist separatism' in Muslim communities

President Emmanuel Macron pledged on Friday to fight "Islamist separatism" which he said was threatening to take control in some Muslim communities around France. France has struggled with homegrown Islamist militancy for years but Macron's government is increasingly worried by broader signs of radicalisation - often non-violent - within Muslim communities, French officials say.

Australia to discuss security, economic recovery at 'Quad' meeting with Japan, India, U.S.

Australia's foreign minister said she will travel to Japan to meet counterparts from the "Quad" group of the United States, India and Japan next week to discuss regional security, economic recovery, disinformation and supply chains. The high-level meeting will be closely watched by China, which warned on Tuesday against "exclusive cliques" that target third-parties.

(With inputs from agencies.)