Reuters World News Summary

Italian PM Conte wins backing to extend COVID-19 emergency period Italy's upper house of parliament approved on Tuesday a request by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte to extend until Oct. 15 a state of emergency, expanding his government's powers as it tackles the coronavirus health crisis.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs. Harvard professor accused of lying about China ties faces U.S. tax charges

U.S. prosecutors brought tax charges on Tuesday against a Harvard University professor accused of lying to authorities about his ties to a China-run recruitment program and funding he allegedly received from the Chinese government for research. Charles Lieber, the former chair of Harvard's chemistry and chemical biology department, was charged in an indictment filed in federal court in Boston with failing to report income he received from Wuhan University of Technology in China. Spain slams UK, Germany for advising tourists to stay away

Spain reacted angrily on Tuesday to recommendations from Britain and Germany that their citizens avoid its islands and beaches because of an increase in coronavirus cases during what should be the height of the tourism season. With advisories piling up on top of a quarantine order from Britain for returning travellers, Spain, which depends on summer visits by sun-seeking northern Europeans, is facing a major blow to any hopes of reviving its economy. Italian PM Conte wins backing to extend COVID-19 emergency period

Italy's upper house of parliament approved on Tuesday a request by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte to extend until Oct. 15 a state of emergency, expanding his government's powers as it tackles the coronavirus health crisis. Opposition parties had objected, accusing Conte of trying to keep too much power in his own hands despite a dramatic fall in the rate of contagion. However, the upper house Senate passed the measure by 157 votes to 125 in the 319-seat chamber. Saudi Arabia presents to Yemeni government, STC resolution to implement Riyadh agreement

Saudi Arabia presented a resolution to accelerate implementation of the Riyadh agreement, the Saudi state news agency said in a statement on Wednesday. The statement added that, under the resolution, the Southern Transitional Council will rescind self rule, implement the Riyadh agreement and appoint a governor for Aden, and Yemen's prime minister will form a government within 30 days from both northern and southern Yemen. Pompeo bars two former Venezuelan officials from traveling to United States

The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on two former officials of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government, barring them from traveling to the United States over accusations they were involved in significant corruption. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement that the two former officials, including Luis Motta, who was sacked by Maduro as electricity minister last year after a series of blackouts, had accepted bribes and kickbacks in exchange for awarding "lucrative" supply equipment contracts for Venezuela's state power company, Corpoelec. First hearing begins in corruption trial of former Pemex boss

The former chief executive of Mexican state oil firm Petroleos Mexicanos, Emilio Lozoya, appeared in court on Tuesday morning for the first hearing into corruption charges he is facing, according to a judicial official. Lozoya, who was chief executive of the firm known as Pemex from 2012 to 2016 under Mexico's former president, Enrique Pena Nieto, faces accusations ranging from accepting bribes to money laundering. He has denied any wrongdoing. Spain hopes Turkey overture on drilling leads to talks

Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya said on Tuesday she hopes the will shown by Turkey to open a dialogue on oil drilling in the Eastern Mediterranean will be followed by action. Turkey is at loggerheads with Greece and Cyprus over overlapping claims for offshore reserves. EU members Greece and Cyprus, along with France, have rejected Turkey's plan to explore between Cyprus and Crete. Hong Kong University sacks veteran democracy activist

The University of Hong Kong (HKU) on Tuesday sacked veteran pro-democracy activist Benny Tai from his tenured position as an associate professor of law, a move he called "the end of academic freedom" in the Chinese-ruled city. Tai was a leading figure in Hong Kong's 2014 "Umbrella" protests, which paralysed the city for 79 days as demonstrators occupied main roads demanding greater democracy. Malaysia's Najib sentenced to over a decade in jail in 1MDB trial

Malaysia's former leader, Najib Razak, was found guilty of corruption and sentenced to 12 years in jail on Tuesday in the first trial over a multi-billion-dollar scandal at state fund 1MDB that stretched to the Gulf states and Hollywood. In a case widely seen as a test of the nation's resolve to stamp out corruption and which could have major political implications, high court judge Mohamad Nazlan Mohamad Ghazali sentenced Najib to 12 years and a fine of 210 million ringgit ($49 million) for abuse of power. Australia tells U.S. it has no intention of injuring important China ties

The United States and close ally Australia held high-level talks on China and agreed on the need to uphold a rules-based global order, but the Australian foreign minister stressed Canberra's relationship with Beijing was important and it had no intention of hurting it. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark Esper held two days of talks in Washington with their Australian counterparts, who had flown around the world for the meetings despite the COVID-19 pandemic and face two weeks of quarantine on their return.