World News Roundup: Kenyan cult leader appears in court after more than 100 followers die; Over 100,000 refugees crossed from Sudan to neighbouring countries - UN and more

The conflict risks morphing into a broader disaster as Sudan's impoverished neighbours deal with a refugee crunch and fighting hampers aid deliveries in a nation where two-thirds of people already rely on some outside assistance. Exclusive-Turkish raid prompted ISIS leader to detonate suicide vest ISIS leader Abu Hussein al-Qurashi's six-month rule ended when he detonated a suicide vest during a Turkish special forces raid in northwest Syria on Saturday after refusing to surrender, a senior Turkish security official said.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Kenyan cult leader appears in court after more than 100 followers die

A Kenyan cult leader accused of ordering his followers to starve themselves to death appeared in court on Tuesday as investigators searched for more bodies in a forest in eastern Kenya where 101 corpses have already been unearthed. Kenyan authorities say the dead were members of the Good News International Church led by Paul Mackenzie, 50, who had predicted the world would end on April 15 and ordered his followers to kill themselves to be the first to go to heaven.

Over 100,000 refugees crossed from Sudan to neighbouring countries - UN

More than 100,000 refugees have crossed from Sudan to neighbouring countries to escape the conflict that erupted last month while hundreds of thousands have been displaced within the country, U.N. officials said on Tuesday. "Over 100,000 refugees are estimated to be among those who have now crossed to neighbouring countries, including Sudanese refugees," Olga Sarrado, spokesperson at United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, told reporters at a briefing in Geneva.

Palestinian hunger striker Khader Adnan dies in Israeli custody

A Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader died on Tuesday in Israeli custody after an 87-day hunger strike, authorities said, the first such fatality in more than three decades, and tensions around the Gaza Strip spiked as the faction swore revenge. Khader Adnan, who was awaiting trial, was found unconscious in his cell and taken to a hospital, where he was declared dead after efforts to revive him, Israel's Prisons Service said. He had refused any medical assessments or treatment, it added.

Sudan conflict drives 100,000 over border amid crumbling ceasefires

Sudan's war has forced 100,000 people to flee over its borders and fighting now its third week is creating a humanitarian crisis, U.N. officials said on Tuesday as gunfire and explosions echoed across the capital despite another ceasefire deal. The conflict risks morphing into a broader disaster as Sudan's impoverished neighbours deal with a refugee crunch and fighting hampers aid deliveries in a nation where two-thirds of people already rely on some outside assistance.

Exclusive-Turkish raid prompted ISIS leader to detonate suicide vest

ISIS leader Abu Hussein al-Qurashi's six-month rule ended when he detonated a suicide vest during a Turkish special forces raid in northwest Syria on Saturday after refusing to surrender, a senior Turkish security official said. The third ISIS leader to die by detonating an explosive vest during a raid since 2019, Qurashi leaves behind an organization that once ruled millions of people via its control of a third of Iraq and Syria but has now been forced underground.

Explainer-What is happening in Sudan? Fighting in Khartoum explained

A conflict in Sudan that erupted on April 15 has killed hundreds of people, driven more than 100,000 to flee across the borders and displaced hundreds of thousands inside the country where many already relied on international aid before fighting began. WHAT TRIGGERED THE VIOLENCE?

Russia may use civilians, journalists to spy on Denmark: Danish intelligence

Denmark's intelligence service expects Russia to recruit civilians and use journalists and business people to spy on the country as an alternative to Russian diplomats who were expelled last year on suspicion of espionage, it said on Tuesday. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has intensified Moscow's need for intelligence gathering in NATO countries, the Danish Security and Intelligence Service (PET) said in a report on Tuesday.

As counteroffensive looms, Ukraine vows not to give up Bakhmut

Ukraine's military vowed on Tuesday not to give up the eastern city of Bakhmut as it prepares to launch a counteroffensive against Russian forces. General Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander of Ukrainian ground forces, underlined the importance Kyiv attaches to holding Bakhmut as preparations continue for a counterattack which it hopes will change the dynamic of the war in Ukraine.

Uganda parliament passes harsh anti-LGBTQ bill mostly unchanged

Uganda's parliament on Tuesday passed one of the world's strictest anti-LGBTQ bills mostly unchanged, including long jail terms and the death penalty, after President Yoweri Museveni requested some parts of the original legislation be toned down.

Despite some changes, the new bill retains most of the harshest measures of the legislation adopted in March, which drew condemnation from the United States, European Union, United Nations and major corporations.

French unions plan June 6 protests against Macron and his pension law

French trade unions announced on Tuesday a new nationwide day of protests on June 6 against President Emmanuel Macron's decision to increase the retirement age by two years to 64. The reform, which Macron signed into law last month despite weeks of protests and strikes, has crystallised discontent against a president perceived by many in France as being aloof and indifferent to their daily hardships.