Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs. Australia announces disability inquiry as election looms

Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison, in one of the government's last moves before an imminent election, said on Friday a powerful public inquiry into the country's disability care would run for three years and address abuse, neglect and exploitation problems in the sector. The inquiry, known as a Royal Commission, will cost A$528 million ($375 million) and follows reports of poor treatment, as well as pressure from disability advocates after a similar inquiry was launched into the aged care sector. Brazil's Bolsonaro warms to old-style politics to push pension bill

Brazil's far-right President Jair Bolsonaro appealed to leaders of five big centrist parties on Thursday to back his pension reform plan, resorting to the traditional political methods he had condemned during the election campaign. The government's deputy Senate whip, Senator Izalci Lucas, told Reuters that Bolsonaro had done well to form a cabinet without political interference. But parties will now get to share some 2,000 second-level federal jobs and have a say on public works that favor their member's districts. Court orders mental assessment for NZ massacre suspect, murder charges added

Australian Brenton Tarrant appeared in a New Zealand court on Friday where the suspected white supremacist was charged with an additional 49 counts of murder following his arrest after mass shootings at two mosques last month that killed 50 worshippers and wounded dozens. The High Court judge overseeing the appearance also ordered Tarrant, who was not required to submit a plea, to undergo a mental assessment to determine whether he was fit to stand trial. Turkey says S-400 purchase from Russia a 'done deal,' cannot be canceled

Turkey's purchase of Russian S-400 missile defense systems, which has raised tensions with Washington, is a "done deal" and cannot be canceled, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday. The United States and Turkey have been at loggerheads over Ankara's decision to purchase the S-400s, which are not compatible with NATO systems. Washington has warned that going forward with the deal could result in U.S. sanctions. Thousands flee wildfire in South Korea's eastern coast, one dead: Yonhap

A wildfire in South Korea killed one person and forced more than 4,000 people to flee their homes, Yonhap news agency reported on Friday. The fire broke out in eastern Gangwon Province on Thursday evening and spread to the seaside holiday city of Sokcho, burning about 385 hectares (950 acres) of land and 310 homes, warehouses and other buildings, Yonhap reported citing the government. See us if you can? GCHQ surveillance agency reveals London base

A nondescript red brick building tucked away beside a pub near a park in central London was revealed on Friday to have been the base of one of the world's most sophisticated spy services - Britain's GCHQ eavesdropping agency. GCHQ, which gathers communications from around the world to identify and disrupt threats to Britain, only revealed the Palmer Street address, its London home for 66 years, after moving out. Merkel hopes May can find a way out Brexit maze by EU summit

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday she hoped discussions between Prime Minister Theresa May's government and the opposition Labour Party could break the Brexit impasse by an April 10 emergency European Union summit. Brexit is now mired in doubt, nearly three years since the United Kingdom shocked the world by voting 52 percent to 48 to leave the bloc. Supporters fear betrayal and opponents are pushing for another referendum. Ethiopian crash report highlights sensors, software, leaves questions

Faulty sensor readings and multiple automatic commands to push down the nose of a Boeing plane contributed to last month's fatal crash in Ethiopia, leaving the crew struggling to regain control, according to a preliminary accident report. The first substantial account of the last minutes of Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 from Addis Ababa to Nairobi on March 10 described how the captain three times called out: "Pull up" and was acknowledged by the first officer, but to no avail. Eastern Libyan commander orders forces to move on Tripoli

Eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar ordered his troops on Thursday to march to the capital Tripoli, taking his conflict with the internationally recognized government to a dangerous new level. Shortly after the announcement, his forces moved on the capital from several sides, an eastern official said, making it from the south as close as al-Heira and Gharyan, two mountainous areas some 80 km (49.7 miles) south of the capital despite its force getting attacked in an air strike. Trump laments military spending by U.S., China and Russia, floats deal idea

President Donald Trump on Thursday lamented the amount of money that the United States, China and Russia spend on weapons production, including nuclear weapons, and suggested that such money could be better spent elsewhere. Trump, during a meeting with Chinese vice premier Liu He in the Oval Office, floated the idea of following up on a potential trade deal with China with a second phase deal that addressed the issue of military spending and arms production.