Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

EU warns Poland it will pay for challenging common law

The European Commission’s chief executive warned Poland on Tuesday that its challenge to the supremacy of European Union law called into question the very foundations of the 27-nation bloc and could not go unpunished. Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal ruled last week that parts of EU law are incompatible with the Polish constitution, undermining the legal pillar on which the union stands and raising fears that Poland could eventually leave the bloc.

Poison survivors leave Spain’s Prado, ending protest

Survivors of a mass food poisoning four decades ago occupied Madrid’s El Prado art gallery for a few hours on Tuesday, threatening to commit suicide if their demands for aid and attention were unmet. A photo showed six people – one in a wheelchair – holding a banner in front of “Las Meninas”, a painting by Spanish painter Diego Velazquez. Others gathered outside.

Alibaba’s Ma in Europe on study tour – SCMP

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd founder Jack Ma is in Europe on a study tour, South China Morning Post reported on Tuesday, making it the Chinese billionaire’s first trip abroad in over a year. Ma, who has largely been out of public view since a speech last year in which he publicly criticized China’s regulatory system, is in Spain for a study tour on agriculture and technology related to environmental issues, the report said, citing a source familiar with Ma’s schedule.

Taliban say hopeful about new U.S. special envoy after Khalilzad leaves

The new Taliban government said on Tuesday it hoped to build on the “good progress” made in talks with the former U.S. Special Envoy for Afghanistan Zalmai Khalilzad and was optimistic about moving forward with his successor Tom West. Khalilzad’s departure as the top U.S. envoy for Afghanistan was announced on Monday, less than two months after the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban takeover of the country.

North Korea test-fires submarine-launched ballistic missile, South Korea says

North Korea fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) off its east coast on Tuesday, South Korea’s military said, pulling Japan’s new prime minister off the campaign trail and overshadowing the opening of a major arms fair in Seoul. The U.S. military’s Indo-Pacific Command condemned the launch as destabilising, but judged it did not pose an immediate threat to the United States or its allies.

Haiti gang seeks $17 million for release of kidnapped missionaries – WSJ

A Haitian gang that kidnapped a group of American and Canadian missionaries is asking for $17 million to release them, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing a Haitian official. Justice Minister Liszt Quitel said the FBI and Haitian police are in contact with the kidnappers and seeking the release of the missionaries abducted over the weekend outside the capital Port-au-Prince by a gang called 400 Mawozo, the Journal reported.

Facebook shuts fake accounts in Sudan, as fight for public opinion rages online

Facebook says it has shut down two large networks targeting users in Sudan in recent months, as civilian and military leaders spar with one another over the future of an interim power-sharing arrangement. The battle for public opinion, much of it happening online, is intensifying as Sudan reels from economic crisis and a shaky transition to democracy following 30 years under President Omar al-Bashir, who was ousted in a popular uprising in 2019.

Exclusive-Myanmar junta minister blames economic woes partly on foreign-backed ‘sabotage’

Myanmar’s military-appointed authorities are doing their best to revive an economy in turmoil since a February coup and stabilise the kyat currency, a minister told Reuters on Tuesday, blaming the crisis partly on foreign backers of its opponents. The currency lost more than 60% of its value in September after the Southeast Asian nation was roiled by months of protests, strikes and economic paralysis following the coup.

China, Russia navy ships jointly sail through Japan strait

A group of 10 naval vessels from China and Russia sailed through a strait separating Japan’s main island and its northern island of Hokkaido on Monday, the Japanese government said, adding that it is closely watching such activities. It was the first time Japan has confirmed the passage of Chinese and Russian naval vessels sailing together through the Tsugaru Strait, which separates the Sea of Japan from the Pacific.

S.Korea opens largest defence expo amid N.Korea missile tests

South Korea opened its largest defence expo ever on Tuesday, showing off its next-generation fighter jet, drones, and other technology in an effort to boost exports as economies around the world rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic. Opening ceremonies for the International Aerospace and Defence Exhibition (ADEX) at an air base in Seoul were however somewhat overshadowed by the launch https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/nkorea-fires-unidentified-projectile-off-east-coast-skorea-military-2021-10-19 of what South Korea said was a North Korean submarine-fired ballistic missile (SLBM).

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