Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs. U.S. intelligence on Venezuela 'very good,' acting defense chief says

Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan dismissed concerns about a potential intelligence failure on Venezuela like the one that preceded the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, and said top U.S. officials had held talks at the Pentagon on Friday. President Donald Trump's strategy on Venezuela has come under growing scrutiny as President Nicolas Maduro remains in power, raising questions about the way ahead for opposition leader Juan Guaido, who the United States and some 50 countries recognize as the legitimate head of state. English voters punish both Britain's main parties for Brexit chaos: early results

English voters used local elections to punish both Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservatives and the opposition Labour Party for the deadlock over Brexit, partial results showed on Friday. With just under a third of English local council vote results declared, the Conservative Party had lost 212 councillors and the Labour Party had lost 54 councillors, according to a BBC tally. The Liberal Democrats gained 145. China putting minority Muslims in 'concentration camps,' U.S. says

The United States accused China on Friday of putting well more than a million minority Muslims in "concentration camps," in some of the strongest U.S. condemnation to date of what it calls Beijing's mass detention of mostly Muslim Uighur minority and other Muslim groups. The comments by Randall Schriver, who leads Asia policy at the U.S. Defense Department, are likely to increase tension with Beijing, which is sensitive to international criticism and describes the sites as vocational education training centers aimed at stemming the threat of Islamic extremism. Thailand to crown its newlywed king in elaborate ceremonies

Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn on Saturday begins intricate Buddhist and Brahmin ceremonies to symbolically transform him into a living god as the Southeast Asian nation officially crowns its first monarch in nearly seven decades. The king will be joined by new Queen Suthida after a surprise announcement three days before the coronation that the thrice-divorced monarch had married for a fourth time. Canada vows to defends its business in Cuba as U.S. opens way for lawsuits

Canada vowed on Friday to defend its businesses operating in Cuba after U.S. President Donald Trump lifted a ban on American citizens filing lawsuits against investors working on the island nation. "The Government of Canada will always defend Canadians and Canadian businesses conducting legitimate trade and investment with Cuba, and is reviewing all options in response to the U.S. decision," a foreign ministry statement said. Scotland's Davidson girds for fight as support for independence rises

Ruth Davidson, leader of the Scottish Conservatives, returns to politics on Saturday with a vow to resist any new referendum on independence from the United Kingdom. The Conservatives in pro-EU Scotland have seen their poll support slip over their handling of Brexit, coinciding with Davidson's six-month maternity leave, while support for the pro-independence Scottish National Party has risen. Trump says he, Putin discussed new nuclear pact possibly including China

U.S. President Donald Trump said he and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed on Friday the possibility of a new accord limiting nuclear arms that could eventually include China in what would be a major deal between the globe's top three atomic powers. Trump, speaking to reporters as he met in the Oval Office with Peter Pellegrini, prime minister of the Slovak Republic, also said he and Putin discussed efforts to persuade North Korea to give up nuclear weapons, the political discord in Venezuela, and Ukraine during a call that stretched over an hour. Israel kills two militants in Gaza; two Palestinians killed in border protest

Israel killed two Hamas militants in air strikes on Gaza on Friday, and two Palestinian protesters were killed in clashes with Israeli forces along the enclave's border. The strikes were a response to gunfire from southern Gaza that wounded two Israeli soldiers, the Israeli military said. One Venezuelan protester's brush with death

A young protester, his arms outstretched and his head thrown completely back, is struck from behind by a Venezuelan National Guard riot control vehicle and pulled underneath. Luis Alejandro had joined a protest outside 'La Carlota' military base in Caracas after opposition leader Juan Guaido called on Venezuelans to support the "final phase" of his effort to remove President Nicolas Maduro from office. U.S. cracks down on Iran uranium production, nuclear plant

The United States acted on Friday to force Iran to stop producing low-enriched uranium and expanding its only nuclear power plant, intensifying a campaign aimed at halting Tehran's ballistic missile program and curbing its regional power. At the same time, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo renewed waivers of U.S. sanctions allowing Russia, China and European countries to pursue cooperation programs designed to prevent Iran from reactivating a defunct nuclear weapons program.