Reuters World News Summary

The Maduro ally is Colombian businessman Alex Saab, who was granted clemency by U.S. President Joe Biden and returned to Venezuela on Wednesday. Burkina Faso detains four French civil servants, says diplomatic source Four French IT workers with diplomatic passports and visas have been arrested in Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou, a French diplomatic source said on Wednesday, denying a media report that they were intelligence agents.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Analysis-Colorado ballot case adds fuel to Trump's nomination drive

The latest legal challenge to Donald Trump's campaign for a second term as president seems likely to hand the 2024 Republican frontrunner even more firepower in his quest to win his party's nomination. The Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that the former president was barred from its state ballot for engaging in "insurrection" due to a rarely used constitutional provision, an unprecedented decision that the conservative-led U.S. Supreme Court could overturn.

Analysis-Riyadh reluctant to derail Iran detente over U.S. Red Sea taskforce

Saudi Arabia's name was conspicuously - perhaps surprisingly - absent from a list of countries the United States announced as part of its new naval coalition protecting Red Sea shipping from Yemen's Houthi group. Although it has a U.S.-equipped military, has been waging war on the Houthis for nearly nine years and relies on Red Sea ports for 36% of imports, Saudi Arabia along with Gulf ally the United Arab Emirates has proclaimed no interest in the venture.

US clemency for Saab is a boon for Maduro, critics say

Venezuela's release of 30 U.S. and domestic prisoners in exchange for freedom for a key ally of President Nicolas Maduro represents an opportunity for Maduro to bolster his political strength ahead of elections next year, analysts said. Businessman Alex Saab was granted clemency by U.S. President Joe Biden and sent back to Venezuela on Wednesday in exchange for the releases.

Venezuela frees dozens, including Americans, in prisoner swap

Venezuela's government is freeing at least 20 opposition-linked prisoners and 10 Americans in exchange for the U.S. release of an ally of President Nicolas Maduro, two U.S. officials and Venezuelan sources said on Wednesday. The Maduro ally is Colombian businessman Alex Saab, who was granted clemency by U.S. President Joe Biden and returned to Venezuela on Wednesday.

Burkina Faso detains four French civil servants, says diplomatic source

Four French IT workers with diplomatic passports and visas have been arrested in Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou, a French diplomatic source said on Wednesday, denying a media report that they were intelligence agents. Worsening relations between the junta in Burkina Faso and former coloniser France have recently led to expulsion orders for diplomatic officials, including the French ambassador, and to the suspension of some French media.

Macron defends new French migration law despite political tensions

French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday defended a bill to toughen immigration laws despite an embarrassing parliamentary vote that put his ruling alliance on the same side as Marine Le Pen's Rassemblement national party. The legislation, approved by both houses late on Tuesday, was initially good news for the centrist president, who made the migration bill a key plank of his second mandate and might otherwise have had to shelve it.

North Korea's Kim warns of 'nuclear attack' if provoked with nukes -KCNA

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said Pyongyang would not hesitate to launch a nuclear attack if an enemy provokes it with nuclear weapons, state media reported on Thursday. Kim made the remark as he met with soldiers under the military's missile bureau over its recent launching drill of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), KCNA news agency said.

House Speaker Johnson among US politicians with ancestral ties to slavery

It was one of the first moments in the Washington spotlight for junior congressman Mike Johnson. In 2019, the Republican from Louisiana was the ranking member of a U.S. House subcommittee discussing the controversial subject of slavery reparations. Johnson told the panel he opposed taking money "from current taxpayers for the sins of a small subset of Americans from many generations ago." To highlight the point, he shared a personal story.

Hamas leader visits Egypt amid intensive talks on new ceasefire

The leader of Hamas visited Egypt for this first time in more than a month on Wednesday, a rare personal intervention in diplomacy amid what a source described as intensive talks on a new ceasefire to let aid reach Gaza and free more hostages. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who normally resides in Qatar, typically wades publicly into diplomacy only when progress seems likely. He last travelled to Egypt in early November before the announcement of the only ceasefire in the Gaza war so far, a week-long pause that saw the release of about 110 of 240 hostages taken by Hamas in its Oct. 7 rampage into Israel.

Congo extends chaotic election as opposition calls for rerun

Democratic Republic of Congo has extended elections into Thursday for those whose polling stations did not open on Wednesday, prompting a group of opposition presidential candidates to call for a rerun of the chaotic vote. At stake is not just the legitimacy of the next administration. Congolese election disputes often spark unrest with potentially far-reaching consequences. Congo is the world's third-largest copper producer, and the top producer of cobalt, a battery component needed for the green transition.

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