Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Hungary’s Orban hits Czech campaign trail to back PM Babis

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban backed his Czech counterpart Andrej Babis’ re-election bid on Wednesday, making a display of the close ties between the two central European leaders who have supported each other in disputes with the EU. The Czech Republic holds a parliamentary election on Oct. 8-9. Opinion polls put Babis’ centrist ANO party ahead of rivals but some show him falling short of partners to form a majority government, which could hand power to a coalition between the main opposition centre-left and centre-right groups.

In triumph for Japan’s establishment, Kishida becomes ruling-party head

Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) anointed former foreign minister Fumio Kishida as its new leader on Wednesday, a victory for the party elite that virtually ensures the soft-spoken consensus-builder will become prime minister within days. Although he enjoys only moderate popular support and is saddled with a bland image, Kishida drew critical backing from some party heavyweights, allowing him to stop the momentum of outspoken rising star Taro Kono, the minister in charge of the coronavirus vaccine roll-out.

U.N. climate talks a ‘catalyst’ for action to curb warming -report

United Nations climate talks in November are a crucial catalyst for urgent action to keep a lid on global warming, a global coalition of 40 energy producers, industrial companies and financial institutions said on Thursday. An Energy Transitions Commission (ETC) report outlined six actions which need to be agreed at COP26 and implemented this decade to give the world a 50% chance of limiting global warming to 1.5 degree Celsius and a 90% chance of keeping it below 2C.

German Greens, FDP cosy up as coalition dance begins

Germany’s Greens said on Wednesday they had held a good first round of talks with the liberal Free Democrats (FDP) and planned to meet them again, though the two ‘kingmakers’ were at odds over which larger partner to join in a new coalition government. The upbeat message from the Greens’ Annalena Baerbock came after a smiling selfie of FDP and Green leaders together at an initial meeting late on Tuesday went viral, with the cosiness of the unlikely allies’ meeting sparking a raft of jokes.

Exclusive-Flouting U.N. sanctions in Africa? No one at U.N. watching after Russia move

Russia is delaying the appointment of panels of independent experts to monitor violations of U.N. sanctions on South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic (CAR)and Mali, diplomats said on Wednesday, leaving their work in limbo. Russia is unhappy with the number of experts appointed from Western countries, diplomats said, and would like more Russians named to the panels. Russia is working to expand its influence in Africa, specifically challenging traditional French sway in Mali and CAR.

U.S., Mexico to hold high-level security talks on Oct 8

U.S. and Mexican officials will hold high-level security talks on Oct. 8, Mexico’s Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said on Wednesday. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland would participate in the talks in Mexico City, Ebrard said.

Tunisian leader names new PM with little experience at crisis moment

President Kais Saied named a geologist with little government experience as Tunisia’s first woman prime minister on Wednesday amid a crisis following his seizure of powers and with public finances close to breaking point. He asked Najla Bouden Romdhane, a little-known professor of geophysics who implemented World Bank projects at the education ministry, to form a government as quickly as possible. The move prompted a surge in Tunisian bond prices.

Young activists table proposals for Glasgow climate talks

Young activists on Wednesday tabled a slate of proposals for inclusion in the COP26 climate agenda, a day before Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi meets Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg. The proposals will be vetted by climate and energy ministers gathering at a meeting in Milan on Thursday, before some find their way to the U.N. COP26 summit in Glasgow in a month’s time.

U.S. works to screen passengers of plane carrying Americans from Kabul

The United States is working to verify the accuracy of the list of passengers aboard a charter plane carrying more than 100 U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents evacuated from Afghanistan, the State Department said on Wednesday, after the flight’s organizers said Washington denied it landing rights. “Our embassy staff in the UAE has been working around the clock to verify the accuracy of the passenger manifest and is coordinating with DHS/Customs and Border Protection on the ground to ensure the passengers are screened and vetted before they are permitted to fly to the United States,” a State Department spokesperson said.

Analysis-In post-Merkel EU, Macron can’t exert leadership without allies

Angela Merkel’s exit from the EU stage she dominated for 16 years has handed French President Emmanuel Macron an opportunity to take up the mantle of European leadership and press on with his plans for a more independent Europe. Not so fast, diplomats from countries across the European Union say.

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