World in Brief: National Service Proposals, Rescues in Papua New Guinea, and Global Peace Initiatives

This summary covers a range of global news, including the UK Conservatives' plan for mandatory national service, ongoing rescue efforts in Papua New Guinea after a devastating landslide, Ukraine's peace summit invites, political developments in Lithuania and Moldova, climate warnings in Mexico, Taiwan-China relations, Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, Putin's visit to Uzbekistan, and a rare summit between China, South Korea, and Japan.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Lagging in polls, UK Conservatives pitch national service at 18

Britain's Conservative Party will introduce mandatory national service for 18-year-olds if it wins the national election on July 4, comprising military or community participation, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Sunday. Young adults will be able to choose between spending one weekend a month volunteering over the course of a year, or take up one of 30,000 spaces to spend a year in the armed forces, Sunak said.

Papua New Guinea continue rescue efforts after hundreds feared killed in landslide

Emergency crews in Papua New Guinea on Monday continued their rescue efforts to find survivors after more than 670 people were feared killed in a massive landslide which flattened a remote village in the Pacific nation's northern region. The United Nations migration agency on Sunday said some 1,250 people had been displaced from the landslide that occurred in Papua New Guinea's (PNG) Enga province early morning on Friday. More than 150 houses were buried and around 250 houses nearby have been abandoned by inhabitants.

Zelenskiy, from ravaged Kharkiv, urges Biden and Xi to join peace summit

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy appealed to U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Sunday to attend his peace summit as Ukraine struggles to stave off unrelenting attacks by Russia in its 27-month-old invasion. Ukraine hopes to host as many countries as possible at Kyiv-led talks in Switzerland next month aimed at uniting global opinion on how to halt the war and piling pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has not been invited.

Lithuanian Nauseda calls victory in presidential election

Lithuanian Gitanas Nauseda announced his re-election in a presidential ballot on Sunday, following a campaign dominated by security concerns in the European Union and NATO member next door to Russia. The Baltic nation of 2.8 million people has been a staunch ally of Ukraine since Russia's 2022 invasion. Like other countries in the region, it worries it could be Moscow's next target.

Twelve Moldovan parties clinch pro-Europe pact, but not all back president

Twelve parties in Moldova clinched a pact on Sunday committing them to act in favour of European Union membership for the ex-Soviet state as the campaign for an October referendum on European integration heats up. But not all the parties support pro-European President Maia Sandu, who is running for re-election in a poll taking place alongside the referendum. Some of them intend to put up a joint candidate to run against her.

Experts warn of hail, whirlwinds in Mexico after new heat record in the capital

The third heat wave suffocating dozens of states in Mexico could give way on Sunday to torrential rains, hail and even whirlwinds during the afternoon in the center of the country, meteorologists said. The warning came after the capital registered another record-breaking maximum of 34.7 Celsius (94.5 Fahrenheit) the day before.

Taiwan president extends goodwill after China drills, US lawmakers arrive

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te extended goodwill towards and offered cooperation with China on Sunday following two days of Chinese war games near the island, as a group of U.S. lawmakers arrived in Taipei. China, which claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, carried out the military drills on Thursday and Friday, calling them "punishment" after Lai's inauguration speech on Monday which Beijing called another push for the island's formal independence.

Israeli airstrikes kill at least 35 in Rafah, say Gaza authorities; Israel says struck Hamas commander

Israeli air strikes killed at least 35 Palestinians and wounded dozens in an area in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah designated for the displaced, Palestinian health and civil emergency service officials said. The Israeli military said its air force struck a Hamas compound in Rafah and that the strike was carried out with "precise ammunition and on the basis of precise intelligence." It took out Hamas' chief of staff for the West Bank and another senior official behind deadly attacks on Israelis, it said.

Russian President Putin arrives in Uzbekistan, third foreign trip since re-election

Russian President Vladimir Putin, making his third foreign trip since his re-election in March, arrived in ex-Soviet Uzbekistan on Sunday and met with his counterpart Shavkat Mirziyoyev ahead of the start of formal talks. Russian news agencies said Mirziyoyev met Putin on arrival in Tashkent in the evening and the two leaders travelled together in a single car.

China's premier to hold rare summit with U.S.-allied South Korea, Japan

Leaders from China, Japan, and South Korea will meet for the first three-way talks in four years on Monday in Seoul, as they try to revive trade and security dialogues hampered by global tensions. Chinese Premier Li Qiang, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will adopt a joint statement on six areas including the economy and trade, science and technology, people-to-people exchanges and health and the aging population, Seoul officials said.

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