Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs. Biden plans to 'recalibrate' Saudi relations in shot at MbS - White House

President Joe Biden plans to shift U.S. relations with Saudi Arabia and will conduct diplomacy through Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz rather than his powerful son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the White House said on Tuesday. The announcement by White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki was an abrupt reversal in U.S. policy from Biden's Republican predecessor, President Donald Trump, whose son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner maintained steady contact with the crown prince. After 'brain death' and Trump, NATO chief proposes reforms for Atlantic alliance

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg will present reform plans on Wednesday to modernise the alliance after four years of friction with Washington and to face challenges including China's military rise and Russia as an adversary. After confrontational rhetoric between Washington and its allies during the Donald Trump presidency, Stoltenberg will set out eight areas where NATO could modernise over the medium term, from climate change to more sustainable funding of military operations, two senior officials told Reuters. U.S. forces in Iraq hit by rockets, contractor killed

A rocket attack on U.S.-led forces in northern Iraq killed a civilian contractor on Monday and injured a U.S. service member, the U.S. coalition in Iraq said, in the deadliest such attack in almost a year. The rockets landed in and around a military air base operated by the coalition at Erbil International Airport. Myanmar military promises new election; Suu Kyi faces additional charge

Myanmar's military junta promised on Tuesday that there would be an election and it would hand over power as police filed an additional charge against toppled former leader Aung San Suu Kyi. It also defended its Feb. 1 seizure of power, denying it was a coup even as protesters took to the streets again in support of Suu Kyi and other arrested leaders and China dismissed social media rumours that it had helped with the military's action. Australia's Victoria reports no coronavirus cases, set to ease curbs

Australia's Victoria state reported no local coronavirus cases on Wednesday, when a snap five-day lockdown is due to end, putting it on track to ease restrictions that were put in place to contain an outbreak in Melbourne. Australia's second-most populous state has been reporting low single-digit cases during much of the lockdown, which began on Friday, suggesting an outbreak linked to a quarantine hotel in Melbourne has been brought under control. Kidnap capital Mexico eyes biometric phone registry, sparking privacy fears

A plan by Mexican lawmakers to put millions of cell phone users' data in a biometric registry, billed as a tool to fight kidnapping and extortion, has sparked a backlash from telecoms companies and rights groups who warn it could lead to stolen data and higher costs. Already approved in the lower house of Congress, the reform is in line with President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's vow to counter crime using intelligence methods rather than force, but critics say it reveals the pitfalls of governments seeking to gather more citizen data for law enforcement purposes. U.S.'s Blinken: 'The path to diplomacy is open right now' with Iran

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday "the path to diplomacy is open right now" with Iran over its 2015 nuclear deal but would not address whether the Biden administration has had any direct engagement with Iranian officials. "The path to diplomacy is open right now. Iran is still a ways away from being in compliance (with the deal). So we'll have to see what it does," Blinken told National Public Radio according to a transcript provided by the broadcaster. UK could give two doses of COVID vaccine to all adults by September, task force says

The United Kingdom could give two doses of COVID-19 vaccine to all adults by August or September, helped by its portfolio approach of buying from several different producers, the interim head of the country's vaccine taskforce told Sky News on Tuesday. Britain has vaccinated 15.6 million people with a first dose and 546,165 with a second dose, the fastest roll-out per capita of any large country so far. Iran tells IAEA it plans to scale back cooperation in a week

Iran has told the U.N. nuclear watchdog it will dramatically scale back cooperation with it in a week, a report by the agency to its member states showed on Tuesday, ratcheting up protests against U.S. sanctions still choking its economy. Iran has accelerated its breaches of its 2015 nuclear deal with major powers in recent months, partly as demanded by a law passed in response to the killing in November of its top nuclear scientist, which Tehran has blamed on its foe Israel. Twitter star to vaccine tsar: Japan's Taro Kono's moment in the spotlight

Japan's recently appointed vaccine tsar, Taro Kono, is having a breakout moment. Twitter-savvy and educated at Georgetown University in Washington, Kono has seen his popularity surge even as the government of his boss, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, has been battered by criticism over its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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