Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Britain's GCHQ eavesdropping spies celebrate 100 years of cracking codes

Britain’s GCHQ eavesdropping agency, one of the world’s most sophisticated spy services, celebrates its 100th birthday on Friday with a party for allied spies from the U.S.-led “Five Eyes” intelligence alliance. GCHQ, which gathers communications from around the world to identify and disrupt threats to Britain, traces its history back to 1919 and is best known for breaking Germany’s Enigma code during World War Two.

Argentine President-elect Fernandez holds call with Trump

Argentina's President-elect Alberto Fernandez held a phone call on Friday with U.S. President Donald Trump, Fernandez's press office said, after the center-left politician won an election last Sunday. During the call, Trump told Fernandez that he had "instructed" the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which extended a $57 billion credit line to the country last year, to work with Argentina's incoming administration.

Turkey hands over 18 Syrian soldiers after Russian coordination

Turkey has handed over 18 men believed to be Syrian government soldiers who were seized in northeast Syria near the Turkish border earlier this week, the Turkish Defense Ministry said late on Thursday. The ministry did not say who they were handed over to, but said it came about "as a result of the coordination with the authorities of the Russian Federation".

U.S. looking at new ISIS leader and role in organization: U.S. official

The United States is researching the new leader of the Islamic State to determine his previous roles in the organization, Nathan Sales, the U.S. counter-terrorism coordinator, said on Friday after a U.S. raid last month killed its former leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. "Any time there is a leadership transition in the terrorist organization, we want to make sure that we have the latest information that we need to have to confront the threat," Sales told a briefing.

Spain to host U.N. climate talks in December after Chile cancels

Spain will host U.N. climate change talks in December after Chile withdrew, the United Nations said on Friday, a last-minute switch which raises big logistical challenges and has left activist Greta Thunberg stranded on the wrong side of the Atlantic. The U.N. climate change talks, known formally as COP25, will be held Dec. 2-13, as originally planned, but in Madrid - over 10,000 kilometers (6,000 miles) away from Chile's capital Santiago where it was initially meant to take place.

Second man charged over UK truck deaths, victims now thought to be Vietnamese

A second man was charged with manslaughter over the deaths of 39 people found in the back of a truck near London, British police said on Friday, as they confirmed they now believe all the victims were Vietnamese. In Vietnam, police said they had detained two people.

Farage's Brexit Party to fight every seat in poll battle with PM Johnson

Hardline Brexit advocate Nigel Farage opened his UK election campaign on Friday by telling Conservative prime minister Boris Johnson that his Brexit Party will contest every seat unless Johnson drops his EU divorce deal and agrees an election pact. The call was swiftly rejected by Johnson and his party.

Exclusive: Overhaul of Ukraine prosecution agency buries Manafort inquiries - investigators

Sweeping changes to Ukraine's top law enforcement agency ordered by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy are set to derail a series of long-running criminal investigations, including two related to U.S. President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, three current and former Ukrainian prosecutors told Reuters. The reorganization, which includes fresh leadership for the agency and mandatory skills testing for prosecutors, represents an upheaval of Ukraine's General Prosecutor's Office (GPO), one of the most powerful bodies in the country, and one that has long been the target of criticism.

Mexico says U.S. fentanyl crackdown led to botched arrest of El Chapo's son

Mexico's security minister said on Friday that U.S. efforts to curb the opioid fentanyl were behind the brief arrest of a son of imprisoned kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman last month in Sinaloa, home turf for the notorious Sinaloa Cartel. After the United States requested his extradition, Ovidio Guzman was briefly arrested, then freed by outnumbered officials who feared a bloody confrontation with cartel henchmen.

Brazil police arrest man said to be one of world's most prolific human traffickers

Brazilian federal police said they have arrested Saifullah Al-Mamun, born in Bangladesh and considered by authorities one of the world's most prolific human traffickers. In an operation conducted on Thursday after collaboration with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Brazilian police arrested members of a group allegedly implicated in a large scheme of smuggling people into the United States.