Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

In Kabul clinic, Taliban and the soldiers they fought confront wounds of war

Former Taliban fighter Mohammad Ishaq, who spent years battling Western troops and local forces in Afghanistan, lost his leg in combat and is now learning to walk with a new limb. Standing near him at a Kabul clinic is one of the soldiers he defeated. In the Red Cross Hospital in Kabul, Ishaq spoke simply of the eight years he spent in Helmand, the southern province where some of the fiercest fighting of the war took place and where thousands of civilians and combatants were killed and maimed.

Russia put Navalny’s ally Sobol on wanted list -reports

Russian police have declared Lyubov Sobol, a prominent ally of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, as wanted, according to various media reports on Wednesday, which cited the police’s wanted list. Russia’s RT and REN TV channels, citing sources, said in early August, that Sobol had left Russia days after she was sentenced to parole-like restrictions amid a crackdown on the opposition.

Rwandan prosecutors to appeal verdict for ‘Hotel Rwanda’ hero

Rwandan prosecutors said on Wednesday they would appeal against a 25-year jail sentence handed to Paul Rusesabagina, a one-time hotel manager portrayed as a hero in a Hollywood film about the 1994 genocide. The prosecutors had sought a life sentence for Rusesabagina, 67, a vocal critic of President Paul Kagame. A Rwandan court found him guilty of terrorism charges on Sept 20 after a trial that his supporters branded a sham, and proof of Kagame’s ruthless treatment of political opponents.

N.Korea says U.S. overreacting over submarine missile test

North Korea said on Thursday the United States was overreacting to its recent missile test and questioned the sincerity of Washington’s offers of talks, warning of consequences. This week’s test of a new ballistic missile from a submarine was part of North Korea’s mid- and long-term plan to bolster self defence and was and not aimed at the United States or any other country, an unnamed spokesperson at Pyongyang’s foreign ministry said, according to the official KCNA news agency.

Ethiopia conducts two air strikes on Tigray within hours, war escalates

The Ethiopian government carried out a second air strike within hours on the Tigray region on Wednesday, significantly escalating a campaign to weaken rebellious Tigrayan forces in an almost one-year-old war. The second strike was in Agbe in the Temben region some 80 km (50 miles) west of the regional capital Mekelle, targeting a military training centre and heavy artillery depot, government spokesperson Legesse Tulu said.

Biden under pressure as U.S.-Mexico border arrests reach record highs

U.S. authorities arrested 1.7 million migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border this fiscal year, the most ever recorded, according to a U.S. government source familiar with the numbers, underscoring the stark political and humanitarian challenges the Biden administration faces on immigration. The current numbers for the 2021 fiscal year, which began last October, topped a previous high in 2000. The numbers were first reported by the Washington Post.

Blinken, on Colombia visit, says human rights accountability critical

Accountability for human rights abuses committed during Colombia’s decades-long conflict and recent anti-government protests are critical to preventing future abuses, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a visit to the Andean country on Wednesday. Blinken met Colombian President Ivan Duque ahead of talks with regional officials to discuss migration in the Americas.

Damascus bomb kills 14, then army shells fall on rebel area killing 12

A blast on an army bus in Damascus on Wednesday killed 14 people, state media reported, the deadliest bombing in the Syrian capital in years, quickly followed by army shelling in rebel-held Idlib which rescue workers said killed 12 people. The bus carrying troops was blown up near a bridge in the centre of Damascus. A military source quoted by state media said two bombs had been attached to the vehicle in advance. Army engineers defused a third.

With political tensions still high, Peru’s Congress to vote on Monday on new cabinet

Peru’s Congress will vote on a new cabinet from Monday, it said on Wednesday, a move that Peruvians and investors hope will calm long-running political tensions if the cabinet is confirmed. Earlier in October, just two months into the job, socialist and political newcomer President Pedro Castillo nominated a new prime minister and cabinet after his first pick resigned.

U.S. China ambassador nominee Burns takes tough line on dealings with Beijing

President Joe Biden’s nominee to be U.S. ambassador to China, Nicholas Burns, took a tough line on dealings with China at his Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday, saying “genocide in Xinjiang,” abuses in Tibet, and bullying of Taiwan must stop. Burns, calling China the United States’ “most dangerous competitor”, said Beijing is “blasting past” its pledge to maintain only a minimum nuclear deterrent, and added that Washington should work with allies in Europe and elsewhere to build economic leverage.

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