World News Roundup: France opens investigation into rape allegations against minister Zacharopoulou; Afghanistan earthquake kills at least 1,000 but toll expected to rise and more

"We have built it as a form of consolation for the people who cannot go to Paris," said Blerim Bislimi, owner of Te Anija (At The Boat) restaurant on the edge of the capital Pristina. Analysis-Macron needs to turn foes into friends and woo conservatives French President Emmanuel Macron spent his first term in office seeking to divide and conquer the traditional centre-right Les Republicains (LR) party - and he largely succeeded.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

France opens investigation into rape allegations against minister Zacharopoulou

The Paris public prosecutor's office said on Wednesday it had opened an investigation into allegations of rape against French Secretary of State for Development and the Francophonie, Chrysoula Zacharopoulou after two complaints had been received.

The first complaint about rape was submitted on May 25, which led to the opening of the investigation on May 27. A second complaint was filed on June 16, the prosecutor's office said.

Afghanistan earthquake kills at least 1,000 but toll expected to rise

The death toll from an earthquake in Afghanistan on Wednesday hit 1,000, disaster management officials said, with more than 600 injured and the toll is expected to grow as information trickles in from remote mountain villages. Houses were reduced to rubble and bodies swathed in blankets lay on the ground, photographs on Afghan media showed

Lithuania: We're ready if Russia cuts us out of the common power grid over Kaliningrad disruptions

Lithuania will be prepared if Russia disconnects it from the regional power grid in retaliation for blocking rail shipments of some Russian goods to Moscow's Kaliningrad exclave, but no military confrontation is expected, its president told Reuters. He spoke after the Kremlin warned Lithuania on Tuesday that Moscow would respond to the ban on the transit of goods sanctioned by the EU to Kaliningrad in such a way that citizens of the Baltic state would feel the pain.

Israeli Knesset votes to dissolve in step toward snap election

Israel moved closer on Wednesday to its fifth election in less than four years after lawmakers gave an initial nod to dissolve parliament, with a possible comeback by former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu already dominating the campaign. The Knesset voted unanimously for a snap election in a preliminary reading of a bill expected to be finalized next week, after which the centrist Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, 58, will take over from Prime Minister Naftali Bennett at the head of a caretaker government.

Bangladesh, India race to help millions stranded in deadly flooding

Authorities in Bangladesh intensified efforts on Wednesday to deliver food and drinking water to millions of people struggling after heavy rain unleashed catastrophic flooding across a quarter of the country. Bangladesh is considered one of the world's most climate-vulnerable countries, with a 2015 analysis by the World Bank Institute estimating about 3.5 million Bangladeshis are at risk of river flooding every year.

Balkans losing hope of progress on EU membership

In Kosovo, which has been waiting for visa-free travel to the European Union since 2010, a restaurant owner has erected a large replica of France's famed Eiffel Tower for its diners. "We have built it as a form of consolation for the people who cannot go to Paris," said Blerim Bislimi, owner of Te Anija (At The Boat) restaurant on the edge of the capital Pristina.

Analysis-Macron needs to turn foes into friends and woo conservatives

French President Emmanuel Macron spent his first term in office seeking to divide and conquer the traditional center-right Les Republicains (LR) party - and he largely succeeded. Now he needs them to salvage his second term. And they don't appear to be in any mood to roll over, not officially at least.

Cubans sweat in the dark as the government scrambles to end blackouts

When the lights go out, the Cuban mother of two Nilde Viera, 39, of the small interior city of Guanajay, sees her life turned upside down. Her children must do homework by the dim light of a cell phone. The hum of the refrigerator goes quiet. Fans to temper the heat on the sultry Caribbean island stop.

Saudi crown prince, Erdogan to meet in Turkey with 'full normalization' insights

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visits Turkey for the first time in years on Wednesday for talks with President Tayyip Erdogan aimed at fully normalizing ties that were ruptured after the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The visit marks a step in Prince Mohammed's effort to rehabilitate his image beyond the Gulf and comes as Erdogan seeks financial support that could help relieve Turkey's beleaguered economy ahead of tight elections for the president.

Fifteen killed as Russia rains rockets on Kharkiv

Russian forces pounded Ukraine's second-largest city Kharkiv and the surrounding countryside with rockets, killing at least 15 people, in what Kyiv called a bid to force it to pull resources from the main battlefield to protect civilians from attack. Inside Russia, a fire tore through an oil refinery just 8 km (5 miles) from the Ukrainian border, after what the refinery described as a cross-border attack by two drones.