Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

'So many dead': Survivors describe terrifying Burkina Faso ambush

A mine worker shot during an ambush on a mining convoy in Burkina Faso said on Friday he was one of only three survivors from a bus with up to 80 people aboard, suggesting the death toll may be much higher than officially reported. Abel Kabore, 35, described the attackers, some speaking a foreign language and shouting "Allahu Akbar" - Arabic for "God is great" - raking three buses with bullets after a security vehicle escorting the convoy hit a landmine.

Hong Kong mourning for student spirals into street violence

Candlelight Hong Kong vigils mourning a student who died on Friday after a high fall during a pro-democracy rally quickly spiraled into street fires, bursts of tear gas and cat-and-mouse clashes between pro-democracy protesters and police. The center of violence was on Nathan Road, in the Kowloon district of Mong Kok, one of the most densely populated locations in the world, where activists built barricades and trashed an entrance to the metro station.

Lula leaves prison, firing up Brazil's left and right

Brazil's leftist former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva left prison on Friday after a judge ordered his release, startling financial markets and reigniting both ends of the political spectrum with calls for demonstrations in coming days. As he walked out of the jail that held him for 19 months on a bribery conviction, Lula raised a defiant fist in the air to the cheers of a crowd of supporters from his Workers Party who waved red flags and held "Free Lula" banners.

Ex-Twitter employee accused of spying for Saudi Arabia granted bond

A U.S. judge on Friday said a former Twitter employee could be released on bond, with travel restrictions, while he awaits trial on charges of spying for Saudi Arabia. Magistrate Judge Paula McCandlis, of the U.S. District Court in Seattle, said her decision to grant Ahmad Abouammo, 41, bond would go into effect at 4:30 p.m. (7:30 p.m. ET), unless federal prosecutors made an appeal.

Bolivians turn to Day of Skulls for hope as protests rage

With Bolivia racked by angry political protest, some in the landlocked South American nation turned to a more pensive task: honoring skulls, an ancient tradition rooted in indigenous beliefs that is meant to bring good fortune and protection. In La Paz on Friday, Bolivians celebrated the Day of Skulls, known as "ñatitas," which are decorated and paraded to the cemetery a week after All Saints Day. Some skulls are adorned with hats, flowers, sunglasses and even cigarettes.

Deadly clashes reignite in Iraq despite cleric's call for calm

Fresh clashes between Iraqi security forces and anti-government protesters broke out on Friday killing at least three people, despite a call for calm by the country's top Shi'ite cleric, as authorities grapple with the nation's biggest crisis in years. Security forces fired tear gas and threw stun grenades into crowds of demonstrators wearing helmets and makeshift body armor on a main road in central Baghdad, sending protesters scattering, some wounded, Reuters reporters said.

Polish cabinet reshuffle boosts control over state companies

Poland's nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party announced its governing cabinet lineup on Friday after winning a parliamentary election last month, setting out plans to consolidate control over state-owned utilities and financial companies. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, a former banker, kept his job, but PiS dissolved the energy ministry formerly led by coal-advocate Krzysztof Tchorzewski, raising questions about the future of Poland's energy policy.

After killings, Mexican hamlet fears 'ghost town' if U.S. neighbors flee

Neighbors of the American families murdered in northern Mexico this week worry the massacre will spell the end for two villages that have grown to rely on one another since breakaway Mormons set up home in the isolated hills decades ago. Unknown gunmen killed three mothers and six children from families with Mormon roots and U.S.-Mexican dual citizenship on Monday, in an attack that spread outrage in both countries and increased U.S. pressure on Mexico to rein in drug cartels.

One person found dead and 100 homes destroyed in Australian bushfires

One person has been found dead and at least 100 homes have been destroyed as bushfires rage across eastern Australia, authorities said on Saturday. The New South Wales Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) said early on Saturday that firefighters had discovered the remains of a person in a vehicle and two other people remained unaccounted for.

Spain politicians court undecided voters as campaign closes

Spanish political leaders made a last-ditch appeal to undecided voters on Friday as campaigning closed for a snap election that looks unlikely to resolve the country's entrenched parliamentary gridlock. Polling suggests that nearly a third of voters are unsure who they will vote for in Sunday's ballot, which is set to result in a stalemate with no party or bloc gaining a majority in the 350-member parliament.