World News Roundup: Ukraine shoots down 30 drones over south, centre, officials say; Special Report-WhatsApp to war: How Cubans were recruited to fight for Russia and more

Infighting among Republicans who control the House of Representatives has pushed the United States to the brink of its fourth partial shutdown in a decade, as the chamber has been unable to pass legislation that would keep the government open beyond the Oct. 1 start of the fiscal year. Slovaks choose between pro-Russian ex-PM Fico and pro-Western liberals Slovaks were voting on Saturday in a parliamentary election closely fought between former leftist Prime Minister Robert Fico, who wants to end military aid for neighbouring Ukraine, and pro-Western liberals.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Maldives presidential run-off pits pro-India, pro-China figures

Voters lined up at hundreds of polling stations in the Maldives on Saturday in a run-off election for president of the Indian Ocean archipelago that pits the incumbent India-leaning leader against a strong pro-China contender. Opposition candidate Mohamed Muizzu led President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in the first round three weeks ago by 6 percentage points. A poll last week by the local Baani Center think tank showed the incumbent ahead with 30% and Muizzu at 24% but with 36% of voters undecided.

US Central Command captures Islamic State official in Syria raid - statement

U.S. Central Command forces conducted a helicopter raid in northern Syria on Sept. 28 capturing Mamduh Ibrahim al-Haji Shaykh, an Islamic State facilitator, Central Command said on Saturday. No civilians were injured or killed during the operation, a Central Command statement added.

Ukraine shoots down 30 drones over south, centre, officials say

Ukraine's air force shot down 30 out of 40 Iranian-made "Shahed" drones launched by Russia in an overnight attack on central and southern regions, regional and military officials said on Saturday. The South Military command said that 20 drones were shot down in the central Vinnytsia region and another 10 over the Odesa and Mykolaiv regions in the south.

Ukraine lures Western weapons makers to transform defence industry

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday he wants to turn Ukraine's defence industry into a "large military hub" by partnering with Western weapons manufacturers to increase arms supplies for Kyiv's counteroffensive against Russia. He was speaking at a forum his government convened with international producers to discuss how to jointly develop industrial capacity to build and repair weapons in Ukraine despite constant Russian bombardment.

Special Report-WhatsApp to war: How Cubans were recruited to fight for Russia

Cuban seamstress Yamidely Cervantes has bought a new sewing machine for the first time in years, plus a refrigerator and a cellphone - all on Russia's dime. She said her 49-year-old husband Enrique Gonzalez, a struggling bricklayer, left their home in the small town of La Federal on July 19 to fight for the Russian army in Ukraine. Days later, he wired her part of his signing-on bonus of about 200,000 roubles ($2,040) which she received in Cuban pesos, Cervantes told Reuters.

US Congress tees up votes in last-minute scramble to avert shutdown

Lawmakers return to the U.S. Congress on Saturday with no clear path to resolving a squabble that appears likely to close wide swaths of the federal government, from national parks to financial regulation, in less than 18 hours. Infighting among Republicans who control the House of Representatives has pushed the United States to the brink of its fourth partial shutdown in a decade, as the chamber has been unable to pass legislation that would keep the government open beyond the Oct. 1 start of the fiscal year.

Slovaks choose between pro-Russian ex-PM Fico and pro-Western liberals

Slovaks were voting on Saturday in a parliamentary election closely fought between former leftist Prime Minister Robert Fico, who wants to end military aid for neighbouring Ukraine, and pro-Western liberals. Final opinion polls showed the two parties neck and neck, with the winner expected to get the first chance to try to form a government to replace the caretaker administration running the country of 5.5 million since May.

Armenia seeks EU aid for refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh, Italy says

Armenia has asked the European Union for assistance to help it deal with refugees arriving from Nagorno-Karabakh since Azerbaijan took back control of the region last week, the office of Italy's prime minister said on Saturday. Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan but is populated mainly by Armenian Christians who set up the self-styled Republic of Artsakh three decades ago after a bloody ethnic conflict as the Soviet Union collapsed.

UN mission to visit Karabakh after military offensive

Azerbaijan has invited a United Nations mission to visit Nagorno-Karabakh "in the coming days", the foreign ministry said on Friday, amid a mass exodus of ethnic Armenians from the region following a lightning Azerbaijani military offensive. U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric confirmed that a U.N. mission, led by a senior U.N. aid official, would travel to Nagorno-Karabakh this weekend - the world body's first access to the region in about 30 years.

Pope Francis cements legacy, stamps Church future with new cardinals

Pope Francis on Saturday further cemented his legacy, elevating 21 prelates to the high rank of cardinal and significantly raising the percentage of electors chosen by him who will have the right to vote for his successor. At a ceremony in St. Peter's Square known as a consistory, Francis "created" 21 new cardinals, the red-hatted "princes of the Church" who are his closest advisers at the Vatican and around the world.

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