Reuters World News Summary

In his third appearance since his Ryanair plane was forced to land in Belarus by the authorities on May 23, Protasevich admitted to plotting to topple President Alexander Lukashenko by organising "riots" and recanted earlier criticism of the veteran leader. Chile halts second dose, ups minimum age for AstraZeneca vaccine after blood clot report Chile's health ministry on Thursday said it would raise the minimum age of men approved to receive the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to 45 from 18, and suspend administering second doses until authorities complete an investigation into a man who had a blood clot after his first shot.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Brazilian army exonerates general criticized for appearance with Bolsonaro

Eduardo Pazuello, a Brazilian army general who rankled feathers among many officials and fellow military officials for appearing at a campaign rally with President Jair Bolsonaro, will not be disciplined, the army said in a Thursday statement. Pazuello appeared at a political rally for Bolsonaro in May, where he spoke with the right-wing leader's arm draped over his shoulder. The incident alarmed many given Bolsonaro's open nostalgia for the nation's 1964 to 1985 military dictatorship and his cozy relationship with some elements of the armed forces, many members of which hold key positions in his government.

Witnessing COVID chaos in India's hospitals, graveyards and crematoriums

Covering the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic as it tore through Indian cities, towns and villages was overwhelming at times. Patients died at home, in their cars on the way to hospital and outside emergency wards because there were no beds for them.

Congo faces third wave of coronavirus, says health minister

Democratic Republic of Congo is facing a third wave of coronavirus infections, with its epicentre in the capital, Kinshasa, one of Africa's most-populous cities, Health Minister Jean-Jacques Mbungani said on Thursday. Like many other African countries, Congo has officially reported relatively few cases and deaths, but health authorities are concerned about a recent spike in infections that saw 243 new cases recorded on Wednesday, the highest daily figure since March.

Hong Kong police to try to stifle any commemoration of Tiananmen crackdown

Thousands of Hong Kong police are expected to surround a central park and patrol the city's streets on Friday to prevent people from gathering to commemorate the 1989 crackdown by Chinese troops in and around Beijing's Tiananmen Square. Critics say the heightened vigilance from authorities is a marked departure from Hong Kong's cherished freedoms of speech and assembly, bringing the global financial hub closer in line with mainland China's strict controls on society.

Netanyahu, battling for political life, attacks deal to unseat him

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday scorned as "dangerous" and "left-wing" a cross-partisan coalition cobbled together by his rivals to unseat him, even as the nationalist named to lead it echoed his hard line on the Palestinians. Netanyahu, facing the prospect of an end to his 12-year run as premier, mounted the social media attack the day after centrist opposition leader Yair Lapid's announcement, about 35 minutes before a Wednesday night deadline, that he had succeeded in forming a governing coalition.

Czech government survives no-confidence vote months before election

The Czech government survived a no-confidence motion on Thursday after a party holding decisive votes shunned the opposition's attempt to overthrow Prime Minister Andrej Babis' minority Cabinet months before a general election. Two opposition coalitions, both challengers to Babis' ANO party in the election planned for October, brought the motion over the government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic and investigations into billionaire Babis' alleged conflicts of interest.

Facebook to end special treatment for politicians after Trump ban - report

Facebook Inc is planning to end its policy that shields politicians from some content moderation rules, The Verge reported on Thursday, in what would be a major policy reversal for the world's largest social media network. The reported change comes as Facebook is expected to announce its response to recommendations made by the company's independent oversight board when it ruled on the firm's suspension of former U.S. President Donald Trump.

Opposition decries 'hostage' video as Belarus airs confession of detained journalist

Detained journalist Roman Protasevich appeared on Belarusian state television on Thursday, tearfully confessing to his role in anti-government protests in an interview which the opposition said was made under duress. In his third appearance since his Ryanair plane was forced to land in Belarus by the authorities on May 23, Protasevich admitted to plotting to topple President Alexander Lukashenko by organising "riots" and recanted earlier criticism of the veteran leader.

Chile halts second dose, ups minimum age for AstraZeneca vaccine after blood clot report

Chile's health ministry on Thursday said it would raise the minimum age of men approved to receive the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to 45 from 18, and suspend administering second doses until authorities complete an investigation into a man who had a blood clot after his first shot. Chile, a leader in vaccinating its citizens against the virus, received its first doses of the AstraZeneca-Oxford University vaccine in April. Regulators initially approved the vaccine for men over 18 and women over 45.

Pressuring junta, France suspends joint military operations with Malian forces

France said on Thursday it was suspending its joint military operations with local troops in Mali as part of efforts to pressure the military junta there to restore a civilian-led government. Mali's military arrested interim President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane last week and pressured them to resign, derailing a transition to democratic elections after another military coup last August.

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