Global Tensions Rise: Key Updates on Libyan Crisis, Cyber Threats, and Political Maneuvers

The article offers a summary of current world news, including armed mobilization in Libya raising UN concerns, Islamist prisoners taking hostages in Russia, and the recovery of tech magnate Mike Lynch's daughter's body from a wrecked yacht. It also covers Iranian hackers attacking Trump's campaign, Kamala Harris's speech at the Democratic Convention, and rising tensions between Taiwan and China.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

The United Nations Libya mission said late on Thursday it was concerned about reports of forces mobilising in Tripoli and threats of force to resolve a crisis over control of the central bank. The mission's deputy head, Stephanie Koury, told the U.N. Security Council on Monday that the political and military situations in Libya had deteriorated rapidly over the previous two months, including a series of mobilisations by armed factions.

Knife-wielding prisoners identifying themselves as Islamic State militants staged a bloody attack on guards in a Russian penal colony on Friday and seized hostages, according to state media and news outlets with ties to the security services.

A video posted by one of the news channels, Mash, showed at least two attackers. One of them shouted that they were "mujahideen" of the militant group Islamic State and had seized control of the prison in the Volgograd region.

Italian divers have retrieved the body of British tech magnate Mike Lynch's 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, who was the last person still unaccounted for after the family's luxury yacht sank this week off Sicily. Seven people, including Lynch himself, died when the 56-metre-long (184-foot) sail boat, the Bayesian, capsized during a fierce, pre-dawn storm on Monday off Porticello, near Palermo. Fifteen people survived, including Lynch's wife and the yacht's captain.

The Iranian hacking team that compromised the campaign of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is known for placing surveillance software on the mobile phones of its victims, enabling them to record calls, steal texts and silently turn on cameras and microphones, according to researchers and experts who follow the group. Known as APT42 or CharmingKitten by the cybersecurity research community, the accused Iranian hackers are widely believed to be associated with an intelligence division inside Iran's military, known as the Intelligence Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps or IRGC-IO. Their appearance in the U.S. election is noteworthy, sources told Reuters, because of their invasive espionage approach against high-value targets in Washington and Israel.

Vice President Kamala Harris sealed the Democratic presidential nomination with a muscular speech, laying down broad foreign policy principles and sharp contrasts with Republican rival Donald Trump with 11 weeks left in the race for the White House. On the final night of the four-day Democratic National Convention, Harris, 59, promised to be a "realistic," "practical" president for all Americans, as she battles Trump, 78, in a razor-close campaign.

Singapore Airlines, British Airways and Lufthansa have increased their flights over Afghanistan after years of largely avoiding it now the Middle East conflict has made it seem a relatively safe option. The carriers mostly stopped transiting Afghanistan, which lies on major routes between Asia and Europe, three years ago when the Taliban took over and air traffic control services stopped.

The World Health Organization said on Friday its partners such as Gavi and Unicef can start buying mpox vaccines before they are approved by the U.N. health agency, in a bid to get inoculations to Africa faster as the continent battles an escalating outbreak of the virus. Traditionally, organisations like Gavi, which helps lower-income countries buy vaccines, can only start purchasing shots once they have approval from the WHO. But the rules have been relaxed in this instance to get talks moving, as the WHO's approval is due in a few weeks.

A U.N. committee urged Britain on Friday to pass measures to curb hate speech and xenophobic rhetoric which it said had played a direct role in fuelling summer riots. Racist unrest involving far-right groups erupted at anti-immigration protests across Britain in August after false information circulated online that the suspect in a deadly attack on young girls was an Islamist migrant.

Thousands of people rallied in several cities in Indonesia on Friday, pressuring its poll body to issue rules for regional elections amid outrage over an attempt by parliamentary allies of President Joko Widodo to change them in their favour. The protests followed a day of demonstrations in which 301 people were detained and tear gas and water cannon used to disperse angry crowds outside parliament, which on Thursday shelved its controversial plan to amend eligibility rules on candidates, citing absence of a quorum.

Taiwan wants to continue its free way of life and rejects being ruled by China's Communist Party, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said on Friday, visiting a frontline island between the two sides to mark a key battle with Chinese forces. China's military carried out another round of manoeuvres around Taiwan as Lai was making the comments, underscoring what Taiwan's government views as Beijing's ongoing efforts to undermine regional peace and stability.

(With inputs from agencies.)