Reuters World News Summary

Iran's army said it had seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman after it collided with an Iranian boat, injuring several crewmen, Iranian state media reported. Thousands rally in Jerusalem in favor of planned judicial overhaul Tens of thousands of Israelis demonstrated in Jerusalem on Thursday to show support for controversial planned legislation by the far-right coalition government which would see the country's highest court stripped of much of its powers.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Security Council condemns Taliban ban on Afghan women working for UN

The U.N. Security Council unanimously condemned on Thursday a Taliban administration ban on Afghan women working for the United Nations in Afghanistan and called on Taliban leaders to "swiftly reverse" a crackdown on the rights of women and girls. The resolution - drafted by the United Arab Emirates and Japan - describes the ban as "unprecedented in the history of the United Nations," asserts "the indispensable role of women in Afghan society" and says the ban on Afghan women working for the U.N. "undermines human rights and humanitarian principles."

UK railway workers to strike in May after rejecting latest pay offer

Thousands of railway workers in Britain will go on strike on May 13 after the RMT trade union rejected the latest pay offer by train companies, an escalation in a long-running dispute that has caused disruptive strikes since last summer. The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) said on Thursday it received a clarification from train operators that meant a first-year payment of 5% would only be effective if the RMT held no further strikes.

Moscow rejects U.S. request to see reporter; Russia's U.S. envoy sees prisoners

Russia said on Thursday it had rejected a U.S. embassy request to visit detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in response to Washington's refusal to grant visas to a group of Russian journalists. The foreign ministry said it had summoned a senior American diplomat to formally protest after reporters assigned to accompany Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to the United Nations this week were unable to enter the United States.

Sudan's factions say they agree to extend truce but fighting goes on

Sudan's two warring factions said on Thursday they would prolong a ceasefire agreement by 72 hours, but violence again rocked the capital Khartoum and the western region of Darfur as the U.S. said ceasefire violations were worrying. Hundreds have died and tens of thousands of people have fled for their lives in two weeks of conflict between the army and its rival, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Special Report-How a fake ID repeatedly enabled Hyundai suppliers to employ child labor in Alabama

On Nov 22, a team of state and federal labor officials conducted a surprise inspection and noticed a young-looking worker at a warehouse operated here by the logistics unit of Korean automaking giant Hyundai Motor Group. The inspectors, according to an Alabama Department of Labor field report reviewed by Reuters, had received a complaint from an unspecified tipster about "under-age children working" at the facility. During their visit to Hyundai Glovis Co Ltd, the report notes, the boy "was manually restacking large metal castings."

Berlin gets first conservative mayor in more than two decades

Berlin appointed its first conservative mayor in more than two decades on Thursday after the Christian Democrats (CDU) beat Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD) in a repeat election in February, dislodging its centre-left coalition. Kai Wegner, 50, a former insurance salesman, was sworn in as mayor after a vote in local parliament, succeeding the SPD's Franziska Giffey who had been Berlin's first female mayor.

Iran seizes oil tanker in Gulf, U.S. Navy says

Iran seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman in international waters on Thursday, the U.S. Navy said, the latest in a series of seizures or attacks on commercial vessels in sensitive Gulf waters since 2019. Iran's army said it had seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman after it collided with an Iranian boat, injuring several crewmen, Iranian state media reported.

Thousands rally in Jerusalem in favor of planned judicial overhaul

Tens of thousands of Israelis demonstrated in Jerusalem on Thursday to show support for controversial planned legislation by the far-right coalition government which would see the country's highest court stripped of much of its powers. Israelis remain polarised over the planned legislation that proponents say would restore balance to Israeli authorities and critics say removes checks on those in power.

Palace email says queen knew Murdoch's UK group spied on her family

Queen Elizabeth knew that Rupert Murdoch's UK newspaper arm had been spying on her family and their friends, and authorised her staff to "draw a line" under the issue, according to an email released on Thursday in a lawsuit by her grandson Prince Harry. Harry is suing Murdoch's News Group Newspapers for hacking into mobile phones and other unlawful acts he says were committed against him on behalf of its tabloids, the Sun and the now-defunct News of the World, from the mid-1990s until 2016.

U.S. targets Russia's FSB, IRGC members over wrongful detention of Americans

The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on Russia's domestic security service FSB and the intelligence unit of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) accusing them of being responsible or complicit in the wrongful detention of Americans overseas. The sanctions also targeted four senior commanders within IRGC's IO, although among them were at least one individual who had been already been subject to previous U.S. sanctions. FSB, which was targeted because officials said it was involved in the detention of at least one U.S. citizen whose name was not disclosed, was also subject to previous U.S. sanctions.

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