Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Food shortages are next global health crisis - expert

Growing food shortages may represent the same health threat to the world as the COVID-19 pandemic, a leading global health figure has warned. Rising food and energy prices, in part sparked by the war in Ukraine, could kill millions both directly and indirectly, Peter Sands, the executive director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday.

UK PM Johnson seeks to rally his party after surviving leadership test

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson tried to shore up his leadership on Tuesday by setting out a raft of new policies to ministers after he narrowly survived a confidence vote that revealed the scale of the threat to his position. Johnson won the ballot of Conservative Party law-makers on Monday evening by 211 votes to 148 - enough to avoid having to immediately resign but a larger than anticipated rebellion within his party that leaves him wounded and battling to win back the confidence of his colleagues and the general public.

Israeli-Palestinian "flag war" brews as violence flares

Following weeks of violence in different parts of Israel and the West Bank, Israeli nationalists have targeted the red, green, black and white Palestinian colours in an escalating "flag war" that underscores a struggle over status and identity.

The conflict reached a high last week, when a bill banning the display of the Palestinian flag at state-funded institutions, including universities, passed a preliminary reading in the Israeli parliament.

'Widen gaze from Ukraine' to avert famine in Somalia, U.N. agency warns

The world must "widen its gaze from the war in Ukraine" to prevent Somalia sliding into famine, the United Nations' children's agency said on Tuesday, warning only a third of the $250 million needed to stave off catastrophe had so far been raised. Four consecutive rainy seasons have failed in the Horn of Africa - the worst drought spell in more than 40 years - and a fifth in October-December also looks likely to do so.

Prince Charles, France's Macron discussed jubilee, Ukraine in phone call

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday congratulated Prince Charles on the ceremonies held for Queen Elizabeth's jubilee, in a phone call in which the heir to the British throne and the French leader also discussed the war in Ukraine, Macron's office said. Prince Charles expressed the royal family's gratitude for "the deep marks of friendship shown by France during the Jubilee," the Elysee palace said in a statement.

Sixth person suspected in murder of Paraguayan prosecutor -Colombia police

A sixth person is suspected in the murder last month of a Paraguayan prosecutor vacationing in Colombia, the head of Colombia's national police said on Tuesday, adding a Brazilian gang initially planned to carry out the murder in Paraguay. Prosecutor Marcelo Pecci, known for fighting organized crime, was shot dead on the island of Baru near the Caribbean city of Cartagena on May 10, while honeymooning with his wife.

UN-mandated rights inquiry rebukes Israel for seeking 'complete control'

An independent commission of inquiry set up by the U.N. Human Rights Council after the 2021 Gaza war said Israel must do more than end the occupation of land Palestinians want for a state, according to a report released on Tuesday. "Ending the occupation alone will not be sufficient," the report said, urging additional action to ensure the equal enjoyment of human rights.

Rural reforms least implemented part of Colombia peace deal -observers

Rural reforms to correct deep inequalities in the Colombian countryside are the least implemented part of the country's 2016 peace deal with the FARC rebels, the academic body which tracks the accord said on Tuesday. The agreement ended the role of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in Colombia's long-running internal conflict, which has displaced millions and killed more than 260,000 people.

Battle in Ukraine's east rages as Zelenskiy vows to retake territory

Ukrainian forces struggled to hold their ground in bloody street-to-street fighting in the eastern frontline city of Sievierodonetsk as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the situation was difficult, also pledging to retake Russia's gains.

The days-long battle for the industrial city has emerged as pivotal, with Russia focusing its offensive might in the hope of achieving one of its stated aims - to fully capture surrounding Luhansk province on behalf of Russian-speaking separatists.

Russian parliament votes to tighten "foreign agents" law

The lower house of Russia's parliament on Tuesday gave initial approval to a bill further tightening the country's laws against "foreign agents", at a time when President Vladimir Putin has warned the Russian people to watch out for traitors. The bill, passed by 346 votes to 17 at its first of three readings, says any person who receives financial or any other kind of support from abroad can be designated a foreign agent.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)