World News Roundup: Israel's Netanyahu presents new unity government; China reports five new coronavirus cases and more

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Afghan president and rival strike power-sharing deal after feuding for months

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his rival Abdullah Abdullah signed a power-sharing deal to end a months-long political stalemate, Ghani's spokesman said on Sunday, a step that could smooth efforts to end the country's long-running war. "The Political Agreement between President Ghani and Dr. Abdullah Abdullah has just been signed," said Sediq Sediqqi, Ghani's spokesman, on Twitter. Abdullah would lead the council for peace talks with the insurgent Taliban and his team members would be included in the cabinet, Sediqqi added.

Israel's Netanyahu presents new unity government to parliament

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented his new unity government to parliament on Sunday, ending more than a year of political deadlock but still facing a trial starting in a week for alleged corruption. His power-sharing agreement with former election rival, centrist Blue and White leader Benny Gantz, opens the way for the right-wing Netanyahu to proceed towards a pledged de facto annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank, land Palestinians seek for a state.

China reports five new coronavirus cases, adviser says the risk of the second wave remains

Mainland China reported five new confirmed COVID-19 cases for May 16, down from eight the previous day, the National Health Commission (NHC) said in a statement on Sunday. Two of the five confirmed cases were so-called imported infections, while three were locally transmitted in the northeastern Chinese city of Jilin.

China's ambassador to Israel found dead in Tel Aviv home: police

China's ambassador to Israel was found dead in his home in a Tel Aviv suburb on Sunday, an Israeli police spokesman said. He did not comment on the cause of the death of ambassador Du Wei, who was 57 years old and became ambassador to Israel in February, according to the embassy's website.

China's Wuhan nearly doubles the number of COVID-19 tests per day

The city of Wuhan, where the new coronavirus outbreak originated in China, conducted 222,675 nucleic acid tests on May 16, the local health authority said on Sunday, nearly doubling from a day earlier. Wuhan kicked off a campaign on May 14 to look for asymptomatic carriers - people who are infected but show no outward sign of illness - after confirming last weekend its first cluster of COVID-19 infections since its release from a virtual lockdown on April 8.

Fourteen million Britons ready to get on their bikes

Britain could experience a transport revolution sparked by the coronavirus pandemic with up to 14 million people ready to swap cars for bikes, British Cycling believes. However, the opportunity could be lost if towns and cities fail to follow the Department for Transport guidance to provide new emergency infrastructure such as pop-up cycle lanes.

UK PM Johnson accepts public frustration with lockdown easing rules

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson admitted on Sunday that there was public frustration with his government's measures to ease the coronavirus lockdown following widespread criticism of the new rules, which he admitted were more complex. As a poll for the Observer newspaper indicated growing dissatisfaction with Johnson's handling of the crisis, he wrote in the Mail on Sunday paper: "I understand that people will feel frustrated with some of the new rules."

Demolition of Albanian national theatre sparks angry protests

Albanian authorities began demolishing the national theatre building early on Sunday after dragging away two dozen actors and activists protecting the site, drawing a large crowd chanting "shame" and "dictatorship". For more than two years actors, activists, and the opposition have contested plans by Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama to build a new theatre, saying the existing building was part of the country's heritage and accused him of corrupt practices.

Egypt tightens coronavirus restrictions for Eid holiday

Egypt will bring forward the start of its curfew by four hours to 5 pm and halt public transport during the six-day Eid holiday from May 24 as it seeks to curb the spread of the new coronavirus, the prime minister said on Sunday. Shops, restaurants, and parks will also be closed for the holiday at the end of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, and restrictions on citizens' movements will be extended for a further two weeks afterward, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said.

In Mexico, one of the world's biggest food markets stirs unease about infections

Every day, thousands of Mexicans crowd a massive food market that is a lynchpin of the capital's food supply, though it sits at the heart of a major hotspot for the virus. Mexico City's sprawling Central de Abasto market, stretching across an area equivalent to about 327 football pitches, poses a major headache for officials trying to keep food supplies flowing without magnifying the spread of the coronavirus.