Reuters World News Summary

It has also fired ballistic missiles and a cruise missile with potential nuclear capabilities in recent weeks. Bulgaria centre-right party endorses university rector for president Bulgaria's centre-right GERB party on Friday endorsed a university rector to run for president in a contest to be held in tandem with a parliamentary election aimed at building a working government and ending months of political uncertainty.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

U.N. chief tells Ethiopia's Abiy he does not accept staff expulsions

The United Nations does not accept Ethiopia's decision to expel seven senior U.N. officials as famine looms in the war-torn region of Tigray, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Friday. Ethiopia declared the officials personae non grata on Thursday and gave them 72 hours to leave, but U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq said that doctrine cannot be applied to staff of the world body. Haq said the officials remained in the country.

Canada's Spavor says he is 'overjoyed' to reunite with family after China release

Canadian citizen Michael Spavor expressed joy on Friday at being reunited with his family after being released from jail in China last week. "I'm overjoyed to be finally reunited with my family. It's humbling as I begin to understand the continued support that we've received from Canadians and those around the world, thank you," Spavor said in a first statement since his release.

Returning home, Georgian ex-leader arrested after call for election protest

Georgian police on Friday arrested ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili in Georgia after the opposition politician returned to the country despite facing imprisonment and called for post-election street protests this weekend. Saakashvili, who had been living in Ukraine and was sentenced in absentia in Georgia in 2018, announced this week he would fly home for Saturday's local elections in order to help "save the country".

French average of new COVID-19 cases drops below 5,000 for first time since mid-July

The French seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases dropped below 5,000 again for the first time since July 13, health ministry data released on Friday showed. The ministry reported 4,935 news cases on Friday, taking the total to 7.02 million and the seven-day moving average, which smoothes out daily reporting irregularities, fell by 135 to 4,967.

Ecuador to pardon thousands after 118 die in worst-ever prison riot

Ecuador is planning to pardon up to 2,000 inmates in order to relieve overcrowding at its detention centers after 118 inmates died and a further 79 were injured in the country's worst-ever prison riot earlier this week, an official said on Friday. Bolivar Garzon, the director of the South American country's SNAI prison authority, said the government aimed to prioritize the elderly, women, and prisoners with disabilities and terminal illnesses in the wake of the clashes on Tuesday at the Penitenciaria del Litoral in the southern city of Guayaquil.

Afghan girls stuck at home, waiting for Taliban plan to re-open schools

As the weeks pass in Afghanistan, the new Taliban administration has yet to announce when it will re-open secondary schools for girls, leaving them stuck at home while their brothers return to class. Two weeks since boys in classes above the sixth grade were told to go back to school, the government says it is working on making it possible for girls to do the same.

German 'kingmakers' meet on coalition, courted by would-be kings

Germany's Greens and Free Democrats met on Friday for a second round of talks to explore possible common ground on which to form a new coalition government with either the Social Democrats or the conservatives, both of whom are courting them. The Greens and Free Democrats, from opposite ends of the political spectrum and at odds https://reut.rs/3uiuoJG on a range of issues, have moved centre stage after the Social Democrats (SPD) won Sunday's election by a narrow margin that leaves them seeking partners.

Exclusive-Some Afghan evacuees leaving military bases in U.S. before resettlement

Something unexpected is happening at U.S. military bases hosting Afghan evacuees: Many hundreds of them are simply leaving before receiving U.S. resettlement services, two sources familiar with the data told Reuters. The number of "independent departures," which top 700 and could be higher, has not been previously reported. But the phenomenon is raising alarms among immigration advocates concerned about the risks to Afghans who give up on what is now an open-ended, complex and completely voluntary resettlement process.

N.Korea says it fired 'remarkable' new anti-aircraft missile in test

North Korea fired a newly developed anti-aircraft missile on Thursday, state media KCNA reported, the latest in a recent series of weapons tests that has come as denuclearisation talks with the United States have deadlocked. It was North Korea's second known weapons test this week after the launch of a previously unseen hypersonic missile on Tuesday. It has also fired ballistic missiles and a cruise missile with potential nuclear capabilities in recent weeks.

Bulgaria centre-right party endorses university rector for president

Bulgaria's centre-right GERB party on Friday endorsed a university rector to run for president in a contest to be held in tandem with a parliamentary election aimed at building a working government and ending months of political uncertainty. GERB said it backed Sofia University Rector Atanas Gerdzhikov, 58, a professor in Ancient and Medieval Literature who has run Bulgaria's most renowned university since 2015, to challenge incumbent Rumen Radev, 58, for the presidency, a largely ceremonial position.

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