Following is a summary of current world news briefs.
Trump suggests China might be interfering in U.S.-North Korea talks
President Donald Trump suggested on Monday that China might be seeking to derail U.S. efforts aimed at denuclearizing North Korea, but said he was confident that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un would uphold a pact the two agreed on last month. In his first remarks about challenging diplomatic talks held at the weekend that sowed fresh doubts over North Korea’s willingness to give up its nuclear arsenal, Trump said China “may be exerting negative pressure” in reaction to punitive U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods.
Thai boys await resumption of rescue mission after first four freed from cave
The Thai soccer team trapped in a flooded cave in northern Thailand waited for a rescue operation to resume on Monday, a day after the first four were brought out safely and whisked away to hospital. The daring and dangerous bid to rescue the boys – aged between 11 and 16 – was suspended by the mission chief late on Sunday to replenish oxygen supplies and make new preparations, which he said would take at least 10 hours.
When Donald meets Vladimir: the neophyte and the black belt
When Donald Trump meets Vladimir Putin, he sits down with a disciplined, detail-oriented and experienced Russian leader who has played on the world stage for more than 18 years, in contrast to the U.S. president’s 18 months in office. Former U.S. officials argue that Putin will come to the July 16 Helsinki summit armed with facts and figures, flaunting a familiar narrative of Russian grievance and probing for a way to get something from Trump for little or nothing in return.
China jails hundreds of officials for pollution violations
China has jailed hundreds of officials for failing to tackle environmental violations uncovered during inspections last year, the environment ministry said in the latest round of the “war on pollution” led by President Xi Jinping. A total of 4,305 officials in 10 provinces and regions had been held to account for failing to rectify violations, with some of them facing fines and even jail time, the ministry said late on Monday.
Euroskeptic British ministers quit in blow to May’s Brexit plan
Prime Minister Theresa May’s foreign minister and Brexit negotiator quit on Monday in protest at her plans to keep close trade ties with the European Union after Britain leaves the bloc, stirring rebellion in her party’s ranks. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, the face of Brexit for many, resigned just hours after Brexit minister David Davis, emboldening some in her Conservative Party to mull a plot to unseat her less than nine months before Britain exits in March.
Mexico will not intervene in Venezuela, Nicaragua crises: incoming minister
The next government of Mexico, led by leftist President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, will not intervene in the internal affairs of other nations, such as crisis-ridden Venezuela and Nicaragua, the country’s future foreign minister said on Monday. Mexico’s current administration has taken a lead in regional efforts to pressure socialist Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro into restoring democracy in the South American country, and has worked closely alongside the United States to stem north-bound Central American migration.
Myanmar court files secrets act charges against Reuters reporters
A court in Myanmar on Monday charged two jailed Reuters journalists with obtaining secret state documents, moving the landmark press freedom case into its trial stage after six months of preliminary hearings. Yangon district judge Ye Lwin charged reporters Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, with breaching the colonial-era Official Secrets Act, which carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison.
As Trump confounds, Mattis seen as quiet champion among NATO allies
U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis will only play a supporting role to President Donald Trump at this week’s NATO summit – an event that by definition is focused on heads of state from the trans-Atlantic alliance. But Mattis’ small part belies his high standing among NATO allies, which has only risen as they become increasingly bewildered by Trump’s policies on trade and Iran and anxious about his outreach to Russian President Vladimir Putin, European diplomats, officials and experts say.
Israel announces Gaza sanctions in response to cross-border blazes
Israel imposed sanctions on the Gaza Strip and its dominant Hamas Islamists on Monday in retaliation for attacks by Palestinians using burning kites and helium balloons carrying blazing rags. People taking part in more than three months of protests at the Gaza border have started scores of fires by sending the balloons and kites into Israel, vexing its advanced military which is used to dealing with more conventional weapons.
Turkey’s Erdogan sworn in with new powers, names son-in-law finance minister
President Tayyip Erdogan appointed his son-in-law as Turkey’s finance minister on Monday hours after he was sworn in with sweeping new executive powers, promising a “strong government and a strong Turkey”. The lira, which has lost nearly a fifth of its value against the dollar this year, dropped nearly 3 percent to 4.74 to the U.S. currency after the cabinet announcement. — Reuters

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