Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Austrian far right demands conservatives be 'honest' in coalition talks

Austrian far-right Freedom Party (FPO) leader Herbert Kickl called on the conservative People's Party (OVP) to be "honest" in their imminent coalition talks or face the prospect of a snap election, with his support still rising and the OVP's falling. The eurosceptic, Russia-friendly FPO, an ally of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's Fidesz party, won the last parliamentary election in September with around 29% of the vote but was initially sidelined as centrist parties attempted to form a coalition without it.

Hamas stands by demand for end to Gaza war under hostage deal, as Trump deadline nears

Hamas stood by its demand on Tuesday that Israel fully end its assault on Gaza under any deal to release hostages, and said U.S. President-elect Donald Trump was rash to say there would be "hell to pay" unless they go free by his Jan. 20 inauguration. Officials from the Islamist group and Israel have been holding talks with Qatari and Egyptian mediators in the most intensive effort for months to reach a ceasefire in Gaza.

Germany pushing for EU to relax sanctions on Syria, sources say

Germany is leading European Union discussions on easing sanctions imposed on the Syrian government of toppled President Bashar al-Assad and aiding the country's population, foreign ministry sources said on Tuesday. "We are actively discussing ways to provide sanctions relief to the Syrian people in certain sectors," one of the sources said. This requires an unanimous EU decision.

Trump Middle East envoy predicts 'good things' to announce on Gaza hostages before inauguration

President-elect Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said on Tuesday he hopes to have good things to report about hostages held by Hamas in Gaza by the time Trump is sworn in as U.S. president on Jan. 20. "Well, I think we're making a lot of progress, and I don't want to say too much because I think they're doing a really good job back in Doha," Witkoff said at a Trump press conference in Palm Beach, Florida.

Venezuela's Maduro says two U.S. citizens arrested among group of 'mercenaries'

Two U.S. citizens have been arrested in Venezuela, part of group of what President Nicolas Maduro described on Tuesday as seven "mercenaries," the embattled leader said in remarks broadcast by state television. Maduro, who said the detained U.S. citizens were "very high level," did not provide further details or evidence of the arrests.

Trump Jr. visits Greenland after his father says he wants to take it over

Donald Trump's eldest son Donald Jr. arrived in Greenland's capital Nuuk on a private visit on Tuesday, a day after the U.S. president-elect reiterated his interest in taking control of the island, an autonomous territory of Denmark. The president-elect, who takes office on Jan. 20, has signalled he would pursue a foreign policy unbound by diplomatic niceties, threatening to take control of the Panama Canal.

Greenland, gas heaters and the Gulf: Takeaways from Trump's press conference

President-elect Donald Trump made news with a series of assertions and pronouncements during a press conference on Tuesday, less than two weeks before he returns to the White House. Here are five takeaways from his wide-ranging remarks at his Florida resort:

Earthquake in Tibet kills more than 120, striking near holy Buddhist city

A strong earthquake struck the foothills of the Himalayas near one of Tibet's holiest cities on Tuesday, killing at least 126 people and flattening hundreds of houses, Chinese authorities said. The magnitude 6.8 quake's epicentre was about 80 km (50 miles) north of Mount Everest, the world's highest mountain. Tremors also shook buildings in neighbouring Nepal, Bhutan and India.

Finland recovers anchor in Baltic Sea cables investigation

Finnish police said on Tuesday they had recovered a lost anchor from the seabed as part of an investigation of suspected sabotage against power and internet cables in the Baltic Sea. Finland last month seized the Eagle S tanker carrying Russian oil on suspicion the vessel had damaged the Finnish-Estonian Estlink 2 power line and four telecom cables by dragging its anchor across the seabed.

Jean-Marie Le Pen, founder of France's post-war far right, dies aged 96

Jean-Marie Le Pen, the founder of France's far-right National Front party who tapped into blue-collar anger over immigration and globalisation and revelled in minimising the Holocaust, died on Tuesday aged 96. His death was confirmed by his daughter Marine Le Pen's political party, National Rally (Rassemblement National).

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