Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs. Biden renews deportation relief for Syrians in the United States

The administration of President Joe Biden on Friday extended deportation relief for several thousand Syrian immigrants living in the United States, an early move that aligns with his broader pro-immigrant platform. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced that acting Secretary David Pekoske would extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 6,700 eligible Syrians through September 2022 and allow an additional 1,800 people to file initial applications. U.S. to speed processing of vulnerable migrants trapped in Mexico

U.S. President Joe Biden's administration is considering how best to accelerate and prioritize the processing of migrants trapped in Mexico under restrictions imposed by former President Donald Trump, a senior aide said on Friday. "We're reviewing now how we can process the migrants who are already in this program....how to prioritize the people who were enrolled not only months but years ago, and above all, people who are the most vulnerable," said the aide, Roberta Jacobson, on a call with reporters. New U.S. envoy spoke with Europeans on Iran nuclear deal: sources

The new U.S. Iran envoy spoke with British, French and German officials on Thursday as the United States explores how to revive the 2015 nuclear deal former U.S. President Donald Trump abandoned, two sources familiar with the matter said on Friday. "It was to take stock of the dossier and to assess what our state of mind is," a European diplomatic source said of U.S. special envoy Rob Malley's conversation with the British, French and German foreign ministry political directors. 'I am afraid to live here.' Thousands march in Poland against abortion curbs

Several thousand people marched through cities across Poland on Friday in a third day of protests against a near-total ban on abortion since it was put into effect by the conservative government earlier this week. Defying coronavirus restrictions, hundreds gathered in central Warsaw, chanting "freedom, equality, abortion on demand". Some carried placards that said "I am afraid to live here" and "Banning abortion discriminates against the poor". Italy opposition right calls for elections to solve political crisis

Italy's rightist opposition parties called for early elections on Friday as the way to solve the country's political crisis, following the resignation of Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte. "We confirmed to the president our request that he consider the option of dissolving parliament and calling elections," League leader Matteo Salvini told reporters after formal consultations with the head of state Sergio Mattarella. UK offers Hong Kong residents route to citizenship, angering China

Hong Kong residents can apply from Sunday for a new visa giving them the chance to become British citizens following China's crackdown in the former colony, but Beijing said it will no longer recognise the special British passport already in use. UK government forecasts say the new visa could attract more than 300,000 people and their dependents to Britain. Beijing said it would make them second-class citizens.

France can still avoid third coronavirus lockdown, Prime Minister says France decided against imposing a third coronavirus nationwide lockdown on Friday and instead ordered tighter controls at its borders, increased police action against curfew breakers and a greater adherence to working from home. Prime Minister Jean Castex said the public health crisis remained of great concern as France's death toll jumped above 75,000, the seventh-highest in the world.

Russia moves to isolate Navalny allies, shut part of central Moscow ahead of protests A Russian court ordered on Friday that the brother and several allies of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny be put under house arrest while Moscow police said they would close metro stations and streets near the Kremlin ahead of planned protests. The court rulings are part of a crackdown targeting Navalny's allies after tens of thousands of people joined unsanctioned protests across Russia last Saturday to demand that the Kremlin release Navalny from jail.

Iran says it will not reverse nuclear steps before U.S. sanctions are lifted Tehran will not accept U.S. demands that it reverse an acceleration of its nuclear programme before Washington lifts sanctions, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Friday.

The demand "is not practical and will not happen”, he said at a joint news conference in Istanbul with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu. After outcry, EU reverses plan to restrict vaccine exports through Irish border

The European Union on Friday abruptly reversed course on a plan to use emergency Brexit measures to restrict exports of COVID-19 vaccines through the Irish border to the United Kingdom after it sent shockwaves through Northern Ireland, London and Dublin. In a steep escalation of the EU's fight to secure vaccine supplies, Brussels had said it would trigger clauses in the Northern Irish Protocol to prevent shots moving across the open border between EU-member Ireland and the British-run province.

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