World News Roundup: Putin on US intervention in Venezuela; Trump threatens China with more tariffs

Unsubstantiated claims Muslim doctor sterilized women raise tensions in Sri Lanka

On May 23 Sri Lankan newspaper Divaina, known for its nationalist stance, published a front page article alleging a Muslim doctor had secretly sterilized 4,000 Sinhala Buddhist women after caesarean deliveries. The doctor, who was not identified in the article, was also described as a member of the National Thowheed Jamath, one of two local Islamist groups blamed for bombings that killed more than 250 people in hotels and churches on Easter Sunday.

UK PM candidate Gove: rushed no-deal Brexit would give Labour's Corbyn power

Michael Gove, a leading contender to replace British Prime Minister Theresa May, said he would delay Brexit rather than rush into a no-deal exit that could trigger an election that would propel Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to power. The United Kingdom could be heading towards a constitutional crisis over Brexit as many of the candidates vying to succeed May are prepared to leave the EU on Oct. 31 without a deal but parliament has indicated it will try to thwart such a scenario.

German Greens explore leftist state alliance, in warning to Merkel

Germany's Greens have proposed holding coalition talks in the city state of Bremen with the Social Democrats and far-left Linke, in a reminder to Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives that even if they come first in any elections, they are not guaranteed power. The Greens' push for a leftist coalition in Bremen is significant because the party, fresh from coming second in May's European Parliament elections, wants federal elections held if Merkel's coalition with the Social Democrats (SPD) collapses.

Putin says U.S. military intervention in Venezuela would be a disaster

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Thursday that U.S. military intervention in Venezuela would be a disaster and said even Washington's allies did not support such a course of action. Speaking at an economic forum in St Petersburg, Putin also said that Russian technical specialists remained in Venezuela in order to service Russian military hardware, something he said they were contractually obliged to do.

Hong Kong lawyers protest "polarizing" extradition bill in rare march

More than 3,000 Hong Kong lawyers held a rare protest march on Thursday against a proposed extradition bill that could see individuals sent to China to face trial in what the last British governor said would be a "terrible blow" to the rule of law. The lawyers, dressed in black, chatted animatedly among themselves as they made their way from the Chinese-ruled city's highest Court of Final Appeal to the Central Government Offices on a sweltering evening.

Trump threatens China with tariffs on further $300 billion of goods

U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to hit China with tariffs on "at least" another $300 billion worth of Chinese goods but said he thought both China and Mexico wanted to make deals in their trade disputes with the United States. Tensions between the world's two largest economies have risen sharply since talks aimed at ending a festering trade war broke down in early May.

Sudan crackdown highlights role of feared paramilitary unit: Amnesty International

Amnesty International on Thursday called for international action against Sudan's new military rulers and condemned the government's Rapid Support Forces for what it called a "murderous rampage" against protesters this week. The raid on Monday by security forces on a protest camp in central Khartoum was the worst violence yet surrounding the downfall of President Omar al-Bashir, who was removed by the military in April after four months of protests.

German nurse who killed 85 patients gets life in prison

A former nurse was jailed for life on Thursday for murdering 85 of his patients - the worst killing spree in Germany's post-war history. Niels Hoegel injected people with lethal drugs and then played the hero by appearing to struggle to revive them, the district court in Oldenburg heard.

Exclusive: U.S. pursues sale of over $2 billion in weapons to Taiwan, sources say, angering China

The United States is pursuing the sale of more than $2 billion worth of tanks and weapons to Taiwan, four people familiar with the negotiations said, sparking anger from Beijing which is already involved in an escalating trade war with Washington. An informal notification of the proposed sale has been sent to the U.S. Congress, the four sources said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the possible deal.

Trump, Macron honour D-Day veterans who fought through "fires of hell"

France will never forget the sacrifice of the Allied troops who liberated it from Nazi Germany, President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday, the 75th anniversary of the D-Day operation that helped bring World War Two to an end. U.S. President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May joined Macron at separate ceremonies along an 80km (50 mile) stretch of Normandy coastline, where more than 150,000 soldiers landed on June 6, 1944, under a hail of German fire.