Reuters World News Summary
Following is a summary of current world news briefs.
Britain's PM May could face another Brexit defeat in parliament
British Prime Minister Theresa May could face a defeat in parliament on Thursday over her plan to renegotiate the Brexit deal, undermining her pledge to the European Union that, with changes, she can get the agreement approved. Thursday's symbolic vote was seen by May's team as little more than a rubber stamp of her plan to secure changes to the divorce deal with the EU, giving her more time to satisfy lawmakers' concerns over one part of it - the Irish backstop.
Third suspect in Skripal poisoning is Russian GRU agent: Bellingcat
A third man suspected of involvement in the nerve agent poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal in England last year is a high-ranking Russian military intelligence agent, the investigative website Bellingcat said on Thursday. Skripal, a former officer in Russian military intelligence who betrayed dozens of spies to MI6, and his daughter Yulia were found slumped unconscious on a bench in the southern city of Salisbury in March 2018 after being poisoned with the Novichok military-grade nerve agent. Both later recovered.
Venezuela's Maduro ramps up legal fight against Guaido's challenge
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government stepped up a legal battle against efforts to oust him on Thursday, while the opposition said the international community had pledged more than $100 million in humanitarian aid for the country. Venezuela's opposition, which argues Maduro's presidency is illegitimate because he won in a sham vote, is trying to wrest control of the OPEC nation's oil sector from him and deliver aid to a population suffering food and medicine shortages.
Brazil's Bolsonaro confronts cabinet scandal as pension debate nears
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is confronting the most serious cabinet controversy of his young government as he met with ministers on Thursday to make final changes to a proposed social security overhaul seen as essential to shoring up the economy. Gustavo Bebianno, secretary general for Bolsonaro and one of his closest aides, has come under fire amid reports of the misuse of campaign funds by the political party he led in last year's elections. Bolsonaro joined the right-wing Social Liberal Party (PSL) last March as he was preparing his presidential run.
Pence, at summit, lashes out at Europeans over Iran
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence accused European powers on Thursday of undermining Washington's crack down on Iran by trying to break U.S. sanctions against Tehran, in remarks that were likely to further strain transatlantic relations. Pence spoke at a Middle East peace conference in Warsaw attended by 60 countries, notably including both Gulf Arab states and Israel, in what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called a "historical turning point" for an alliance against Tehran. Iran, Russia and the Palestinians were absent.
Kremlin, after summit, says no offensive planned in Syria's Idlib
President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia, Turkey and Iran had agreed to take unspecified extra steps to clear Syria's Idlib region of what he called "a hotbed of terrorists," but the Kremlin said there would be no military operation there. Putin, one of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's closest allies, was speaking after hosting a summit in southern Russia to weigh the future of Syria with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
Crime and punishment: Argentina security in spotlight as election nears
Argentina's government, with one eye on elections later in the year, is getting tough on crime, and one figure is taking center stage: the country's security tsar. Patricia Bullrich, 62, the security minister, is pushing a series of new tough-on-crime measures, including dropping the age for juvenile convictions, equipping cops with stun guns and trialing facial recognition at train stations.
Vale's safety measures have not worked, CEO says as woes grow
Brazilian miner Vale's safety procedures have not worked, the company's chief executive said on Thursday, responding to questions from lawmakers after one of the company's dams collapsed last month with the loss of hundreds of lives. The company, which is still dealing with the consequences of the 2015 collapse of a nearby dam it co-owned, is facing several investigations over the Jan. 25 disaster in the town of Brumadinho in Minas Gerais state.
Virgin's Branson plans humanitarian aid concert on Venezuela border
Richard Branson is organizing a concert to raise funds for a humanitarian aid effort for crisis-stricken Venezuela to be held in the Colombian border city of Cucuta next week, the British billionaire said in a video on social media. President Nicolas Maduro is resisting foreign efforts to send food and medicine to the hyperinflationary country suffering from rising hunger. An aid convoy supplied by the United States and Colombia arrived in Cucuta last week, where it is being held in warehouses.
Cuba says U.S. moving special forces, preparing Venezuelan intervention
Cuba said on Thursday the United States was moving special forces closer to Venezuela as part of a covert plan to intervene in the chaotic South American country using the pretext of a humanitarian crisis. A "Declaration of the Revolutionary Government" alleged that recent events in Venezuela amounted to an attempted coup that had so far failed.
