Reuters World News Summary

Last month he said Trudeau's government had not ignored evidence of Chinese meddling and recommended against an official public inquest. Trump risked national secrets, US prosecutors allege in indictment U.S. prosecutors unsealed a 37-count indictment against Donald Trump on Friday, accusing the former president of risking some of the country's most sensitive security secrets after leaving the White House in 2021.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Serbians take to streets in anti-government protests following mass shootings

Tens of thousands of Serbians joined an anti-government protest in Belgrade on Friday for the sixth time since May 3, blaming a culture of violence for the deaths of 18 people in two mass shootings and calling on the interior minister to resign. Chanting "(Serbian President Aleksandar) Vucic out!" and holding a big banner reading "Students against violence," the protesters gathered in front of the parliament and marched to the government building.

Ukraine reports 'heavy combat' after Putin says offensive has begun

Moscow and Kyiv both reported heavy fighting in Ukraine on Friday, with bloggers describing the first sightings of German and U.S. armour, signalling that Ukraine's long-anticipated counterattack was under way. With virtually no independent reporting from the front lines and Kyiv saying little, it was impossible to assess whether Ukraine was penetrating Russian defences in its bid to drive out occupying forces.

Wildfires spread in British Columbia, Quebec sees signs of progress

Wildfires spread in the western Canadian province of British Columbia on Friday, while in the east, Quebec said it would start efforts to control blazes that have sent smoke billowing across North American cities. Canada is enduring its worst start to the wildfire season, with 2,392 fires so far this year and 4.4 million hectares (10.9 million acres) burned, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC), roughly 15 times the annual average over the last decade.

Pope 'progressively improving,' off I.V. tubes, moving about

Pope Francis' overall condition is progressively improving and his post-surgical recovery is normal, allowing him to get out of bed, be detached from intravenous tubes and resume handling some Church work from his hospital armchair on Friday. Two statements from the Vatican, one in the early afternoon and the other in the evening, offered a picture of the pope on the mend two days after a three-hour operation to repair an abdominal hernia.

Canada investigator into alleged election meddling by China to quit

A special investigator named by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to probe alleged election interference by China on Friday said he would quit, citing widespread opposition to his appointment and work. David Johnston, 81, said he would leave his post by the end of June, or as soon as he has delivered a brief final report. Last month he said Trudeau's government had not ignored evidence of Chinese meddling and recommended against an official public inquest.

Trump risked national secrets, US prosecutors allege in indictment

U.S. prosecutors unsealed a 37-count indictment against Donald Trump on Friday, accusing the former president of risking some of the country's most sensitive security secrets after leaving the White House in 2021. Trump mishandled classified documents that included information about the secretive U.S. nuclear program and potential domestic vulnerabilities in the event of an attack, the federal indictment said.

Canadian province changes LGBT policy in schools to 'recognize role of parents'

Ruling conservatives in the Canadian province of New Brunswick this week made changes to rules for schools as they sought to "recognize the role of parents" in questions around gender identity, but have faced pushback from within their own party. The former policy, which dated from 2020, said teachers must respect all children's chosen names and pronouns, regardless of age, and that it should be up to the student whether their parents were informed.

International criminal court opens office in Venezuela amid probe

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has opened an office in Venezuela, prosecutor Karim Khan said on Friday following a meeting with the country's President Nicolas Maduro.

The ICC is investigating Venezuela for possible crimes against humanity.

Colombia attorney general's office investigating Petro campaign financing

Colombia's attorney general's office has launched an investigation into reports of the illegal financing of President Gustavo Petro's election campaign last year, it said in a statement on Friday. The investigation is the latest twist in a political scandal that has destabilized Petro's government at a time when Colombia's first leftist president has tried to push a trio of bills for work, pension and health reforms through the country's Congress.

Russia has received hundreds of Iranian drones to attack Ukraine White House

The White House said on Friday that Russia appeared to be deepening its defense cooperation with Iran and had received hundreds of one-way attack drones that it is using to strike Ukraine. Citing newly declassified information, the White House said the drones, or Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), were built in Iran, shipped across the Caspian Sea and then used by Russian forces against Ukraine.

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