Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs. 100,000 doses of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine arrive in Venezuela

The first 100,000 doses of Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine arrived in Venezuela on Saturday. In a tweet, President Nicolas Maduro said medical and health personnel would be the first to receive the vaccine, "given their exposure to COVID-19." UK's Johnson to host virtual G7 meeting to push for global vaccine roll-out

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will host a virtual meeting of G7 leaders next week to call for action to ensure equal global distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, and to prevent future pandemics, his office said on Saturday. The meeting of the leaders from the Group of Seven rich nations on Friday is the first since April last year, and will be Joe Biden's first major multilateral engagement as U.S. president, Downing Street said. Catalonia holds regional election, gauging separatists' strength

Catalan voters head to the polls on Sunday for an election that will test the strength of the Spanish region's pro-independence movement in an era now dominated by the coronavirus pandemic. Whether the election is won by the separatist parties now in power in the region or the Socialists who lead Spain's central government, it is unlikely to lead to any repeat of the chaotic, short-lived declaration of independence in late 2017. EU asks Hungary not to take opposition radio off air: letter

The European Union's executive asked Hungary to "take urgent action" to let an opposition radio station continue broadcasting after it lost an appeal against the removal of its licence, according to a letter seen by Reuters. The EU this week expressed concern over media freedom in Hungary over the case of Klubradio, which has been broadcasting for 19 years and whose political and talk show guests often criticise government policies. White House cites 'deep concerns' about WHO COVID report, demands early data from China

The White House on Saturday called on China to make available data from the earliest days of the COVID-19 outbreak, saying it has "deep concerns" about the way the findings of the World Health Organization's COVID-19 report were communicated. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement that it is imperative that the report be independent and free from "alteration by the Chinese government", echoing concerns raised by the administration of former President Donald Trump, who also moved to quit the WHO over the issue. Myanmar army suspends laws limiting forces, hunts protest backers

Myanmar's junta on Saturday suspended laws constraining security forces from detaining suspects or searching private property without court approval and ordered the arrest of well-known backers of mass protests against this month's coup. A series of announcements came on the eighth day of country-wide demonstrations against the Feb. 1 takeover and detention of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, which halted an unsteady transition to democracy that began in 2011. Russia's Lavrov holds climate talks with U.S. envoy Kerry amid sanctions concerns

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed climate change with U.S. climate envoy John Kerry on Saturday, with the pair agreeing to cooperate further within the Arctic Council, the Russian foreign ministry said. The phone conversation came as tension between Moscow and the West have intensified. Lavrov said on Friday that Russia would be ready to sever ties with the European Union if the bloc imposed painful economic sanctions. Dozens hurt by huge blaze close to Iran-Afghanistan border

At least 60 people were injured as hundreds of fuel vehicles exploded in a massive blaze that tore through a customs post in Afghanistan close to the Iranian border, disrupting power supplies and causing millions of dollars of damage. Iranian authorities sent fire engines and ambulances across the border, while scores of locals fought the blaze in the border town of Islam Qala before it was brought under control. Strong quake hits off Japan coast, injuring dozens and triggering blackouts

A strong earthquake hit off the coast of eastern Japan on Saturday, injuring dozens of people and triggering widespread power outages, but there appeared to be no major damage and no tsunami warning was issued. The earthquake had a 7.3 magnitude and its epicentre was off the coast of Fukushima prefecture at a depth of 60 km (36 miles), the Japan Meteorological Agency said. It shook buildings for some time after it hit, shortly after 11:00 p.m. (1400 GMT). Netanyahu not bothered that Biden hasn't phoned him yet, envoy says

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not troubled that U.S. President Joe Biden has not phoned him yet, Israel's ambassador to Washington said on Saturday, seeking to play down the lack of direct contact so far. There has been speculation that the Democratic president could be signalling displeasure over the close ties Netanyahu forged with former President Donald Trump, who called Netanyahu two days after his inauguration in 2017.

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