Reuters World News Summary

Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won a majority of its own when it swept to power in 2014, ending an era of unstable coalition governments, and repeated the feat in 2019. Senior Hamas official criticizes U.S., West's calls on group to accept Biden's Gaza proposal Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri criticised Washington and the West's calls for it to accept a ceasefire proposal advanced by U.S. President Joe Biden, saying on Tuesday it was "as if it is Hamas who is hampering the deal".

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Kremlin welcomes Turkey's reported desire to join BRICS

Russia welcomes Turkey's reported desire to become part of the BRICS group of nations, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday, saying the subject would be on the agenda of the organisation's next summit. Peskov said there was heightened interest in BRICS - a group comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Ethiopia, Iran, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates - from various states, but said it was unlikely the grouping could completely satisfy all interested nations.

Iran's allies in Iraq are firing at Israel. What if they draw blood?

Iran-backed Shi'ite armed groups in Iraq have ramped up rocket and missile attacks on Israel in recent weeks, raising concerns in Washington and among some Iranian allies of potential Israeli retaliation and regional escalation should they draw blood. Though the attacks, often from hundreds of miles (kms) away, are not seen by western officials and Israeli experts as posing the same level of threat to Israel as point-blank strikes by Hamas and Hezbollah, they have increased in number and sophistication.

Security tight in Hong Kong and China on Tiananmen crackdown anniversary

Security was tight and access restricted to Beijing's Tiananmen Square on Tuesday, the 35th anniversary of the June 4 crackdown, while Hong Kong police detained several activists, as cities in Taiwan and elsewhere prepared to mark the date with vigils. Chinese tanks rolled into the square before dawn on June 4, 1989, to end weeks of pro-democracy demonstrations by students and workers. Television news images of a lone Chinese man in a white shirt standing in front of a column of tanks spread around the world and became the iconic image of the demonstrations.

UN rights office criticises Israel over deaths of 500 Palestinians in West Bank

The U.N. human rights office called on Tuesday for an end to violence in which it said Israeli security forces and Jewish settlers have killed more than 500 Palestinians in the West Bank since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. It said in a statement that Israel had used "unnecessary and disproportionate" force in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and condemned what it said was the systematic denial of medical aid.

India election throws up surprise as Modi's alliance scrapes past majority

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is likely to win a majority in parliament, early vote counting showed on Tuesday, but well short of a landslide predicted by exit polls. Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won a majority of its own when it swept to power in 2014, ending an era of unstable coalition governments, and repeated the feat in 2019.

Senior Hamas official criticizes U.S., West's calls on group to accept Biden's Gaza proposal

Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri criticised Washington and the West's calls for it to accept a ceasefire proposal advanced by U.S. President Joe Biden, saying on Tuesday it was "as if it is Hamas who is hampering the deal". In comments reported by Hamas media, Abu Zuhri said Israel was not serious about reaching a deal in Gaza and was still manoeuvring under U.S. cover.

India vote count shows Modi alliance heading to majority but no landslide

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's alliance was headed for a narrow majority as vote-counting in the general election neared completion on Tuesday, with the tally well short of a widely expected landslide. Modi's own Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was falling short of a majority of its own in the 543-member parliament, the trends showed. Having to depend on allies to form the government could introduce some uncertainty in policy-making as Modi has ruled with an authoritative hold in the last decade.

Analysis-Can Mexico's Sheinbaum, a climate scientist, shake Lopez Obrador's oil legacy?

Mexico's President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum, an accomplished climate scientist, could struggle to fulfill her environmental pledges after she sailed to victory, in part, on the popularity of a predecessor who doubled down on fossil fuels. Sheinbaum, elected as Mexico's first woman president by a sweeping margin Sunday, inherits a country grappling daily with climate change and environmental challenges: pervasive drought, a water crisis in the sprawling capital of Mexico City, and rampant deforestation.

South Africa's ANC weighs up partners, from free-marketeers to Marxists

The African National Congress was holding high-stakes internal talks on Tuesday about which parties it should approach to form South Africa's next government, with diametrically opposed Marxists and free-marketeers on the menu of options. After 30 years of dominance since Nelson Mandela led it to power in the milestone 1994 elections that marked the end of apartheid, the ANC lost its majority in last week's election. It remains the largest party but can no longer govern alone.

Spanish court summons PM Sanchez's wife over corruption allegations

A Madrid court has summoned Begona Gomez, wife of the Spanish prime minister, to appear before a judge on July 5 over allegations of corruption and influence peddling that spurred premier Pedro Sanchez to consider resigning in April. The request was made as part of a preliminary inquiry into whether she had used her position to influence business dealings, the investigations court said on Tuesday.