World News Summary: Iran parliament censures Rouhani; Peru declares emergency at border

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

U.S. envoy Haley questions Palestinian refugee numbers

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley on Tuesday appeared to question the world body's count of Palestinian refugees, the latest in a series of steps by the Trump administration challenging how relief aid is delivered to the Palestinians. In remarks at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington think tank often sympathetic to Israel, Haley agreed with a questioner who suggested that the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA), which helps Palestinian refugees, overcounts their number.

Brazil's Temer says Venezuelan exodus a threat to whole region

Brazilian President Michel Temer signed a decree on Tuesday to deploy the Armed Forces to the northern state of Roraima on the border with Venezuela to assist in keeping order and ensuring the safety of Venezuelan immigrants. Temer blamed Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro for an exodus of Venezuelans that have caused an immigration crisis spilling over the border into neighbouring countries.

Iran says it has arrested 'tens of spies' in state bodies

Security forces in Iran have arrested tens of spies working in state bodies, Intelligence Minister said on Tuesday, at a time of rising tensions between Iran and the West following the reimposition of U.S. sanctions on Tehran. Mahmoud Alavi did not say when the arrests took place or which countries the spies allegedly were working for, but indicated that many of the detainees were dual nationals.

U.S. military hints could resume major exercises on Korean peninsula

The U.S. military has no plans yet to suspend any more major military exercises with South Korea, the defence secretary said on Tuesday, in the middle of a breakdown in diplomacy with North Korea over its nuclear weapons. Defense Secretary James Mattis said at a Pentagon news conference that no decisions had been made about major exercises for next year, but noted that the suspension of drills last summer as a good-faith gesture to North Korea was not open-ended.

U.S. Senate leader says Myanmar leader cannot be blamed for atrocities

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Tuesday that Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi cannot be blamed for atrocities that have occurred in that country because she does not have the powers necessary to stop military actions. Responding to a reporter's question, McConnell said there was no doubt that atrocities have been committed against Myanmar's Rohingya people.

Defenders rally around pope, fear conservatives escalating war

Supporters of Pope Francis have rushed to his defence after a former top Vatican official launched an unprecedented attack on him, a move they say dangerously escalates a campaign to weaken his papacy by conservatives who condemn him as too liberal. Francis' supporters say the accusations in Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano's 11-page public statement aim to pave the way for a conservative pope to succeed him who would reverse his openings to divorced and homosexual Catholics.

Haley says U.S. Rohingya report 'consistent' with U.N. findings

Findings of a U.S. State Department investigation into Myanmar's Rohingya crisis are "consistent" with those of a report by U.N. investigators released this week that called for Myanmar's commander-in-chief and other generals are tried for genocide, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said on Tuesday. Addressing the U.N. Security Council, Nikki Haley said: "the world can no longer avoid the difficult truth of what happened." She did not use the term "genocide" and the State Department has said it had not yet concluded whether it shared the determination of "genocidal intent" that Monday's U.N. report attached to the attacks on Rohingya Muslims.

Peru declares emergency at border as Venezuelans flee crisis at home

Peru on Tuesday declared a health emergency at its northern border as thousands of Venezuelans, fleeing economic crisis and hunger at home, continued to stream into the country despite tightening entry requirements. Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra declared a 60-day emergency in two provinces on Peru's northern border, citing "imminent danger" to health and sanitation due to immigration. The decree, published in the government's official gazette, did not give more details on the risks.

Iran parliament censures Rouhani in sign pragmatists losing sway

Iran's parliament voted on Tuesday to reject President Hassan Rouhani's explanations for an economic hardship after a dramatic grilling on live TV, a sign his pragmatic faction is losing sway to hardline rivals as new U.S. sanctions begin to bite. The vote in parliament came two days after lawmakers sacked the minister of economy and finance and weeks after they sacked the labour minister, blaming them for the collapse of the rial currency and surging inflation.

German far-right mobilized by 'fake news' after stabbing: officials

Far-right groups spread "fake news" on social media to mobilize their supporters for violent protests targeting migrants after the fatal stabbing of a German man, said officials in the eastern German state of Saxony where they took place. German police have arrested a 22-year-old Syrian man and a 21-year-old Iraqi man over Sunday's stabbing in the town of Chemnitz, which provoked two days of protests, including clashes between far-right and leftist demonstrators.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)