Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs. Mexico asks U.S. for answers over historic gun-running row

Mexico's president on Friday urged the United States to shed light on a gun-running sting that caused bilateral friction under the Obama presidency, questioning the behavior of past U.S. administrations for the third time this week. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said his government would send a diplomatic note to Washington for information on the 2009-2011 operation known as 'Fast and Furious,' a topic that has resurfaced in recent days amid a debate over historic U.S.-Mexico cooperation on security and possible corruption under previous administrations. Macron's lawmakers told to pull together amid reports of new group

The parliamentary leader of French President Emmanuel Macron's centrist party demanded the "utmost prudence" from his lawmakers on Friday after reports that some were poised to defect to a new political group, according to an internal memo. Gilles Le Gendre, a close Macron ally, sent the memo seen by Reuters to La Republique En Marche (LaRem) lawmakers after the business daily Les Echos reported that the creation of a new 58-strong centre-left grouping was imminent. Biggest threat to Brazil coronavirus response? President Bolsonaro, says The Lancet

The biggest threat to Brazil's ability to successfully combat the spread of the coronavirus and tackle the unfolding public health crisis is the country's president, Jair Bolsonaro, according to British medical journal The Lancet. In an editorial, the Lancet said his disregard for and flouting of lockdown measures is sowing confusion across Brazil, which reported a record number of COVID-19 deaths on Friday, and is fast emerging as one of the world's coronavirus hot spots. Wuhan market had role in virus outbreak, but more research needed: WHO

A wholesale market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan played a role in the outbreak of the novel coronavirus last year, as the source or possibly as an "amplifying setting", the World Health Organization said on Friday, calling for more research. Chinese authorities shut down the market in January as part of efforts to halt the spread of the virus and ordered a temporary ban on trade and consumption of wildlife. EU should beef up fake news pledge involving Google, Facebook, Twitter: study

The European Union should strengthen a voluntary pledge, to which Facebook Inc, Alphabet Inc's Google and Twitter Inc signed up to combat fake news, with sanctions to make it a more effective tool, a study done for the European Commission said on Friday. The three U.S. tech giants, together with Mozilla and trade bodies representing the advertising industry, agreed in October 2018 on a self-regulatory code of practice to tackle disinformation in a bid to stave off heavy-handed legislation. U.S. denies acting against Venezuela's Maduro, says would have been "overt"

The White House National Security Council on Friday denied the United States was involved in a bungled incursion into Venezuela this week, allegedly to overthrow President Nicolas Maduro, adding if it had been, it would have been "overt, direct & effective." The NSC issued a statement via Twitter after Maduro said that Venezuelan authorities had detained a pair of U.S. citizens working with a U.S. military veteran who has claimed responsibility for the foiled operation. No warning, no escape as deadly gas swept through an Indian village

When gas began leaking from a nearby chemical factory and drifting towards his house in southern India, there were no warnings and no alarms, welder Elamanchili Venkatesh said. He realised something was wrong when he woke up choking and spluttering in the pre-dawn darkness on Thursday in RR Venkatapuram village, just 250 metres (275 yards) from the plant owned by South Korea's LG Chem Ltd. Britain facing no 'dramatic overnight change' in lockdown rules

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will not announce any dramatic changes to Britain's coronavirus lockdown on Sunday, adopting a cautious approach to try to ensure there is no second deadly peak of infections, his environment minister said. Johnson is due to announce the next steps in Britain's battle to tackle the novel coronavirus following a review by ministers of the current measures that have all but shut the economy and kept millions at home for over six weeks. Tijuana coronavirus death rate soars after hospital outbreaks

The number of deaths from the coronavirus in Mexico's best-known border city, Tijuana, has soared and the COVID-19 mortality rate is twice the national average, the health ministry says, after medical staff quickly fell ill as the outbreak rampaged through hospital wards. A floor at one of the city's main public hospitals has been left empty because so many workers are sick there are not enough left to care for patients, the hospital director said, despite people with COVID-19 symptoms lining up outside to get in for treatment. Queen tells Britain 'never give up' in tribute to WW2 generation

Queen Elizabeth led tributes to veterans of World War Two recalling the "never give up, never despair" message of Victory in Europe Day 75 years ago as the coronavirus damped commemorations for the end of the war on the continent. In a rare televised address that brought together the themes of wartime and the coronavirus, the 94-year-old monarch said those who had served during the conflict with Nazi Germany would admire how their descendants were coping with the lockdown imposed to curb the spread of the virus.