Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

EU ‘will start collapsing’ unless it takes on Polish challenge – official

The European Union “will start collapsing” unless it challenges a ruling by Poland’s top court that national legislation trumps European laws, a senior official with the bloc said on Monday. Poland’s constitutional tribunal ruled against the central tenet of European integration last week, sharply escalating a row over fundamental values between eurosceptics ruling in Warsaw and most of the other 27 EU countries.

Cleric Sadr wins Iraq vote, former PM Maliki close behind -officials

Shi’ite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr’s party was the biggest winner in an Iraqi election on Monday, increasing the number of seats he holds in parliament, according to initial results, officials and a spokesperson for the Sadrist Movement. Former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki looked set to have the next largest win among Shi’ite parties, initial results showed.

Pressure mounts in Italy to dissolve neo-fascist group after riots

Italy’s government was under growing pressure on Monday to dissolve the Forza Nuova neo-fascist group involved in violent weekend protests against a government drive to make the COVID-19 “Green Pass” mandatory for all workers. Since its foundation in 1997, Forza Nuova has repeatedly been accused of using violence against immigrants and police. Along with the CasaPound group it is the main neo-fascist organisation still active in Italy.

France, Germany, Ukraine, Russia agree to ministerial-level meeting -Germany

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron had phone calls on Monday with the presidents of Ukraine and Russia to discuss the conflict in Ukraine, and agreed their foreign ministers should meet, the German government said. The two West European leaders spoke first with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on the implementation of the Minsk Agreements aimed at bringing about a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Ukraine.

Afghan minister wants good relations, needs more time on girls’ education

Afghanistan’s foreign minister appealed to the world for good relations on Monday but avoided making firm commitments on girls’ education despite international demands to allow all Afghan children to go back to school. Almost two months after the former Western-backed government collapsed and insurgent forces swept into Kabul, the new Taliban administration has pushed to build relations with other countries to help stave off a catastrophic economic crisis.

Russia’s Navalny says prison has changed his status to “terrorist”

Jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny said on Monday that a prison commission had designated him an extremist and a terrorist, but officially no longer regarded him as an escape risk. Navalny said on Instagram that he had been summoned before a commission at the prison in Vladimir region, east of Moscow, which voted unanimously in favour of the change of status.

After 34 years, Sankara murder trial begins in Burkina Faso

The trial of 14 people accused of plotting the assassination of Burkina Faso’s former president Thomas Sankara started on Monday, 34 years after he was gunned down in one of the most infamous killings in modern African history. Sankara – a charismatic Marxist revolutionary widely known as “Africa’s Che Guevara” – was killed in 1987 during a coup led by his former ally Blaise Compaore.

It’s down to world leaders to honour climate pledges, says UK COP26 chief

The G20 group of leading economies must come forward with more ambitious 2030 climate action plans, Britain’s Alok Sharma, president of the upcoming United Nations COP26 climate change conference, will say on Tuesday. With less than a month before the talks begin in Glasgow, Scotland, Sharma will seek to increase pressure on those who have yet to enhance national goals to cut greenhouse gas emissions under plans known as “Nationally Determined Contributions” that are central to the 2015 Paris Agreement.

N.Korean leader says U.S., S.Korea threaten peace with military buildup

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country’s weapons development is necessary in the face of hostile policies https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/north-korea-has-right-test-weapons-given-hostile-policies-un-envoy-2021-09-27 from the United States and a military buildup in South Korea https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/skorea-blazes-new-path-with-most-potent-conventional-missile-submarine-2021-09-08 that is destabilising the peninsula, state media said on Tuesday. Pyongyang was only increasing its military in self-defence and not to start a war, Kim said in a speech at the Defence Development Exhibition, according to a report by state news agency KCNA.

Brazil’s Bolsonaro says he is ‘bored’ by questions on COVID-19 deaths

Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro said on Monday that he did not want to be “bored” with questions about the milestone of 600,000 COVID-19 deaths that Latin America’s biggest country passed a few days ago. Bolsonaro’s poll numbers have fallen due to his handling of the pandemic, rising inflation and a weak economy. Brazil has the world’s second highest COVID-19 death toll after the United States, and Bolsonaro has long sought to minimize the impact of the virus, touting unproven cures and railing against lockdowns.

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