Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs. U.S. will assign dozens of border agents to migrant asylum interviews

Up to 60 U.S Border Patrol agents will be trained to conduct initial asylum screenings as part of a pilot effort to speed up the vetting of migrants who seek refuge in the United States, U.S. officials told a congressional committee on Thursday. Ten border agents are currently undergoing the training to conduct "credible fear" screenings of asylum seekers, and two other groups of 20 to 25 agents each have been designated to receive the training, said Robert Perez, deputy commissioner at U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), in testimony to members of the House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee. Trump urges Iran to talk over nuclear program, cannot rule out military action

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday urged Iran's leadership to sit down and talk with him about giving up Tehran's nuclear program and said he could not rule out a military confrontation given the heightened tensions between the two countries. At an impromptu news conference at the White House, Trump declined to say what prompted him to deploy the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier group to the region over what was described as unspecified threats. British royals William, Kate, Harry and Meghan launch mental health text service

Britain's young royals, brothers Prince William and Prince Harry and their wives Kate and Meghan, launched a new phone messaging service on Friday to help people suffering a mental health crisis. The two princes have been widely praised for speaking out about their own struggles with mental health struggles in the wake of the death of their mother Princess Diana in a 1997 car crash and have made the issue one of their main charitable causes. Blast rocks Baghdad marketplace, differing accounts on casualties

A blast rocked Baghdad's northeastern Sadr City district on Thursday but accounts differed on whether it caused any casualties. Islamic State claimed responsibility. Police Colonel Jamal Hameed told Reuters a parcel had been found on the side of the road near a market and detonated in a controlled explosion, hurting no one. Venezuelan lawmakers seek refuge in embassies after crackdown on Guaido allies

Two Venezuelan lawmakers sought refuge at foreign embassies in Caracas on Thursday, as the government of President Nicolas Maduro cracked down on allies of opposition leader Juan Guaido who supported his attempted uprising last week. The ex-head of the state intelligence service, Manuel Cristopher, the top Maduro government official to defect during the uprising, also spoke out for the first time on Thursday, urging Venezuelans to "build a new state" and combat corruption. Exclusive: U.S. commander says he could send carrier into Strait of Hormuz despite Iran tensions

The commander overseeing U.S. naval forces in the Middle East told Reuters on Thursday that American intelligence showing a threat from Iran will not prevent him from sending an aircraft carrier through the vital Strait of Hormuz, if needed. Vice Admiral Jim Malloy, commander of the U.S. Navy's Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet, did not say whether he would send the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group into the strategic waterway off Iran, through which passes a fifth of oil consumed globally. U.S., Iran tensions unyielding, Europeans reject Iran 'ultimatums' over nuclear deal

European countries said on Thursday they wanted to preserve Iran's nuclear deal and rejected "ultimatums" from Tehran, after Iran relaxed restrictions on its nuclear program and threatened moves that might breach the 2015 international pact. Iran's announcement on Wednesday, related to curbs on its stockpiling of nuclear materials, was in response to U.S. sanctions imposed following President Donald Trump's withdrawal of the United States from the accord with Tehran a year ago. North Korea fires more missiles, U.S. announces ship seizure as tensions mount

North Korea fired what appeared to be two short-range missiles on Thursday in its second such test in less than a week, and the United States said it had seized a North Korean cargo ship as tensions again mounted between the two countries. U.S. President Donald Trump said that "nobody is happy" at the launches, but appeared to hold the door open for more talks with North Korea. South Korea said the tests were worrisome and unhelpful and likely a protest against Trump refusing to ease economic sanctions at a failed summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in February. ANC takes commanding lead in South Africa's election but support ebbs

The African National Congress (ANC) strolled toward victory in South Africa's election on Friday, partial results showed, though the party is on course for its worst performance in a national poll in its 25 years in government. As of 2211 GMT, ballots in 69.98 percent of 22,925 voting districts had been counted. The tallies put the ANC on 56.61 percent in the parliamentary race, with the main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) on nearly 23 percent and the leftist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) on nearly 10 percent. U.S. crafting surrender plan, not peace deal: Palestinian foreign minister

The United States seems to be crafting a plan for a Palestinian surrender to Israel instead of a peace deal, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki told a meeting at the United Nations attended by U.S. Middle East peace negotiator Jason Greenblatt. Greenblatt and senior White House adviser Jared Kushner have spent two years developing a peace proposal that they hope will provide a framework for renewed talks between the Israelis and Palestinians. The plan is expected to be unveiled in June.