Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Catalan regional leader asks Spain for dialogue on self-determination

The head of government in the Spanish region of Catalonia called on Madrid on Tuesday to discuss the region's self-determination following days of mass, sometimes violent protests over jail sentences for nine separatist leaders. In a televised address, Quim Torra called on acting prime minister Pedro Sanchez "to initiate a dialogue without conditions ... in which the Catalan government will defend its right to self-determination".

Malaysian prosecutor: Najib orchestrated graft like an 'emperor'

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak acted like an "emperor" who orchestrated massive fraud at a former unit of scandal-linked state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), the country's attorney-general said at his trial on Tuesday. Malaysian prosecutors have begun wrapping up their first case against the ex-premier, who faces seven charges of criminal breach of trust, money laundering and abuse of power linked to alleged transfers of 42 million ringgit ($10.03 million) into his personal bank account from SRC International, a former 1MDB unit.

Canada's Trudeau hangs onto power in election; aides see two-year respite

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hung onto power after an election on Monday that saw his government reduced to a minority, but aides predicted he would be able to govern for two years without many problems. Trudeau, one of the world's most prominent progressive politicians, struggled to overcome the effects of two domestic scandals. His Liberals only won 156 seats, a decrease of 21, preliminary results showed.

Turkey will resume Syria assault if U.S. promises not met: Erdogan

Kurdish forces are continuing to withdraw in northeast Syria but Turkey will resume its military assault there once a U.S.-brokered ceasefire expires on Tuesday if promises given by Washington are not kept, President Tayyip Erdogan said. A five-day pause in Turkey's cross-border military offensive to allow the withdrawal of Kurdish YPG fighters from the border area expires at 10 pm (1900 GMT) on Tuesday.

Iraqi security forces killed 149 protesters, most by shots to head, chest: government inquiry

An Iraqi government committee investigating a wave of unrest found that 149 civilians were killed because security forces used excessive force and live fire to quell protests, according to its report, seen by Reuters. The report, which said more than 70% of the deaths were caused by shots to the head or chest, held senior commanders responsible but stopped short of blaming the prime minister and other top officials, saying there had been no order to shoot.

Hong Kong, Taiwan authorities tussle as fate of murder suspect in limbo

A murder case that led to mass street protests in Hong Kong should be handled independently by Taiwan, where the suspect allegedly committed the crime, authorities in the Chinese-ruled city said. Chan Tong-kai, a Hong Kong citizen, was accused of murdering his girlfriend in Taiwan last year before fleeing back to the financial hub. Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam held up Chan's case as an example of why an extradition bill, that would have allowed suspects to be sent from Hong Kong to greater China - including the mainland, Taiwan and Macau - was needed.

Army trys to reopen roads as Lebanon remains paralyzed

Security forces are trying to persuade protesters to reopen roads across Lebanon through peaceful means but will not use force if they refuse, a security source said on Tuesday as the country remained paralyzed by anti-government demonstrations. Aiming to defuse anger at the political elite and dire economic conditions, the government led by Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri announced a set of measures on Monday including long-delayed reforms he said aimed to fight corruption and waste.

South Korea says scrambled fighters after Russian warplanes violated air defense zone

South Korea scrambled fighter jets after Russian warplanes entered South Korea's air space identification zone on Tuesday, the latest in a series of such violations, its military said. A total of six Russian military aircraft repeatedly entered the Korea Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ) over a six-hour span starting 9:23 a.m. (0023 GMT), Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.

Brexit hangs in the balance as PM Johnson faces crunch votes in parliament

Prime Minister Boris Johnson faces two pivotal Brexit votes in the British parliament on Tuesday that will decide if he can deliver on his pledge to lead the United Kingdom out of the European Union in just nine days time. As the clock ticks down to the latest Oct. 31 deadline for the United Kingdom's departure, Brexit is hanging in the balance as a divided parliament debates when, how and even whether it should happen.

In ancient throne ritual, Japanese emperor vows to fulfill duty

Japanese Emperor Naruhito formally proclaimed his ascendancy to the throne on Tuesday in a centuries-old ceremony attended by dignitaries from more than 180 countries, pledging to fulfill his duty as a symbol of the state. Naruhito became emperor and his wife Masako became empress on May 1 in a brief ceremony, but Tuesday's "Sokui no Rei" was a more elaborate ritual at the royal palace in which he officially announced his change in status to the world.