Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs. Brazil prosecutors file appeal against BHP, Vale dam compensation deal

Brazilian federal prosecutors on Thursday filed a lawsuit contesting a compensation package for victims from a 2015 collapsed dam jointly owned by mining giants BHP and Vale, arguing that the package is far too low. The move comes after prosecutors earlier this month accused the two companies of colluding with a lawyer to reduce compensation for the victims and interfere with a landmark lawsuit against BHP in the UK. Coronavirus forces Mexicans to celebrate Day of the Dead early

Mexicans this year paid their respects early to departed loved-ones in the capital city, where the coronavirus pandemic will cast a pall over cemeteries usually resplendent with color and light during the Nov. 1-2 Day of the Dead celebrations. The festive tradition typically draws thousands of people to burial grounds and public plazas across Mexico, many dressed as skeletons, to picnic at gravesides and decorate altars with sugar skulls and photos of dead friends and relatives. UK Labour suspends ex-leader Corbyn on anti-Semitism 'day of shame'

Britain's Labour opposition suspended its former leader Jeremy Corbyn on Thursday after he downplayed a report that detailed serious failings in the party's handling of persistent anti-Semitism complaints during his 2015-2019 leadership. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said it had found evidence of failure to adequately train people investigating alleged anti-Semitism, political interference in the processing of complaints, and harassment of individuals. Venezuela charges detained opposition activist with 'terrorist financing'

Venezuelan chief prosecutor Tarek Saab on Thursday announced charges against Roland Carreno, the coordinator of opposition political party Popular Will, for alleged "terrorist financing" and conspiracy to destabilize the country. Carreno had been arrested earlier this week in what opposition leader Juan Guaido, a Popular Will member, called a "forced disappearance." Venezuelan authorities did not disclose Carreno's arrest for nearly 24 hours after the party first denounced that he was apprehended by unidentified individuals. EU says escalating Nagorno-Karabakh conflict 'unacceptable'

The European Union said an escalation in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was "unacceptable" and called for new peace talks as Armenia and Azerbaijan once more traded accusations of shelling in and around the mountain enclave on Thursday. The office of Nagorno-Karabakh's human rights ombudsman said more than a dozen shells had fallen on Stepanakert, the enclave's largest city, a day after a maternity hospital there was struck. Two civilians were wounded. Chinese, U.S. military chiefs hold crisis communication, says China defence ministry

Chinese and U.S. military chiefs held talks on crisis communication this week, amid heightened tensions between the two military superpowers this year in the South China Sea, with the United States denying a report on a possible drone attack. The exchange, days ahead of the U.S. elections, came as U.S. Defence Secretary Mark Esper toured Asia with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo where they had urged countries to cooperate with the United States to confront the security threats posed by China, a position China has criticised as a Cold War mentality and zero-sum mindset. 'Take Biden and Trump down!' In Moscow, neither U.S. candidate appeals

Vladimir Zhirinovsky, a staunch ally of President Vladimir Putin, threw a champagne party in Russia's parliament in 2016 to toast Donald Trump's presidential election victory. But this weekend, the veteran lawmaker says his youth activists will be outside the U.S. embassy in Moscow chanting "Take Biden and Trump Down!" ahead of Tuesday's election. Tunisian man beheads woman, kills two more people in Nice church

A knife-wielding Tunisian man shouting "Allahu Akbar" (God is Greatest) beheaded a woman and killed two other people in a church in the French city of Nice on Thursday before being shot and taken away by police. President Emmanuel Macron said France would deploy thousands more soldiers to protect important sites such as places of worship and schools, as the country's security alert was raised to its highest level. Africa must prepare for second COVID wave, disease control group says

COVID-19 cases are accelerating in some parts of Africa and governments should step up preparations for a second wave, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday. Over the past four week, cases have increased by 45% per week on average in Kenya, by 19% in Democratic Republic of Congo and by 8% in Egypt, the African Union-run organisation's head John Nkengasong said. U.S. to allow Jerusalem-born Americans to list Israel as birthplace, Pompeo says

Americans born in Jerusalem will now be able to list Israel as their birthplace on their passports, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on Thursday, in a nod to Washington's recognition of the contested city as Israel's capital. It was the latest in a string of pro-Israel policy shifts by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration ahead of his re-election bid next week.