Reuters World News Summary


Reuters | Updated: 18-04-2019 05:23 IST | Created: 18-04-2019 05:23 IST
Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs. Israeli president tasks Netanyahu with forming new government

Israel's president on Wednesday nominated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to head the next government, after he won the backing of a majority of members of parliament following an April 9 election. In office for the past decade, Netanyahu won a fifth term despite an announcement by Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit in February that he intends to charge the prime minister in three corruption cases. Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing. Alberta's foray into leftist politics sets stage for strong opposition

Alberta's New Democratic Party crashed out of government after Tuesday's provincial election, but one of the most inexperienced parties ever to take office in Canada will likely become the strongest opposition the western province has ever seen. The NDP became the first one-term government in Alberta history when the United Conservative Party tapped into voter concerns about the economy and a struggling energy sector to win a majority. The UCP were elected or leading vote counts in 63 out of 87 seats as of midday on Wednesday. Peru's ex-president Garcia kills himself to avoid arrest in Odebrecht probe

Peru's former president Alan Garcia shot himself in the head on Wednesday to avoid arrest in connection with alleged bribes from Brazilian builder Odebrecht, taking his own life, in the most dramatic turn yet in Latin America's largest graft scandal. Garcia, a towering and charismatic figure who played a central role in Peruvian politics for more than three decades, died in a hospital at age 69 after shooting himself at his house in Lima when police arrived with a warrant for his arrest. Trump's Cuba hawks try to squeeze Havana over Venezuela role

The Trump administration on Wednesday imposed new sanctions and other punitive measures on Cuba and Venezuela, seeking to ratchet up U.S. pressure on Havana to end its support for Venezuela's socialist president, Nicolas Maduro. Speaking to a Cuban exile group in Miami, U.S. national security adviser John Bolton said the United States was targeting Cuba's military and intelligence services, including a military-owned airline, for additional sanctions and was tightening travel and trade restrictions against the island. Migrant camps overflow as Mexico cracks down after Trump threats

Amid pressure from Washington, Mexico is backpedaling on promises of better treatment for Central American migrants, leaving hundreds stranded in unsanitary camps near its southern border and allegations of irregular detentions. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador promised more humane treatment for Central American migrants when he took office in December. His left-leaning government issued thousands of year-long humanitarian visas in January, giving migrants legal access to jobs and the right to travel to the United States. Cheap solar panels power consumer appliance boom in North Korea

Years after they first appeared in North Korea, increasingly cheap and available solar panels are giving a boost to consumer consumption and industry as Pyongyang tries to limit the impact of tough international sanctions. Electricity shortages have been a perennial concern for North Korea, and leader Kim Jong Un has called for greater use of renewable energy as part of his drive for self-sufficiency as sanctions have ratcheted higher in response to the country's nuclear and missile programs. At least 29 killed in Madeira when tourist bus veers off the road

At least 29 people, most of them German tourists, were killed and 27 others injured on Wednesday when their bus veered off a steep narrow road on the Portuguese island of Madeira, authorities said. The white tourist bus -- which was carrying 55 passengers and a tour guide in addition to the driver -- overturned in a residential area in the coastal town of Canico at around 6:30 p.m. (1730 GMT), its mayor, Filipe Sousa, told reporters. France asks: should Notre-Dame's spire be rebuilt as it was?

France will open the redesign of Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral's historic spire to international architects after Monday night's catastrophic blaze that gutted the centuries-old roof and sent the towering spire crashing through the vaulted ceiling. The government's announcement on Wednesday added to a question many are asking as France grieves for its damaged national symbol - whether the familiar outline at the heart of the capital should be restored exactly as it was or given a modern twist. EU parliament votes to fine internet firms for not removing extremist content quickly

The European parliament voted on Wednesday to fine firms like Facebook, Google and Twitter up to 4 percent of their turnover if they persistently fail to remove extremist content within one hour of being asked to do so by authorities. The measures have been brought into sharper focus since the live streaming on one of Facebook's platforms of a lone gunman killing 50 people at two New Zealand mosques in March. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversees test of new tactical guided weapon: KCNA

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the testing of a new type of tactical guided weapon on Wednesday, state media Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said on Thursday. It is North Korea's first public weapons test since the second U.S.-North Korea summit in Hanoi ended with no agreement in February.

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

Give Feedback