World News Summary: Lebanon's Hariri says he will not be PM again

Following is a summary of current world news briefs. Lebanon's Hariri says he will not be PM again

Lebanon's Saad al-Hariri withdrew as a candidate for prime minister on Wednesday, and Shi'ite Hezbollah with its ally Amal moved toward nominating a former education minister for the job, two senior sources familiar with their position said. Hariri, the country's leading Sunni politician, took himself out of the running on the eve of formal consultations to pick a prime minister, a post reserved for a Sunni in Lebanon's sectarian power-sharing system. Myanmar's Suu Kyi says supporters a 'source of strength' during genocide hearings

Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Wednesday thanked supporters who staged large rallies on her behalf as she defended the country against genocide charges at The Hague, speaking to the nation for the first time since she returned on Sunday. Gambia accused Myanmar of violating the 1948 Genocide Convention over a military campaign that drove more than 730,000 Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar to Bangladesh. It has asked the International Court of Justice to order "provisional measures" to prevent more harm. Chinese leader Xi visits gambling hub Macau as nearby Hong Kong seethes

China's President Xi Jinping arrived in Macau on Wednesday to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its handover to China, and is expected to announce economic perks as a reward for its stability and loyalty as protests rock nearby Hong Kong. Security was tight in the gambling hub, especially for people arriving from Hong Kong. Among the polices Xi is expected to announce are steps to diversifying the former Portuguese colony's economic base beyond its casinos. Brexit and health, Britain's Johnson sets out priorities in Queen's Speech

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will set out his government's plans on Thursday, fleshing out how he will honor his election-winning pledges to get Brexit done quickly and boost funding for the state health service. In a ceremony that marks a new parliament, Queen Elizabeth will read out the laws which the government wants the House of Commons to approve and will pinpoint Johnson's priorities after winning a commanding majority at last week's national election. Canada's SNC-Lavalin unit pleads guilty to fraud charge in Libya case

A division of SNC-Lavalin Group Inc pleaded guilty to one fraud charge and will pay a C$280 million fine related to projects in Libya, the company said on Wednesday, in a case that engulfed Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government in crisis. The Montreal-based construction and engineering company said it reached a settlement after being accused of bribing Libyan officials to get contracts between 2001 and 2011. Shares in SNC, which were halted on the Toronto Stock Exchange early on Wednesday, soared as much as 35.3% to C$32.59 following the announcement. States pledge more than $3 billion for refugees, asylum rights 'under threat': U.N.

States have pledged more than $3 billion to support refugees and about 50,000 resettlement places, the United Nations refugee agency said on Wednesday at the end of a ministerial conference. U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said that the Global Forum on Refugees had broadened responsibility-sharing for 25.9 million refugees who have fled war and persecution, mainly exiled in poor neighboring countries. Denmark approves new U.S. consulate in Greenland

Denmark has approved the establishment of a U.S. consulate in Greenland, an autonomous part of Denmark, four months after rebuffing U.S. President Donald Trump's idea of buying the island which stunned Copenhagen and caused a diplomatic spat. A new consulate is part of a broader move by Washington to expand its diplomatic and commercial presence in Greenland and the Arctic. Fiery car crash kills 14 on Mexican highway

At least 14 people were killed and 12 others were injured when a van crashed into a truck on a highway in Mexico's Jalisco state and burst into flames, officials and local media said on Wednesday. Two of the injured passengers, an adult and a baby, were in critical condition and airlifted to a hospital. Some of the victims' bodies were completely charred. Malnutrition curses the children of Venezuela

Last August, Francys Rivero, an unemployed single mother of four, feared for her baby's life. Two months after his birth, even though she was breastfeeding him regularly, Kenai de Jesus wasn't gaining weight. "I feel like my heart is breaking," Rivero, 32, told Reuters in an interview here in the capital of the western Venezuelan state of Lara. "I don't know what's wrong with my son." Seoul, Washington fail to agree on cost of U.S. troops; U.S. 'not focused on' $5 billion demand

South Korea and the United States failed on Wednesday to agree on Seoul's contribution toward hosting some 28,500 U.S. troops, but the U.S. side hinted after the two days of talks ended that it will no longer stick to its $5 billion demand. No deal by Dec. 31, when the current agreement expires, may result in a repeat of last year when the two countries missed a year-end deadline but reached a retroactive deal in the new year. The two sides next meet in January in the United States.