Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs. Abbas says only US can halt Israel's attack on Rafah, expected in days Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Sunday only the United States could stop Israel attacking the border city of Rafah in Gaza, adding that the assault, which he expects within days, could force much of the Palestinian population to flee the enclave.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Abbas says only US can halt Israel's attack on Rafah, expected in days

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Sunday only the United States could stop Israel attacking the border city of Rafah in Gaza, adding that the assault, which he expects within days, could force much of the Palestinian population to flee the enclave. "We call on the United States of America to ask Israel to not carry on the Rafah attack. America is the only country able to prevent Israel from committing this crime," Abbas told a special meeting of the World Economic Forum in the Saudi capital Riyadh.

Blinken speaks to Azeri, Armenian leaders about peace talks

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has spoken to the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan and reaffirmed Washington's support for a peace treaty between the South Caucasus neighbors, the State Department said on Sunday. Yerevan suffered a major defeat last September when Baku's forces retook the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, which while part of Azerbaijan had a predominantly Armenian population.

Thousands protest in Georgia against 'foreign agents' bill

Thousands of Georgians marched through the capital, Tbilisi, on Sunday, as protests built against a bill on "foreign agents" that the country's opposition and Western countries have said is authoritarian and Russian-inspired. Georgia's parliament said it would hold the bill's second reading on Tuesday, with opposition parties and civil society groups calling for mass protests against its expected passage.

At least 13 Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes on Rafah, medical officials say

Israeli air strikes on three houses in the southern Gaza city of Rafah killed 13 people and wounded many others, medics said on Monday. Hamas media outlets put the death toll at 15.

Pro-Palestinian protesters at UCLA tussle with Israel supporters

Protests at U.S. universities showed no sign of slowing over the weekend, with more arrests on campuses across the country and skirmishes between pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian demonstrators at UCLA, where a tent encampment was set up last week. As the size of the pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of California at Los Angeles expanded in recent days, counter-protesters have become increasingly vocal and visible on the campus, although both sides remained peaceful until Sunday.

Ukraine pulls back from 3 villages in east, Zelenskiy pleads for weapons

Ukraine's top commander said on Sunday Kyiv's outnumbered troops had fallen back to new positions west of three villages on the eastern front where Russia has concentrated significant forces in several locations. The statement by Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi reflected Ukraine's deteriorating position in the east that Kyiv hopes it can stabilise once it takes delivery of U.S. weapons under a $61 billion aid package approved this week.

Germany's 'Reichsbuerger' coup suspects go on trial

Nine men go on trial in Germany on Monday charged with high treason, attempted murder and plotting a violent coup d'etat aimed at installing an aristocrat as national leader and imposing martial law. The hearing in a maximum security courtroom in Stuttgart marks the start of three marathon trials of 27 people in total accused of conspiring in a plot foiled by authorities at the end of 2022. Together they amount to one of the largest legal proceedings in German history.

Ukraine's Zelenskiy issues fresh plea for Patriots, EU accession, NATO entry

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy issued a fresh plea to the international community to hurry up and deliver more air defences, start formal talks for his country to enter the European Union, and invite Ukraine to join NATO. Ukrainian forces face a worsening position in the east and await delivery of U.S. weapons following the April 23 approval by Congress of a $61 billion aid package after months of delay. Zelenskiy has repeatedly pleaded for further air defence systems, particularly the Patriot system.

Spain's Prime Minister Sanchez set to announce if he's staying or quitting

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is set to announce on Monday whether he plans to stay on or quit the premiership, days after saying he was considering resigning. Supporters in his Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) have urged Sanchez to stay since he said last week he was stepping back for a few days to decide his future and would announce his decision on Monday.

Ukrainian 'Grandpa' leads over-60s unit fighting Russian forces for free

Oleksandr Taran's mobile artillery unit isn't officially part of Ukraine's military, but that hasn't stopped his men from destroying Russian targets on their own dime. "We ... get by thanks to the pension fund," the 68-year-old commander - whose call sign is "Grandpa" - said with a chuckle.

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