Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

N.Korean troops stage artillery fire competition

North Korean mechanized troops held an artillery fire competition over the weekend as part of efforts to boost the country’s defence capabilities, state media reported on Sunday The drills were conducted on Saturday, state news agency KCNA said, and come as North Korea increasingly complains over what it sees as a double standard where its military activities invite international criticism when similar exercises by South Korea and the United States usually do not.

Big crowds rally in rainy Glasgow for COP26 climate action

Tens of thousands of protesters marched on Saturday through rainy downtown Glasgow, and in many other cities around the world, to demand bolder action at the U.N. climate conference. Students, activists and climate-concerned citizens linked arms as they moved slowly through the streets of the Scottish city, host of the COP26 meeting that began on Monday.

U.S. orders non-emergency government employees in Ethiopia to leave

The United States has ordered non-emergency U.S. government employees in Ethiopia to leave because of armed conflict and civil unrest, its embassy in Addis Ababa said on Saturday. Denmark and Italy also asked their citizens in Ethiopia to leave while commercial flights were still available, as rebellious Tigrayan forces and their allies have advanced towards the capital Addis Ababa.

Costa Rica issues COVID-19 vaccine requirement for children

Costa Rican children aged five and up must get COVID-19 vaccinations, according to a new health ministry mandate, making the Central American country one of the first to adopt such a requirement for kids. The move would add COVID-19 to a list of other infectious diseases in which vaccines for children have for years been required, including for polio and smallpox.

Some Mexicans seek out new jabs as U.S. border restrictions relax

Mexicans who need to cross the U.S. land border for work or school are scrambling to get approved COVID-19 vaccines ahead of new rules set to go into effect next week, 20 months after the United States shut crossings for non-essential trips. The rules specify that beginning on Monday only foreigners who have received World Health Organization-approved vaccines can cross, which effectively bars those who received jabs including China’s CanSino Biologics and Russia’s Sputnik V, among others.

‘Her heart was beating too’ – Poles protest against strict abortion law

Thousands of people gathered in cities across Poland on Saturday to protest against strict abortion laws after a pregnant woman’s death reignited public debate on the issue in one of Europe’s most devoutly Catholic countries. A ruling by Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal that abortion on the grounds of foetal defects contravened the constitution came into effect in January, triggering a near total ban on pregnancy terminations and widespread protests.

Six to stand for president in Gambia’s first election after Jammeh

Gambian President Adama Barrow will face five challengers in an election on Dec. 4, the first vote in 27 years not to include exiled former leader Yahya Jammeh, who fled the country after refusing to accept his defeat five years ago. Barrow will be judged on his progress dragging the country out of a Jammeh era characterised by harsh political crackdowns, fear and financial plunder. The election is being held under conditions of economic hardship after the COVID-19 pandemic kept European tourists away from Gambia’s beaches.

Israeli foreign minister distances government from blacklisted NSO Group

Israel’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid on Saturday distanced the government from the NSO Group, a firm blacklisted this week by the United States over alleged misuse of its phone hacking spyware. An investigation by 17 media organisations published in July said NSO’s Pegasus software had targeted smartphones of journalists, rights activists and government officials in several countries.

Ninety-nine killed in fuel tanker blast in Sierra Leone capital

At least 99 people were killed and more than 100 injured in the capital of Sierra Leone late on Friday when a fuel tanker exploded following a collision, local authorities said. Emergency crews worked to clear the scene on Saturday in Freetown’s eastern suburb of Wellington where a burnt body and the blackened shells of cars and motorbikes blocked the road following the crash, a Reuters reporter said.

Israel suggests U.S open consulate for Palestinians in West Bank, not Jerusalem

Israel stepped up its public opposition on Saturday to a plan by President Joe Biden’s administration to reopen a U.S. consulate for Palestinians in Jerusalem, suggesting such a mission should be in the occupied West Bank. Under former President Donald Trump, Washington delighted Israelis and outraged Palestinians by closing the Jerusalem consulate and placing its staff within the U.S. Embassy to Israel that was moved to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv in 2018.

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