World News Roundup: Biden's democracy summit: Problematic invite list casts shadow on impact; At rally to back military's campaign, Ethiopians denounce the U.S and more

Local "resistance committees" and the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), which led demonstrations in the uprising that toppled then-president Omar al-Bashir in April 2019, are organising a campaign of protests to try to reverse the military takeover. Iran's military holds annual drills near mouth of Gulf Iran's military launched an annual exercise near the mouth of the Gulf on Sunday, Iranian state television reported, a few weeks before resumption of talks between Tehran and world powers to revive a 2015 nuclear deal.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Biden's democracy summit: Problematic invite list casts shadow on impact

President Joe Biden is getting ready to deliver on a key campaign promise by convening a Summit for Democracy: a first-of-its kind gathering of more than 100 countries to help stop democratic backsliding and erosion of rights and freedoms worldwide. But rights advocates are questioning whether the virtual event can push those world leaders who are invited, some accused of harboring authoritarian tendencies, to take meaningful action.

At rally to back military's campaign, Ethiopians denounce the U.S

Tens of thousands of Ethiopians rallied in Addis Ababa on Sunday in support of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government as federal troops fight rebellious forces who are threatening to march on the city. Some demonstrators denounced the United States, which is among the foreign powers that have called for a ceasefire as a year-long war that has killed thousands of people intensified amid rebel advances last weekend.

Sydney to further ease COVID-19 curbs on Monday as vaccinations pick up

Australia's largest city of Sydney will further ease social distancing curbs on Monday, a month after emerging from a coronavirus lockdown that lasted nearly 100 days, as close to 90% of people have got both doses of vaccine, officials said. Although limited to people who are fully inoculated, the relaxation in the state of New South Wales, home to Sydney, lifts limits on house guests or outdoor gatherings, among other measures.

Nicaragua's Ortega seeks re-election with opposition candidates in jail

Nicaraguans vote on Sunday in a presidential election marked by longtime President Daniel Ortega's ruthless campaign to extend his tight grip on power by jailing critics in a contest the United States has dismissed as a sham. Ortega, a onetime guerrilla who helped depose a right-wing family dictatorship in 1979, is almost certain to get a fourth straight term, with his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, to prolong his status as the Americas' longest-serving leader.

Abu Dhabi to allow non-Muslim civil marriage under family law shakeup

Non-Muslims will be allowed to marry, divorce and get joint child custody under civil law in Abu Dhabi according to a new decree issued on Sunday by its ruler, state news agency WAM said. It is the latest step in the United Arab Emirates -- where personal status laws on marriage and divorce had been based on Islamic sharia principles, as in other Gulf states -- to maintain its competitive edge as a regional commercial hub.

Nicaraguan exiles sink roots in Costa Rica as Ortega set for re-election

Nicaraguans forced to flee across the country's southern border into Costa Rica expressed a mix of anger, pain and resignation ahead of Sunday's election, where President Daniel Ortega is expected to extend his long rule after cracking down on rivals. Francisca Ramirez and over 40 of her relatives belong to a diaspora of tens of thousands of exiles in Costa Rica and beyond that could grow if Ortega tightens his grip.

Ninety-nine killed in fuel tanker blast in Sierra Leone capital

At least 99 people were killed and more than 100 injured in the capital of Sierra Leone late on Friday when a fuel tanker exploded following a collision, local authorities said. Emergency crews worked to clear the scene on Saturday in Freetown's eastern suburb of Wellington where a burnt body and the blackened shells of cars and motorbikes blocked the road following the crash, a Reuters reporter said.

Iraqi PM chairs security meeting after drone attack on residence

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi escaped unharmed in an assassination attempt by armed drone in Baghdad, officials said on Sunday, in an incident that dramatically raises tension in the country weeks after a general election disputed by Iran-backed militia groups. Kadhimi appeared in a video footage published by his office on Sunday chairing a meeting with top security commanders to discuss the drone attack.

Sudan internet cuts complicate civil disobedience campaign against coup

Sudanese pro-democracy groups launched two days of civil disobedience and strikes on Sunday in protest at last month's military coup, though participation appeared to be limited by continuing interruptions to internet and phone connections. Local "resistance committees" and the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), which led demonstrations in the uprising that toppled then-president Omar al-Bashir in April 2019, are organising a campaign of protests to try to reverse the military takeover.

Iran's military holds annual drills near mouth of Gulf

Iran's military launched an annual exercise near the mouth of the Gulf on Sunday, Iranian state television reported, a few weeks before resumption of talks between Tehran and world powers to revive a 2015 nuclear deal. "The military exercise in Iran's coast on the Gulf of Oman is to display the country's military might and readiness to confront our enemies," Admiral Mahmoud Mousavi, the spokesman for the Zolfaqar-1400 drill, told state television.

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