Reuters World News Summary

Hariri announced his decision after meeting President Michel Aoun, saying it was clear they could not agree, underscoring the political squabbling that has blocked the formation of a cabinet even as Lebanon sinks deeper into crisis. U.S. reviewing whether it can help restore internet access in Cuba -Biden President Joe Biden said on Thursday the White House is reviewing whether the United States can help Cubans regain internet access in the wake of Cuban government actions following the biggest anti-government protests in decades.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Hunt for indigenous children's unmarked graves in Canada 'barely scratched the surface' -researcher

A juvenile rib, a tooth and survivors' testimony that children were dragged from their beds in the middle of the night to dig graves in an apple orchard gave clues on where to conduct the radar search that found unmarked graves of children at a former Canadian residential school, researchers said on Thursday. Sarah Beaulieu, a specialist in ground-penetrating radar from the University of the Fraser Valley, conducted searches in May on the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia. They led to the discovery of about 200 suspected unmarked graves of children, some believed to be as young as 3, sparking a public uproar.

U.S. to sanction Chinese officials and warn companies over Hong Kong -sources

The United States is preparing to impose sanctions on Friday on a number of Chinese officials over Beijing's crackdown on democracy in Hong Kong, as well as a warning to international businesses operating there about deteriorating conditions, two people with knowledge of the situation told Reuters. The sources said the financial sanctions would target seven officials from China's Hong Kong liaison office, the official platform which projects Beijing's influence into the Chinese territory.

Charges could be brought in U.S. over Haitian assassination -U.S. official

Charges could be brought in the United States related to the killing of Haitian President Jovenel Moise, a U.S. senior administration official said on Thursday. Moise was fatally shot on July 7 at his Port-au-Prince home by what Haitian authorities describe as a unit of assassins, including 26 Colombians and two Haitian Americans.

Lebanon spins further into crisis as Hariri abandons bid to form government

Lebanese politician Saad al-Hariri abandoned his months-long effort to form a new government on Thursday, dimming the chances of a cabinet being agreed any time soon that could start rescuing the country from financial meltdown. Hariri announced his decision after meeting President Michel Aoun, saying it was clear they could not agree, underscoring the political squabbling that has blocked the formation of a cabinet even as Lebanon sinks deeper into crisis.

U.S. reviewing whether it can help restore internet access in Cuba -Biden

President Joe Biden said on Thursday the White House is reviewing whether the United States can help Cubans regain internet access in the wake of Cuban government actions following the biggest anti-government protests in decades. Cuba's government has restricted access https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/cuba-curbs-access-facebook-messaging-apps-amid-protests-internet-watchdog-2021-07-13 to social media and messaging platforms including Facebook and WhatsApp amid the protests, according to global internet monitoring firm NetBlocks.

Dutch crime reporter De Vries dies after being shot in street

Celebrity Dutch crime reporter Peter R. de Vries has died just over a week after being shot in a busy Amsterdam street, his family and his employer RTL Netherlands said on Thursday, prompting an outpouring of grief and anger at home and abroad. De Vries, 64, was well-known for his television programmes, in which he often worked with victims' families and tirelessly pursued unsolved cases. He had received threats in the past from the criminal underworld in connection with his work.

At least 44 dead, dozens missing as floods sweep through western Europe

At least 42 people have died in Germany and dozens were missing on Thursday as swollen rivers caused by record rainfall across western Europe swept through towns and villages, leaving cars upended, houses destroyed and people stranded on rooftops. As the water started to recede, stunned residents in the worst affected towns inspected what was left of their homes and neighbourhoods.

Biden, Merkel vow common front on Russia, China

President Joe Biden and outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday vowed to work together to defend against Russian aggression and stand up to anti-democratic actions by China. Biden said he reiterated his concerns about the Nord Stream 2 pipeline being built from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea, but he and Merkel were united in their belief that Russia should not use energy as a weapon.

Biden says no U.S. plans to send troops to Haiti at the moment

President Joe Biden on Thursday appeared to rule out the possibility of sending U.S. troops to Haiti to stabilize the Caribbean nation following the assassination of President Jovenel Moise. Haiti's Acting Prime Minister Claude Joseph has requested troops from both the United States and the United Nations to help secure its airport and other infrastructure.

Volunteer undertakers bear the dead from Indonesian homes as COVID-19 deaths rise

After his work as a taxi driver dried up because of Indonesia's new coronavirus restrictions, Ardi Novriansyah offered his driving skills to help his home city's buckling medical system. Ardi, 41, is one of about 35 volunteers in Bogor, south of Jakarta, who recover the bodies of people that have died from COVID-19 while isolating at home.