World News Roundup: Kazakh police detain dozens of anti-government protesters; India overtakes Italy's coronavirus tally as lockdown easing looms and more


Devdiscourse News Desk | Updated: 06-06-2020 18:45 IST | Created: 06-06-2020 18:29 IST
World News Roundup: Kazakh police detain dozens of anti-government protesters; India overtakes Italy's coronavirus tally as lockdown easing looms and more
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Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Egypt announces new Libya initiative with eastern-based leaders

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi announced a new initiative for Libya on Saturday alongside east Libya-based leaders, which proposes an elected leadership council and a ceasefire starting on June 8. Speaking alongside Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar and eastern parliament head Aguila Saleh in Cairo, Sisi said the agreement included a call for negotiations in Geneva and the exit of all foreign fighters from Libya.

Russia reports 8,855 new coronavirus cases, 197 deaths in last 24 hours

Russia reported 8,855 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Saturday, pushing the total number of infections to 458,689. Officials said 197 people had died in the last 24 hours, bringing the official nationwide death toll to 5,725.

Australia, Asia protests embrace 'Black Lives Matter' movement

Thousands took to the streets across Australia on Saturday, as did hundreds in Tokyo and Seoul to support U.S. protests against police brutality, while demonstrations were expected around Europe in the coming hours. The rolling, global protests reflect rising anger over police treatment of ethnic minorities, sparked by the May 25 killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis after a police officer detaining him knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes as fellow officers stood by.

Factbox: Ireland's phased plan to ease coronavirus lockdown

Ireland has announced a revised schedule for gradually re-opening the economy over the coming months, speeding the easing of coronavirus restrictions. These are the measures planned in each of the remaining phases of the plan, which will be reviewed if there is a spike in the number of infections, hospital admissions, or deaths.

Lawyer for German suspect in Madeleine McCann case has no comment

A lawyer representing the German man suspected of murdering Madeleine McCann, a British girl who disappeared in Portugal in 2007 aged 3, said on Saturday he had no comment on the case. Germany is investigating a 43-year-old German national on suspicion of murder, the Braunschweig state prosecutor said on Thursday.

Kazakh police detain dozens of anti-government protesters

Police in Kazakhstan's largest city Almaty detained dozens of anti-government protesters who took to the streets on Saturday even as a new, more liberal law on demonstrations were expected to come into force. The Central Asian nation has frequently been criticized by human rights groups for requiring public rallies to have been approved by authorities. However, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a law late last month removing this provision.

India overtakes Italy's coronavirus tally as lockdown easing looms

India reported a record 9,887 new coronavirus cases in one day on Saturday and overtook Italy as the world's sixth-biggest outbreak, two days before the relaxing of lockdown with the reopening of malls, restaurants and places of worship. With its total number of cases rising to more than 236,000, India now has fewer infections than only the United States, Brazil, Russia, Britain, and Spain, according to a Reuters tally.

Merkel allies criticize Trump decision to cut U.S. troops in Germany

Senior lawmakers from German Chancellor Angela Merkel's ruling conservative bloc on Saturday criticized President Donald Trump's decision to order the U.S. military to remove 9,500 troops from Germany. The move would reduce U.S. troops numbers in Germany to 25,000, from 34,500.

Factbox: Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

Some countries have seen COVID-19 cases rising as lockdowns ease, and populations must protect themselves from the coronavirus while authorities continue testing, the World Health Organization said on Friday.

DEATHS AND INFECTIONS France tells China it still backs 'one country, two systems' for Hong Kong

French President Emmanuel Macron has told Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping he is following events in Hong Kong closely and continues to back the "one country, two systems" principle for Beijing's rule over the city, an Elysee official said. "The President said he was monitoring the (Hong Kong) situation closely and reiterated France's support for the principle of 'one country, two systems'," the official told Reuters on Saturday.

(With inputs from agencies.)

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