World News Roundup: Indian farmers plan to enter New Delhi to intensify protests; West avoids seriously confronting Iran as IAEA meet begins and more

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Indian farmers plan to enter New Delhi to intensify protests

Indian farmers are planning to escalate their protests from Wednesday by entering the capital New Delhi by bus and train, and increasing their numbers at border points that are currently blocked by tractors. Thousands of farmers began the "Delhi Chalo" (Let's go to Delhi) march last month but were stopped by security forces about 200 km (125 miles) north of the capital with teargas and water cannon.

West avoids seriously confronting Iran as IAEA meet begins

A quarterly meeting of the U.N. nuclear watchdog's main policy-making body began on Monday with Western powers again choosing not to seriously confront Iran over its failure to cooperate with the agency on a range of issues, diplomats said. It is more than a year since the International Atomic Energy Agency's 35-nation Board of Governors passed a resolution ordering Iran to cooperate with a years-long IAEA investigation into uranium particles found at undeclared sites, saying it was "essential and urgent" for Iran to explain the traces.

In blunt remarks, US VP Harris calls out Israel over "catastrophe" in Gaza

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris bluntly called out Israel on Sunday for not doing enough to ease a "humanitarian catastrophe" in Gaza as the Biden administration faces increasing pressure to rein in its close ally while it wages war with Hamas militants. Harris, speaking in front of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, where state troopers beat U.S. civil rights marchers nearly six decades ago, called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and urged Hamas to accept a deal to release hostages in return for a 6-week cessation of hostilities.

Kremlin says German recording shows intent to strike Russia, asks whether Scholz in charge

The Kremlin said on Monday a purported recording of German military discussions showed Germany's armed forces were discussing plans to launch strikes on Russian territory, and questioned whether Chancellor Olaf Scholz was in control of the situation. Russian media last week published an audio recording of what they said was a meeting of senior German military officials discussing weapons for Ukraine and a potential strike by Kyiv on a bridge in Crimea, prompting Russian officials to demand an explanation.

Church of England urged to expand fund to address slavery links

The Church of England's 100 million pound fund to address its historical links to the slave trade is too small and should be expanded at least tenfold, an oversight group led by descendants of enslaved Africans said on Monday. The group, appointed by the church to provide advice on how to address its historic links to slavery, said in a report on Monday that the fund was not enough when compared with the scale of the racial disadvantage caused by its past investments.

Albania, wary of Russia, reopens Soviet-era air base to NATO

NATO member Albania, which has no fighter jets of its own, opened a rebuilt Soviet-era air base to serve NATO aircraft on Monday amid an increased threat from Russia, Prime Minister Edi Rama said. NATO has spent over 50 million euros ($54.26 million) on the Kucova Air Base to bolster its presence in the region. Airspace in the Adriatic country of Albania, which borders Greece to the south and Montenegro to the north, is protected by Italy and Greece.

Pakistan's Shehbaz Sharif takes oath as prime minister

Pakistan's Shehbaz Sharif took the oath on Monday to officially become prime minister for a second time, nearly four weeks after an uncertain national election caused delays in the formation of a coalition government. Sharif, 72, officially took up office at a swearing-in ceremony at the presidential office in the nation's capital, Islamabad, a day after parliament elected him prime minister despite protests from lawmakers aligned with jailed former premier Imran Khan.

Israel carries out biggest Ramallah raid in years, witnesses say

Israeli forces swept into the Palestinians' administrative capital of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank overnight, killing a 16-year-old in a refugee camp during their biggest raid into the city in years, Palestinian sources said on Monday. Witnesses in Ramallah said Israeli forces had driven dozens of military vehicles into the city, which is the headquarters of the Palestinian Authority led by President Mahmoud Abbas.

Hamas says it presses on with Gaza truce talks without Israelis

Hamas said on Monday it was pressing on with talks on securing a ceasefire in Gaza despite Israel's decision not to attend, while Washington appeared to take a tougher line in demanding its ally Israel ease the plight of suffering civilians. The ceasefire talks, which began on Sunday in Cairo, are billed as a final hurdle to establish the first extended ceasefire of the five-month-old war, in time for the Ramadan Muslim fasting month which is expected to begin on Sunday.

Boon for Thailand's Shinawatras as court clears ex-PM Yingluck of negligence

Thailand's Supreme Court cleared self-exiled former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra of negligence on Monday, in a boost for an influential family whose party is back in power after a decade in the political wilderness. Yingluck, who has lived abroad since 2017 to avoid jail over a subsidy scheme that caused billions of dollars in state losses, was cleared of favouring certain companies that received government contracts, in a unanimous decision by the top court.

(With inputs from agencies.)