QWorld: Brexit Finalised by March, Ethiopian Stampede Kills Dozens

The Quint bringing you the top headlines from around the world.

Britain vote on the “Brexit” issue. (Photo: iStock)

1. Colombians Reject Deal to End 52-Year FARC Rebel War

Colombians narrowly rejected a peace deal with Marxist guerrillas in a referendum, plunging the nation into uncertainty and dashing President Juan Manuel Santos's painstakingly negotiated plan to end the 52-year war.

The surprise victory for the "no" camp poured cold water on international joy from the White House to the Vatican at what had seemed to be the end of the longest-running conflict in the Americas.

2. Britain Says to Trigger EU Divorce by End of March

British Prime Minister Theresa May said she will trigger the process to leave the EU by the end of March, offering the first glimpse of a time-table for a divorce that will redefine ties with its biggest trading partner.

May told the party's annual conference in Birmingham, central England, that she was determined to move on with the process and win the "right deal".

Using Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty will give Britain a two-year period to clinch one of the most complex deals in Europe since World War Two.

3. Big Majority of Hungarians Reject Migrant Quotas but Vote Invalid

Almost all Hungarians who vote in Sunday's referendum rejected the European Union's migrant quotas but turnout is too low to make the poll valid, frustrating Prime Minister Viktor Orban's hopes of a clear victory with which to challenge Brussels.

Hungary's maverick right-wing leader, whose hardline policy on migration has been criticised by human rights groups but is popular at home, nevertheless said EU policymakers should heed the "outstanding" referendum outcome.

4. Afghan Refugees in Pakistan Feel the Heat of Rising Regional Tension

For Samihullah, a tailor from a family of Afghan refugees in Pakistan, the first indication that it might be time to leave the country was the insults levelled at him in the bazaar. "Afghans used to be called 'Kabuli' in Pakistan, but now Pakistanis call them 'Hindus' because we signed economic agreements with India," said Samihullah.

After almost 40 years of war in Afghanistan, Pakistan has some 1.5 million registered refugees, one of the largest such populations in the world, according to the United Nations refugee agency. More than a million others are estimated to live there unregistered.

5. Libyan Forces Foil Ambush, Lose Eight Men in Sirte Battle: Officials

Libyan forces repelled an attempted ambush but lost at least eight of their men as their battle with Islamic State militants encircled in their former stronghold of Sirte resumes, officials said.

A spokesman for the Libyan forces, Rida Issa, said militants who staged an ambush east of central Sirte, had apparently arrived from the desert, in the latest sign of an enduring jihadist threat beyond the battle lines.

Forces dominated by fighters from Misrata and aligned with Libya's UN-backed government have been battling to capture Sirte for more than four months.

6. Dozens Killed in Stampede in Ethiopia After Police Fire Warning Shots at Protest

More than 50 people died in a stampede in Ethiopia's Oromiya region when police used teargas and shot in the air to disperse anti-government protesters at a religious festival.

Sporadic protests had erupted in Oromiya in the last two years, initially sparked by a land row, but increasingly turning more broadly against the government. Since late 2015, scores of protesters have been killed in clashes with police.

7. Brazil Parties Linked to Corruption Punished in Local Elections

Brazilian political parties implicated in the massive Petrobras corruption scandal, including that of President Michel Temer, suffered major setbacks in municipal elections that put right-leaning candidates ahead in key cities.

Temer's Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB) lost its longtime hold over the cash-strapped city of Rio de Janeiro, which just held what many considered a successful Olympics.

Instead, a conservative evangelical bishop, Senator Marcelo Crivella, will face a run-off against Marcelo Freixo of the Socialism and Liberty Party (PSOL), a leftist breakaway from the PT, to decide who leads Rio.

8. Caribbean Braces for Hit From Fierce Hurricane Matthew

Haiti and Jamaica urged residents in vulnerable coastal areas to evacuate, and Cuba suspended flights as torrential rain from Hurricane Matthew, the strongest storm to menace the Caribbean nations since 2007, drenched the Jamaican capital.

Matthew's slow-moving centre is expected to near southwestern Haiti and Jamaica on Monday as a major storm bringing 145 mile-per-hour (230 km-per-hour) winds and life-threatening rain, the US National Hurricane Center said.

9. Pope Says Respect Gays and Transsexuals, Questions Gender Theory

Pope Francis said homosexuals and transsexuals should be treated with respect but that teaching gender theory was unacceptable "indoctrination" of young people.

"When a person (who is gay) arrives before Jesus, Jesus certainly will not say, 'Go away because you are homosexual,'" Francis said.

The Pope made his comments in the latest wide-ranging and freewheeling conversation with reporters aboard the plane returning from a foreign trip.