Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs. Pompeo sees more North Korea talks, Seoul faces limits in mediator role

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday he was hopeful the United States would send a delegation to North Korea in the coming weeks, after a summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ended with no deal. The leaders' second summit, held last week in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi, failed to produce any agreement or immediate plan for follow-up negotiations. British PM May's top lawyer heads to Brussels in last-ditch Brexit bid

Prime Minister Theresa May's top government lawyer heads to Brussels on Tuesday, a last-ditch bid to secure changes to a Brexit deal needed to get the agreement through parliament and smooth Britain's departure from the European Union. Britain is due to leave the EU in 24 days, but parliament's rejection of May's deal earlier this year has put in doubt how, when or possibly even if Britain's biggest foreign and trade policy shift in more than 40 years wil take place. Iran foreign minister not informed about Assad trip to Tehran: spokesman

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was not informed about Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s trip to Tehran last week and that was a reason why he submitted his resignation, the Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA) reported on Tuesday. The news agency cited foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi as the source of the information in its report. Second Canadian minister quits over scandal, Trudeau taking it 'seriously'

In a serious blow to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, a second member of his Cabinet resigned on Monday, saying she had lost confidence in how the government had dealt with an escalating political scandal. The departure of recently appointed Treasury Board President Jane Philpott, who was in overall charge of government spending, deprives Trudeau of another powerful female Cabinet minister just months ahead of an election that polls show he could lose. Revolutionary Guards commander flexes political muscle

Qassem Soleimani's role in a political crisis in Iran highlights the influence of the leader of the Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force, who has acquired celebrity status at home after being largely invisible for years. The resignation of Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif last week was quickly rejected by President Hassan Rouhani, but a week on, tension over Zarif's absence from meetings with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that Soleimani attended is still evident. Thousands of Algerians take to streets to demand Bouteflika quit

Thousands of Algerians took part in renewed protests in the capital and other cities on Tuesday, calling on President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to step down and rejecting his offer to not serve a full term after elections in April. "Game over" read one poster. "System - go away", said another. Two Nobel literature prizes to be awarded this year after Swedish Academy cleans house

Two Nobel prizes will be awarded for literature this year after the Swedish literary academy that chooses the winner cleaned house following scandals that prevented last year's prize from being given, the Nobel Foundation said on Tuesday. The Nobel Foundation blocked the Swedish Academy from awarding the prize last year after sexual misconduct allegations against the husband of one of its board members and accusations of leaks had effectively paralyzed the institution. Spain's far-right party Vox crowd-funds 200,000 euros ahead of election

Spain's far-right party Vox said on Tuesday it had raised more than 200,000 euros ($226,500) in crowd-funding from supporters in just two days to finance its election campaign. The anti-immigration party needs to find money because it is too new and small to receive public subsidies ahead of the parliamentary election on April 28. Propaganda 2.0: Chinese Communist Party's message gets tech upgrade

In a bright red office in south Beijing, some of China's most studious Communist Party members are gathered around their smartphones. The focus of their attention is a range of mobile apps and websites which allow them to study the speeches of Chinese President Xi Jinping, including one developed by their own employer, Beijing-based conglomerate Tidal Star Group. India cites 'active mobile phones' to back air strike casualty claim

An Indian government surveillance agency had detected 300 active mobile phones at a suspected militant camp in Pakistan that India says its fighter jets bombed last week, the interior minister said on Tuesday, seeking to quell rising doubts about the success of the operation. "Some people are asking how many were killed," Rajnath Singh said at an election rally. "You are seeking answers from us! India's respected and authentic NTRO surveillance system has said that before Indian pilots dropped the bombs, 300 mobile phones were active there. There's no need to tell you how many were killed."