World News Roundup: No bump for Trump in New Hampshire as possible criminal charges loom; Indian opposition dealt major blow as parliament bars Congress leader Gandhi and more

Like other Republicans in New Hampshire, which traditionally holds the second nominating contest in presidential election years, Lambert, 58, the owner of a manufacturing company, will be among the earliest to weigh in on Trump's viability for the Republican nomination in 2024. Indian opposition dealt major blow as parliament bars Congress leader Gandhi India's opposition Congress party suffered a major blow on Friday when parliament disqualified its leader, Rahul Gandhi, a day after a court convicted him of defamation for comments that many deemed insulting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

No bump for Trump in New Hampshire as possible criminal charges loom

Longtime Donald Trump supporter Doug Lambert agrees with the former president that the potential criminal charges he faces in New York are being cooked up by his enemies on the left. But, Lambert worries about the "messiness" of a Trump presidential candidacy and is leaning towards voting for someone else. Like other Republicans in New Hampshire, which traditionally holds the second nominating contest in presidential election years, Lambert, 58, the owner of a manufacturing company, will be among the earliest to weigh in on Trump's viability for the Republican nomination in 2024.

Indian opposition dealt major blow as parliament bars Congress leader Gandhi

India's opposition Congress party suffered a major blow on Friday when parliament disqualified its leader, Rahul Gandhi, a day after a court convicted him of defamation for comments that many deemed insulting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Gandhi "stands disqualified from the membership of Lok Sabha from the date of his conviction", the lower house of parliament said in a notice, using its Indian name.

UK's Sunak raised judicial concerns with Israel's Netanyahu

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stressed the importance of upholding democratic values when he received Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu for talks on Friday, referring to a move to overhaul Israel's judiciary that has stirred mass protests. Netanyahu has faced weeks of uproar over his religious-nationalist coalition's pursuit of changes to the judiciary that would give the government sway in choosing judges and limit the Supreme Court's power to strike down laws.

Macron under pressure to find way out of pension crisis after night of clashes

President Emmanuel Macron was under pressure on Friday to find a way out of a crisis that has seen some of France's worst street violence in years over a pension bill he has pushed through parliament without a vote. In Paris and many cities across the country, clean-up crews sifted through broken glass, charred garbage cans and shattered bus stops after violent clashes overnight between black-clad anarchists and police. A tag on an ATM read: "Paris is burning."

Inside Ukraine’s scramble for “game-changer” drone fleet

At an unassuming industrial estate in northern Ukraine, two former Microsoft executives and a team of engineers are producing military drones that can travel over long distances and carry large payloads. AeroDrone, which made crop-dusting drones prior to the war and now supplies Ukraine’s armed forces, makes unmanned aircraft that can carry up to 300 kilograms or fly up to several thousand kilometres in certain configurations.

King Charles' state visit to France postponed after violent protests

Britain's King Charles on Friday cancelled a state visit to France after social unrest over President Emmanuel Macron's new pension law erupted into some of the worst street violence seen in years across the country. The postponement will be a major embarrassment to Macron, who had hoped the monarch's visit would mark a symbolic step in the two countries' efforts to turn a page after years of poor relations post-Brexit.

Rahul Gandhi, the 'prince' of Indian politics who lost his parliament seat

Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi has never been a minister in a federal or state government, has not led his Congress party to a general election victory, and quit as party chief after it was demolished in the last parliamentary polls in 2019. Yet he remains at the centre of India's opposition politics and the main target of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu- nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

'Hotel Rwanda' figure Rusesabagina to be released from prison -government source

Paul Rusesabagina, who was portrayed as a hero in the Hollywood film "Hotel Rwanda" and is serving a 25-year sentence in Rwanda on terrorism charges, will be released on Saturday, a Rwanda government source said on Friday. Rusesabagina was sentenced in September 2021 over his ties to an organization opposed to Kagame's rule. He denied all the charges and refused to take part in the trial that he and his supporters called a political sham.

Russia attacks along Ukraine front after reports of Bakhmut slowdown

Russian forces attacked northern and southern stretches of the front in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region on Friday, pressing on with their offensive despite assertions from Kyiv that Moscow's assault was flagging near the city of Bakhmut. Ukrainian military reports described heavy fighting in the northern sector along a stretch of front running from Lyman to Kupiansk, as well as in the south at Avdiivka on the outskirts of the Russian-held city of Donetsk.

African migrants stuck in Tunisia say racism persists after crackdown

Weeks after a violent crackdown on migrants in Tunisia that triggered a perilous rush to leave by smuggler boats for Italy, many African nationals are still homeless and jobless and some say they still face racist attacks. Outside the United Nations refugee agency in Tunis, dozens of African migrants stood protesting this week by the temporary camp where they have lived, including with children, since authorities urged landlords to force them from their homes.

(With inputs from agencies.)