Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs. UK PM May says no-deal Brexit planning continues - spokesman

British Prime Minister Theresa May has said the government will continue to plan for the possibility of a no-deal Brexit, her spokesman said on Monday. May made the comment in an internal note to staff. U.S. to use all economic, political tools to hold Maduro accountable: Pompeo

The United States will use all economic and political tools at its disposal to hold Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro accountable for his country's crisis and will make clear to Cuba and Russia they will pay a price for supporting him, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday. Pompeo made the comments in the Colombian border city of Cucuta, the final stop of a three-day trip to Chile, Paraguay and Peru, a clutch of fast-growing countries in a region where Washington's concerns are focused on the Venezuelan crisis and China's growing presence. Israel's president starts consultations on prime minister nomination

Israel's president began post-election consultations on Monday with political parties that will lead to his appointment of a candidate to form a government. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's nomination seemed virtually ensured after his right-wing Likud won the largest number of parliamentary seats in Tuesday's ballot, and his closest rival, Benny Gantz of the centrist Blue and White party, conceded defeat. Ecuador's president says Assange tried to use its embassy to spy

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange repeatedly violated his asylum conditions and tried to use the Ecuadorian embassy in London as a center for spying, Ecuador's President Lenin Moreno told Britain's Guardian newspaper. London police dragged Assange out of the embassy on Thursday after his seven-year asylum was revoked, paving the way for his extradition to the United States for one of the biggest ever leaks of classified information. China says Japan should do more to seek cooperation, not competition

China urged Japan on Monday to do more to follow through on its intention of seeking cooperation with China rather than competition, warning that there was still weakness in their relationship. China and Japan have sparred frequently about their painful history, with Beijing often accusing Tokyo of not properly atoning for Japan's invasion of China before and during World War Two. Sudan protesters move to protect Khartoum sit-in

Sudanese protesters moved to block an attempt on Monday to break up a sit-in outside the Defense Ministry, where demonstrators have been pushing for a quick transition to civilian rule after President Omar al-Bashir was ousted, a Reuters witness said. Troops had gathered on three sides of the sit-in and tractors were preparing to remove stone and metal barriers, but protesters joined hands and formed rings around the sit-in area to prevent them. Estonian parliament rejects Reform's Kallas as PM in vote

Estonia's parliament as expected voted against Reform Party leader Kaja Kallas as prime minister on Monday with the president now likely to turn to Centre head Juri Ratas to lead the country. Kallas got 45 votes, short of the 51 votes to form a government and become the country's first female prime minister. Denials of U.S. immigrant visas skyrocket after little-heralded rule change

When Arturo Balbino, a Texas construction worker, walked into his visa interview at the American consulate in the northern Mexican border town of Ciudad Juarez in March, he wasn't nervous. He felt good. Balbino, a 33-year-old Mexican national who had entered the United States illegally 14 years ago, thought he had a strong case for a spousal visa: a wife and children who are U.S. citizens, a father-in-law who had pledged in an affidavit to financially support him if necessary, and a letter from his employer guaranteeing him an $18-per-hour job upon his return. Indian minister says extreme poverty falling, to end by 2031

India's finance minister said on Monday fast economic growth and rapid urbanization would slash the number of people in extreme poverty by 2021 and end it completely in the decade after that. More than 21 percent of India's 1.3 billion people lived on less than $1.90 a day in 2011, when the last census was taken, according to the World Bank. South Korea's Moon pushes for summit with North Korea's Kim despite nuclear standoff

South Korea's President Moon Jae-in said on Monday he will pursue "in earnest" another summit with Kim Jong Un despite the North Korean leader's recent criticism of Seoul's self-proclaimed role as a mediator in stalled nuclear talks. Moon has been eager to regain momentum in talks with North Korea since Kim's second summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, in Vietnam in February, failed due to conflicting demands by Pyongyang for sanctions relief and by Washington for sweeping North Korean measures to abandon its nuclear program.