Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Iranians keep up protests over Mahsa Amini death despite mounting fatalities

Iranians kept up anti-government protests on Wednesday despite an increasingly deadly state crackdown, social media reports showed, as Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dismissed the demonstrations as “scattered riots” planned by Iran’s enemies. Protests ignited by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in the custody of Iran’s morality police on Sept. 16 have turned into one of the boldest challenges to the clerical leadership since the 1979 revolution.

France accuses Russia of stoking Armenia, Azerbaijan conflict

France’s President Emmanuel Macron accused Russia on Wednesday of purposefully provoking the recent clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan as part of an effort destabilise the Caucasus region and beyond. The worst fighting between the two ex-Soviet countries since 2020 broke out in late September, killing more than 200 people.

Palestinians protest as Jerusalem refugee camp locked down

Hundreds of people protested at checkpoints into a refugee camp in Jerusalem and clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces broke out across the West Bank on Wednesday, with a Palestinian killed near the southern city of Hebron. The violence spread to the streets in East Jerusalem where Israeli police said they clashed with rioters and arrested several people who set fire to tires, threw rocks at passing cars and attacked officers.

U.N. denounces Russian ‘annexation’ while West backs Ukraine with more air defences

The United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly condemned Russia’s attempted annexation of four Ukrainian areas while Kyiv’s allies committed more military aid after intense Russian missile strikes. In New York, three-quarters of the 193-member General Assembly – 143 countries – voted on Wednesday in favour of a resolution that called Moscow’s move illegal, deepening Russia’s international isolation.

Britain to donate air defence missiles to Ukraine

Britain said it would donate air defence missiles capable of shooting down cruise missiles to Ukraine in the wake of Russian strikes on Kyiv and other cities in recent days. British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace announced the new support ahead of a NATO meeting in Brussels on Thursday.

Biden’s national security plan takes aim at China, Russia

The White House rolled out a long-delayed national security strategy on Wednesday that seeks to contain China’s rise while reemphasizing the importance of working with allies to tackle challenges confronting democratic nations. The 48-page document, which was delayed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, includes no major shifts in thinking and introduces no major new foreign policy doctrines. Instead, it highlights the view that U.S. leadership is the key to overcoming global threats like climate change and the rise of authoritarianism.

North Korea says it has deployed cruise missiles able to carry tactical nuclear weapons

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the launch of two long-range strategic cruise missiles, state media reported on Thursday, calling it a test to confirm the reliability and operation of nuclear-capable weapons deployed to military units.

The test fire was conducted on Wednesday, and was aimed at “enhancing the combat efficiency and might” of cruise missiles deployed to the Korean People’s Army “for the operation of tactical nukes,” state media Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

Global wildlife populations have sunk 69% since 1970 – WWF report

The world’s wildlife populations have declined by more than two-thirds since 1970 as forests have been cleared and oceans polluted, according to an assessment released on Thursday. This “serious drop … tells us that nature is unraveling and the natural world is emptying,” said Andrew Terry, director of conservation and policy at the Zoological Society of London (ZSL).

United Nations condemns Russia’s move to annex parts of Ukraine

The United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday overwhelmingly condemned Russia’s “attempted illegal annexation” of four partially occupied regions in Ukraine and called on all countries not to recognize the move, strengthening a diplomatic international isolation of Moscow since it invaded its neighbor.

Three-quarters of the 193-member General Assembly – 143 countries – voted in favor of a resolution that also reaffirmed the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.

France orders fuel depot strikers back to work, union vows to challenge it

France on Wednesday ordered some staff at an Exxon Mobil fuel depot back to work and warned a TotalEnergies depot could be next, risking a wider conflict with trade unions as it battles to secure petrol supplies after weeks of strikes. The French energy ministry said it was requisitioning some staff at the Gravenchon-Port Jerome depot run by Exxon’s Esso France business, where the hardline CGT remains on strike despite a pay deal with other unions.

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