Reuters World News Summary

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law last month to limit the number of local staff working at foreign diplomatic missions and other agencies, and ordered the government to draw up a list of "unfriendly" states that will be subject to the restrictions. Armenia says Azerbaijan fails to fully withdraw after border incident Armenia said on Friday that Azerbaijan had failed to fulfil a promise in full to withdraw troops that had crossed the border in a disputed incident, and that it had sought Russia's military help.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Death toll rises as violence rocks Gaza, Israel and West Bank

Israeli planes renewed air strikes in Gaza early on Saturday and Hamas militants responded by firing rockets into Israel as their battle entered a fifth night and U.S. and Arab diplomats sought an end to the violence. Palestinian medics said at least four people were killed in one of several air strikes in northern Gaza. Residents said Israeli naval boats fired shells from the Mediterranean though none may have hit the strip.

The man behind Brazil's search for miracle COVID-19 cures

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, addressing the nation last month in a social media video, touted the latest in a string of unconventional drugs he says can ease the country's COVID-19 crisis. Bolsonaro - a vaccine skeptic and promoter of discredited treatments such as hydroxychloroquine - said this new drug, Proxalutamide, would "soon be available to all Brazil." He invited a little-known Health Ministry official, Helio Angotti, to expand on its promise.

With ICUs nearly full, Colombia surpasses 80,000 COVID-19 deaths

Confirmed deaths from COVID-19 in Colombia passed 80,000 on Friday with intensive care units almost full in the biggest cities, where large crowds have been gathering for weeks of anti-government protests. Authorities warned this week that the demonstrations - initially called in opposition to a now-canceled tax reform but which have expanded to tackle inequality and police brutality - were set to prolong an already-devastating third wave of the epidemic.

Taliban and Afghan government negotiators meet in Doha

Taliban and Afghan government negotiators met in Qatar on Friday, the second day of a three-day ceasefire announced by the Taliban for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, both sides said after a long pause in peace talks between the two. They began negotiations in September last year to find a way to end decades of war. But the talks stalled after a few rounds and violence has escalated since the United States started a final pullout of troops from Afghanistan on May 1.

Lines, tokens and money brokers: Myanmar's crumbling economy runs low on cash

If you need cash in Myanmar, you have to get up early. Queues start forming outside banks at 4 a.m., where the first 15 or 30 customers are given a plastic token that will allow them to enter the bank when it opens at 9:30 a.m. and withdraw cash, according to more than a dozen people who spoke to Reuters. If you do not get a token, you either have to queue for hours for the few functioning cash dispensing machines outside or go to black-market brokers who charge big commissions.

Russia deems U.S., Czech Republic 'unfriendly', limits embassy hires

The Russian government said on Friday it had officially deemed the United States and the Czech Republic "unfriendly" states, and that U.S. diplomatic missions could no longer employ local staff while Czech missions could employ a maximum of 19. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law last month to limit the number of local staff working at foreign diplomatic missions and other agencies, and ordered the government to draw up a list of "unfriendly" states that will be subject to the restrictions.

Armenia says Azerbaijan fails to fully withdraw after border incident

Armenia said on Friday that Azerbaijan had failed to fulfil a promise in full to withdraw troops that had crossed the border in a disputed incident, and that it had sought Russia's military help. Six months after the worst fighting in decades between Azeri and ethnic Armenian forces, the border incident this week has demonstrated the fragility of a Russian-brokered ceasefire that halted the conflict.

Ivory Coast PM in 'good shape' after return from France

Ivory Coast Prime Minister Patrick Achi said he was in "good shape" after returning home to Abidjan on Friday, following reported medical treatment in France. Achi, 65, spent five days in France undergoing tests for "severe fatigue" suffered since his appointment in March, two sources told Reuters.

Exclusive: Italy audit court rejects public funding for ReiThera COVID-19 vaccine - sources

Italy's hopes of producing its own COVID-19 vaccine have been thrown into doubt after the state audit court rejected a plan to pump public funds into local biotech company ReiThera, two sources close to the matter told Reuters on Friday. A source at the audit court said it had ruled this week against a contract drawn up by state agency Invitalia to invest some 50 million euros ($60.62 million) as part of a deal with ReiThera to support its development of the new vaccine.

New Zealand PM says to fight hate, study social media algorithms

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Saturday that world leaders and tech firms looking to stamp out violent extremism online would need to focus efforts on understanding social media algorithms that drive content. Ardern was speaking at a virtual summit to mark the second anniversary of the global initiative to end online hate, called the Christchurch Call, launched by Ardern and French President Emmanuel Macron in 2019 after a white supremacist killed 51 people at two mosques in the New Zealand city of Christchurch while live-streaming his rampage on Facebook.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)