Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

South Korea unveils fighter jet mock-up amid program challenges

South Korea has displayed the first full-size mock-up of the KF-X fighter jet it is developing with Indonesia, after officials said the program passed key design reviews in September. The next-generation aircraft being developed by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) is designed to be a cheaper, less-stealthy alternative to the U.S.-built F-35, and the plan is to eventually replace most of South Korea's older fighter jets and produce more for export.

Hong Kong bans protesters from police housing areas amid escalating violence

A Hong Kong court has granted an injunction to ban anyone from blocking or damaging areas used to house married police officers and other disciplined services that have been targeted in more than four months of anti-government protests. Demonstrators have besieged police quarters amid escalating violence in the Chinese-ruled city, hurling petrol bombs and other objects at buildings and damaging facilities, police said in a statement on Tuesday.

Just hours left to secure a Brexit deal before EU summit

Britain must reach a Brexit agreement with the EU by the end of Tuesday so it can be approved at a leaders' summit this week, the bloc's officials and diplomats said, otherwise Britain's scheduled departure date of Oct. 31 could be pushed back. Officials said it was still possible to reach a deal over customs arrangements on the island of Ireland by the Tuesday deadline, and if it was missed, an extra summit could be called before the end of the month.

Trump sanctions fail to slow Turkey assault; Moscow's allies advance

Turkey ignored new sanctions from the United States to press on with its assault on northern Syria on Tuesday, while the Russia-backed Syrian army entered one of the most hotly contested cities, filling a void created by Donald Trump's abrupt retreat. A week after reversing U.S. policy and moving troops out of the way to allow Turkey to attack Washington's allies in northern Syria, Trump announced a package of sanctions to punish Turkey.

UK's Dover is ready for Brexit but eyes French border and paperwork

Dover, Europe's busiest ferry port, is as prepared for Brexit as it can be but there are uncertainties over the extent to which freight operators are ready for new declarations and whether France will keep goods moving, the port's chief executive said. As one of Britain's main arteries for European trade since Roman times, Dover handles 119 billion pounds ($149 billion) worth of trade, or 17 percent of the country's commerce in goods each year, making it a potential Brexit pressure point.

Hundreds fled abusive Nigerian 'school' before police raid

Hundreds of captives who were beaten, abused and held in squalid conditions at a purported Islamic school in northern Nigeria escaped prior to a raid this week, police said on Tuesday. Nearly 300 men and boys had been at the facility in the Daura area of Katsina, the home town of President Muhammadu Buhari, where police said they discovered "inhuman and degrading treatments" following a raid to free the remaining students.

Belarus briefly detains Russian woman under U.S. sanctions: reports

Belarus briefly detained a Russian national who is under U.S. sanctions for her alleged role in cyber attacks, the RIA and Interfax news agency reported on Tuesday. Anna Bogachyova was detained at the request of the United States, RIA said citing an unnamed source familiar with the situation earlier on Tuesday. She was later released, Interfax cited the Russian embassy as saying.

Jailed Catalan separatist leader says new referendum unavoidable

The Catalan separatist leader hit by the heaviest jail sentence by Spain's Supreme Court for his role in the region's failed secession bid told Reuters a new referendum on independence was unavoidable. Oriol Junqueras, the Catalan regional government's former deputy leader, said in emailed answers to questions that the prison sentences imposed on him and eight others on charges of sedition only made them and their movement stronger and more determined.

Prince William and wife Kate meet Imran Khan, Pakistan's PM and friend of Diana

Britain's Prince William and his wife Kate on Tuesday met Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan, a former international cricket star who the prince played cricket with in London as a child. The royal couple, on a five-day visit, also toured a school and a national park in the capital Islamabad where they chatted with children and admired their drawings.

Ukrainian captain expected to face charges over Danube boat disaster

Hungarian prosecutors are expected to charge the captain of a cruise ship that struck and sank a small tourist vessel on the River Danube, killing 28 mostly Korean tourists, after police finished their investigation, officials said on Tuesday. The tourist boat Mermaid, with 35 people on board, sank in seconds in May after the river cruiser hit it from behind under a bridge in the Hungarian capital during heavy rain, in the worst disaster on the Danube in more than half a century.