Reuters World News Summary

The storm has pounded the southern African country as tropical Cyclone Freddy swept through the region killing more than 500 people in Malawi, Mozambique and Madagascar since it first made landfall in Africa in late February and circled back for a second time over the weekend. U.S. resumes drone flights over Black Sea after Russia intercept The United States has resumed surveillance drone flights over the Black Sea region following a Russian fighter jet intercept on Tuesday that led to the downing of a U.S surveillance drone, two U.S. officials said on Friday.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Police clash with protesters at Paris demonstration against pension overhaul

Riot police clashed with protesters on Friday evening in Paris as a new demonstration took place against the government's plans to raise the French state pension age. The growing unrest, which has resulted in a wave of strikes since the start of the year and rubbish piling up on the streets of Paris, has left President Emmanuel Macron with the gravest challenge to his authority since the so-called 'Gilets Jaunes' or 'Yellow Vest' protests of December 2018.

Ukraine war: International court issues warrant for Putin's arrest

The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, alleging Moscow's forcible deportation of Ukrainian children is a war crime, as the Kremlin reacted with outrage. Russia has not concealed a programme under which it has brought thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia but presents it as a humanitarian campaign to protect orphans and children abandoned in the conflict zone.

IMF approves rule change that would allow new Ukraine loan program

The International Monetary Fund said its executive board on Friday approved rule changes that would allow the IMF to approve new loan programs for countries facing "exceptionally high uncertainty" - a move expected to pave the way for a new Ukraine loan program. The changes to the IMF's financing assurances policy would apply to countries experiencing "exogenous shocks that are beyond the control of country authorities and the reach of their economic policies," the IMF said in a statement.

North Korea claims almost 800,000 people have signed up for military to fight against US

North Korea claims that about 800,000 of its citizens volunteered to join or reenlist in the nation's military to fight against the United States, North Korea's state newspaper reported on Saturday. About 800,000 students and workers, on Friday alone, across the country expressed a desire to enlist or reenlist in the military to counter the United States, the Rodong Sinmun newspaper reported.

NATO's Stoltenberg hails Turkish move on Finland membership, sees Sweden joining soon

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Friday hailed Turkey's decision to move ahead with ratifying Finland's bid for membership of the military alliance and said he was confident Sweden would join soon too. In a telephone interview with Reuters, Stoltenberg said President Tayyip Erdogan's announcement that Turkey's parliament will start ratifying Finland's accession to NATO was "a good day for everyone that believes in NATO enlargement".

Thousands in Belgrade protest against Western-backed Serbia-Kosovo deal

Several thousand people gathered in Belgrade to protest against a Western-backed deal to normalise ties between Kosovo and Serbia, which they view as recognition of Kosovo independence. Serbia's constitution considers Kosovo an integral part of its territory, even though it declared independence in 2008 with U.S. and European Union backing. Bilateral ties need to be mended for Serbia and Kosovo to achieve their strategic goal of joining the EU.

U.N. aviation council votes to hear MH17 case against Russia

The United Nations aviation council on Friday voted to hear a case against Russia over the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, the foreign ministers of Australia and the Netherlands said. Australia and the Netherlands initiated the action over MH17 last year at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The passenger jet was struck over rebel-held eastern Ukraine by what international investigators and prosecutors say was a Russian-made surface-to-air missile, killing all 298 people on board.

U.S. accuses China of trying to hide North Korea atrocities

The United States accused China on Friday of attempting to hide North Korea's atrocities from the world by blocking the webcast of an informal meeting of United Nations Security Council members on accusations of human rights abuses by Pyongyang. "Some council members are all too willing to shield the regime from accountability," U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the meeting in a veiled reference to China and Russia.

Malawians search for relatives buried under the mud as death toll jumps

In Malawi, where floods swept away entire villages this month after a storm tore through its southern districts, police officers and soldiers on Friday dug for victims buried under the mud and rocks as the death toll rose sharply. The storm has pounded the southern African country as tropical Cyclone Freddy swept through the region killing more than 500 people in Malawi, Mozambique and Madagascar since it first made landfall in Africa in late February and circled back for a second time over the weekend.

U.S. resumes drone flights over Black Sea after Russia intercept

The United States has resumed surveillance drone flights over the Black Sea region following a Russian fighter jet intercept on Tuesday that led to the downing of a U.S surveillance drone, two U.S. officials said on Friday. An RQ-4 Global Hawk flew a mission to the region on Friday, the officials said, with one adding that it was the first such drone flight since the Tuesday incident. Pentagon officials have repeatedly stressed this week the incident would not stop Washington from flying such missions.

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