World News Roundup: Pope to give thumbs down to Trump's Mideast plan; Hamburg, SPD biggest party in Germany and more

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Pope appears to give thumbs down to Trump's Mideast peace plan

Pope Francis on Sunday warned against "inequitable solutions" to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, saying they would only be a prelude to new crises, in an apparent reference to U.S. President Donald Trump's Middle East peace proposal. Francis made his comments in the southern Italian port city of Bari, where he traveled to conclude a meeting of bishops from all countries in the Mediterranean basin.

Germany's SPD biggest party in Hamburg state vote, Merkel's party third

Germany's Social Democrats (SPD) won most support in a vote in the northern city of Hamburg on Sunday and Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives came third in the first electoral test since her protegee gave up ambitions for the top job. Exit polls for public broadcaster ZDF put the SPD at 38.0%, down about 7 points from 2015 but still the strongest party. The environmentalist Greens, with whom they currently rule the city, roughly doubled their support to 25.5%.

Gandhi's former home gets facelift ahead of Trump's first India visit

India deployed more than 10,000 police and gave a facelift to the former home of independence hero Mahatma Gandhi on Sunday on the eve of a visit by U.S. President Donald Trump, whose two-day trip aims to repair bilateral relations after a trade spat. Trump lands in the western city of Ahmedabad on Monday, where he will address a rally of more than 100,000 in a newly-built cricket stadium, before a visit to Agra's renowned Taj Mahal and a summit with Indian officials and business leaders in New Delhi. As Grenell moves to spy post,

Trump looks for new ambassador to Germany

President Donald Trump said on Sunday he is looking for a new ambassador to Germany after tapping current diplomat Richard Grenell to serve as acting U.S. intelligence chief. "I'll be appointing an ambassador to Germany," Trump told reporters at the White House before departing on a trip to India.

Israeli fire kills Palestinian trying to plant bomb at Gaza border: Israeli military

Israeli forces killed a Palestinian trying to plant explosives near Israel's border security fence with the Gaza Strip on Sunday, the Israeli military said. The Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad said the man was one of its members, but it did not disclose what he was doing in the area.

Argentina's talks with IMF moving 'in the right direction': Mnuchin

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Sunday welcomed Argentina's talks with the International Monetary Fund after the heavily indebted Latin American country said it would launch consultations that could lead to a new funding program. Mnuchin told Reuters that he had a productive meeting with Argentine Economy Minister Martin Guzman on the sidelines of a meeting of finance officials from the world's 20 largest economies (G20) in Riyadh.

Iran announces low poll turnout, blames coronavirus 'propaganda'

Iran on Sunday announced a 42% turnout in its parliamentary election, the lowest rate since the 1979 Islamic revolution, while its top leader said Tehran's enemies played up the new coronavirus threat to dissuade people from voting. With Iran facing growing isolation and threats of conflict over its nuclear standoff with the United States and increasing discontent at home, the turnout is seen as a referendum on the popularity of the Islamic republic's rulers.

Exclusive: If Lebanon needs financial aid, France will be there, finmin says

France is ready to support Lebanon financially - bilaterally or multilaterally - its finance minister said on Sunday, warning against mixing economic recovery in the small Mediterranean state with U.S.-led efforts to counter Iran in the region. "France always stands ready to help Lebanon. It has always been the case in the past and it will be the case in the future..." Bruno Le Maire told Reuters at the end of a meeting of finance officials from the Group of 20 (G20) major economies.

Concern over coronavirus spread as cases jump in South Korea, Italy, and Iran

International concern about the spread of coronavirus outside China grew on Sunday with sharp rises in infections in South Korea, Italy, and Iran. The government in Seoul put the country on high alert after the number of infections surged over 600 with six deaths. A focal point was a church in the southeastern city of Daegu, where a 61-year-old member of the congregation with no recent record of overseas travel tested positive for the virus.

Earthquake in Turkey-Iran border region kills nine, injures more than 100

Nine people were killed and buildings collapsed across southeastern Turkey on Sunday when a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck near the border with Iran, injuring more than a hundred in villages and towns in both countries, government officials said. In Turkey, three of the dead were children, and 50 people were injured, including nine critically, the health ministry said.

(With inputs from agencies.)