Reuters World News Summary

South Korea's military said it was a single, short-range ballistic missile fired from near the Taechon area of North Pyongyan Province just before 7 a.m. Right-wing alliance seen as likely winner as Italians vote Millions of Italians will vote on Sunday in an election that is forecast to return the country's most right-wing government since World War Two and usher in its first woman prime minister.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Lavrov, at the UN, pledges 'full protection' for any territory annexed by Russia

Russia's top diplomat on Saturday said regions of Ukraine where widely-derided referendums are being held would be under Russia's "full protection" if they are annexed by Moscow, amid fears Russia could further escalate the conflict and even use nuclear weapons. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, addressing the U.N. General Assembly and the world's media in New York, attempted to justify Russia's February invasion of its neighbor, repeating Moscow's false claims that the elected government in Kyiv was illegitimately installed, filled with neo-Nazis and oppressed Russian speakers in the country's east.

Complaints about Russia's chaotic mobilisation grow louder

The strongly pro-Kremlin editor of Russia's state-run RT news channel expressed anger on Saturday that enlistment officers were sending call-up papers to the wrong men, as frustration about a military mobilisation grew. Wednesday's announcement of Russia's first public mobilisation since World War Two, to shore up its faltering Ukraine war, has triggered a rush for the border, the arrests of over 1,000 protesters, and unease in the wider population.

Russia holds votes in occupied parts of Ukraine; Kyiv says residents coerced

Russia launched referendums on Friday aimed at annexing four occupied regions of Ukraine, drawing condemnation from Kyiv and Western nations who dismissed the votes as a sham and pledged not to recognise their results. Ukrainian officials said people were banned from leaving some occupied areas until the four-day vote was over, armed groups were going into homes, and employees were threatened with the sack if they did not participate.

Storm Fiona ravages Canada's east coast, causing 'terrifying' destruction

Powerful storm Fiona ripped into eastern Canada on Saturday with hurricane-force winds, forcing evacuations, knocking down trees and powerlines, and reducing many homes on the coast to "just a pile of rubble in the ocean." The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said the center of the storm, downgraded to Post-Tropical Cyclone Fiona, was now in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and losing some steam. The NHC canceled hurricane and tropical storm warnings for the region.

Kremlin's mention of possible use of nuclear weapons 'absolutely unacceptable' - Ukraine's Kuleba

The Kremlin's statements on the possible use of nuclear weapons are "absolutely unacceptable" and Kyiv will not give into it, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said early on Sunday. Russian President Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials, including Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, have mentioned nuclear weapons as an option in extremis.

Russia's Lavrov accuses Washington of 'playing with fire' around Taiwan

Russia accused the United States on Saturday of "playing with fire" around Taiwan while China said it will press on working for "peaceful reunification" with the democratically-governed island and pledged to take forceful steps to oppose any external interference, a thinly-veiled reference to Washington. Tensions over Taiwan between Washington and Beijing have soared after a visit there in August by U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, which was followed by large-scale Chinese military drills as well as a pledge by U.S. President Joe Biden to defend the Chinese-claimed island.

Iran will act decisively after biggest protests in years, president says

Iran must deal decisively with protests which have swept the country after the death in custody of a woman detained by the Islamic Republic's morality police, President Ebrahim Raisi said on Saturday. At least 41 people have been killed in the week-long unrest, state television said on Saturday. It said that toll was based on its own count and official figures were yet to be released. Protests have erupted in most of the country's 31 provinces.

North Korea fires ballistic missile ahead of U.S. VP Harris visit

North Korea fired a ballistic missile towards the sea off its east coast on Sunday, ahead of planned military drills by South Korean and U.S. forces involving an aircraft carrier and a visit to the region by U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris. South Korea's military said it was a single, short-range ballistic missile fired from near the Taechon area of North Pyongyan Province just before 7 a.m.

Right-wing alliance seen as likely winner as Italians vote

Millions of Italians will vote on Sunday in an election that is forecast to return the country's most right-wing government since World War Two and usher in its first woman prime minister. Italy's first autumn national election in more than a century was triggered by party infighting that brought down Prime Minister Mario Draghi's broad national unity government in July.

Zelenskiy says he is shocked by Israel's failure to give Ukraine weapons

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he was "in shock" at Israel's failure to give Kyiv anti-missile systems to help counter Russian attacks, according to an interview made public on Saturday. Zelenskiy has been asking for the weapons since shortly after the war started in February. He has mentioned Israel's Iron Dome system, often used to intercept rockets fired by Palestinian militants in Gaza.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)