World News Roundup: France ready to partner with Europe; Russia foreign minister visits Venezuela and more

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Macron: France ready to partner with Europe on nuclear deterrence

President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that France wanted to open a strategic dialogue with its European partners about the role of French nuclear deterrence policy in European security. The overture to Europeans chimes with Macron's insistence that Europe should reinforce its strategic autonomy in the face of growing global threats and stop relying solely on the United States and the transatlantic alliance for its defense.

Swiss vote on anti-homophobia law as critics decry censorship

When 41-year-old Jehanne, a lesbian, was repeatedly insulted for supporting LGBT rights during a tram ride in the Swiss city of Geneva last month, she threatened to call the police. But her aggressor said his remarks were not a crime under Swiss law.

Death of doctor who sounded coronavirus alarm sparks anger at the government

A Chinese doctor who was reprimanded for warning against a "SARS-like" coronavirus before it was officially recognized died of the virus on Friday, triggering a wave of mourning in China and rare online expressions of anger towards the government. The death of Li Wenliang, 34, came as Chinese President Xi Jinping assured the United States that China was doing all it could to contain the virus.

Palestinian and U.S. leaders blame each other for violence

Palestinian and U.S. leaders blamed each other for a surge of violence, as mourners gathered in the occupied West Bank for the funeral of a Palestinian police officer shot dead during the unrest, and Israel tightened security ahead of Friday Muslim prayers. The tension was high a day after two Palestinians were killed and 16 Israelis injured amid Palestinian anger at U.S. President Donald Trump's Middle East peace plan, unveiled last week with Israel's prime minister at his side.

Russia foreign minister visits Venezuela as the U.S. warns of sanctions reprisal

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro holds talks with Russia's foreign minister on Friday as Moscow continues to support the isolated South American nation's socialist government despite Washington's warnings that it may ramp up sanctions. Sergei Lavrov arrived in Caracas on Thursday, only hours after the State Department suggested its Venezuela sanctions program could begin targeting Russia, whose oil companies have helped Maduro by buying much of the OPEC nation's crude.

Coronavirus brings China's surveillance state out of the shadows

When the man from Hangzhou returned home from a business trip, the local police got in touch. They had tracked his car by his license plate in nearby Wenzhou, which has had a spate of coronavirus cases despite being far from the epicenter of the outbreak. Stay indoors for two weeks, they requested. After around 12 days, he was bored and went out early. This time, not only did the police contact him, so did his boss. He had been spotted near Hangzhou's West Lake by a camera with facial recognition technology, and the authorities had alerted his company as a warning.

Diplomat Karen Pierce appointed as UK's new ambassador to the U.S.

Britain has named career diplomat Karen Pierce as its new ambassador to the United States, the first woman to hold the U.S. post, with the task of shoring up relations with London's closest ally after Brexit. Pierce, 60, a former ambassador to Afghanistan, replaces Kim Darroch who resigned last July after U.S. President Donald Trump labeled him "stupid" and "wacky" following the release of confidential memos in which he had branded the U.S. president's administration inept.

Exclusive: 'Shock and awe' has failed in Philippines drug war, enforcement chief says

Colonel Romeo Caramat oversaw the bloodiest day in the blood-soaked war on drugs in the Philippines – 32 people killed in 24 hours in the province north of Manila where he was police chief in 2017. Now the head of drug enforcement for the Philippine National Police, Caramat said that an ultra-violent approach to curbing illicit drugs had not been effective.

Iraqi cleric scolds security forces after protesters die in new tensions

Iraq's top Shi'ite Muslim cleric on Friday berated security forces for failing to protect protesters killed in clashes with rival groups this week in the southern city of Najaf and urged politicians to pick a government trusted by the people. The violence in the holy city of Najaf, where Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani is based, killed eight anti-government demonstrators after followers of populist cleric Moqtada al-Sadr stormed their sit-in protest.

Passenger plane makes an emergency landing to avoid coming under Syrian fire: Russia

A passenger plane carrying 172 passengers from Tehran to Damascus made an emergency landing at the Russian-controlled Hmeimim Air Base in Syria on Thursday to avoid coming under fire from Syrian air defenses, Russia said on Friday. The Syrian forces were responding to Israeli strikes on targets in Syria, Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov was quoted as saying by Interfax and other Russian agencies.