Reuters World News Summary
Following is a summary of current world news briefs.
Russia drills attack helicopters, pledges help to secure Tajik-Afghan border
Russian military helicopters based in Tajikistan fired air-to-surface missiles during a training exercise on Tuesday as Moscow said its forces in the Central Asian nation were fully equipped to help secure the border with Afghanistan. Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon on Monday ordered the mobilization of 20,000 military reservists to bolster the border with Afghanistan after more than 1,000 Afghan security personnel fled across the frontier in response to Taliban militant advances.
Tigray rebel chief calls for political solution to conflict in Ethiopia
The commander of rebel forces in Tigray on Tuesday called for a negotiated ceasefire with the Ethiopian government and a political solution to the conflict in the northern region, saying the government could not win the war. Tsadkan Gebretensae, speaking a week after the withdrawal of government forces from the Tigrayan capital Mekelle, told Reuters: "After the defeat of Abiy's forces we are saying 'Let's have a negotiated ceasefire'."
For transgender Turks, discrimination said to loom larger
Cayan Hakiki trimmed their finger nails and scrubbed off the polish last week in order to take Turkish university entrance exams without being hassled, as advocacy groups say transgender people face increasingly open discrimination. "I didn't want any problems at the entrance," Hakiki, 23, who was born male but identifies as trans or queer, told Reuters at home in the capital Ankara.
Belarus jails Lukashenko foe Babariko for 14 years in 'sham' trial
A court in Belarus jailed former presidential contender Viktor Babariko for 14 years on Tuesday after convicting him on corruption charges he denied, sparking condemnation from the West and the embattled opposition-in-exile. Before his arrest last June, opinion polls suggested Babariko, 57, was veteran leader Alexander Lukashenko's main rival ahead of a presidential election which the opposition says was rigged last August to prolong Lukashenko's long rule.
Twitter loses immunity over user-generated content in India
Twitter Inc no more enjoys liability protection against user-generated content in India as the U.S. microblogging giant has failed to comply with new IT rules, the Indian government said in a court filing. The statement is the first time Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration has officially said Twitter has lost its immunity after repeatedly criticizing the company for non-compliance.
HK leader says 'ideologies' pose security risk, teenagers need to be monitored
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Tuesday "ideologies" posed risks to national security and urged parents, teachers and religious leaders to observe the behavior of teenagers and report those who break the law to the authorities. The financial hub has taken a swift authoritarian turn since China's imposition of a sweeping national security law last year and changes to its political system to reduce democratic participation and oust people deemed disloyal to Beijing.
Pope is walking and eating, tests good after surgery- Vatican
Pope Francis' progress following intestinal surgery is going normally, and he slept well and got up to walk, the Vatican said on Tuesday. The results of routine tests were good, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said.
South Africa's Zuma tries to block arrest as police hold back
South Africa's former president Jacob Zuma tried to block his arrest in court on Tuesday, as top police officials said they would hold back while Zuma's two-pronged legal challenge unfolds. The constitutional court last Tuesday sentenced Zuma to a 15-month jail term for contempt of court after he defied an order to give evidence at a corruption inquiry in February.
Rescue boat with hundreds of migrants on board asks EU to find it a port
A charity group asked the European Union on Tuesday to find a port where it can dock to disembark hundreds of migrants it has rescued in the central Mediterranean over recent days. Some 572 people, including 183 minors, are currently onboard the Ocean Viking vessel, the SOS Mediterranee organization said after it picked them up in six operations in Maltese and Libyan search and rescue areas.
No survivors from plane crash in Russia's far east, rescue officials say
There are no survivors after a plane carrying 28 people crashed in the far east of Russia on Tuesday, Russian news agencies cited rescue officials as saying. The Antonov An-26 twin-engined turboprop was en route from the regional capital Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky to Palana, a village in the north of the Kamchatka peninsula, when it lost contact with air traffic control, the emergencies ministry said.
