World News Roundup: Climate battle looms as Alberta premier Smith takes aim at Trudeau after election win; Surprised Spaniards face choice: Ballot box or the beach and more

Ideological divisions undermined a previous attempt at regional cooperation called Unasur created by leftist presidents in 2008 that floundered when several countries elected right-wing governments, creating diplomatic fissures on the continent. NATO soldiers on guard in Kosovo Serb town after clashes Dozens of NATO troops secured a municipal building in the Kosovo town of Zvecan on Tuesday, a day after 30 NATO soldiers and 52 Serb protesters were injured in clashes that EU and NATO officials said were unacceptable as they urged calm.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Climate battle looms as Alberta premier Smith takes aim at Trudeau after election win

Alberta's re-elect conservative leader Danielle Smith has put herself on a collision course with Canada's Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over climate policies that would weigh on the province's massive fossil fuel industry. Smith, leader of the United Conservative Party (UCP), defeated left-leaning New Democratic Party leader Rachel Notley on Monday, and immediately targeted Trudeau, threatening the country's ambitious climate goals.

Surprised Spaniards face choice: Ballot box or the beach

A Spanish talk show host's gesture of disbelief, with eyes rolled and arms thrown high, upon hearing Monday's announcement of a snap general election at the height of the summer holiday season has gone viral in Spain. The reaction of Angels Barcelo to the July 23 election date "represents us all," Cadena SER radio station said under the video posted on its website, triggering caustic user comments about likely low turnout or pitying those who will have to work.

Turkey wants action from NATO hopeful Sweden over flag incident

Turkey called on NATO hopeful Sweden on Tuesday to prosecute those responsible for projecting the flag of an outlawed group onto the parliament building in Stockholm, on the day of Turkish elections that extended President Tayyip Erdogan's rule. A Swedish parliament spokesperson said a number of people projected messages onto the building in Sweden's capital late on Sunday, adding it had no documentation about what was projected.

Iran starts trial of female journalist who covered Amini's death

A Revolutionary Court in Iran on Tuesday began the trial of a female journalist behind closed doors on charges linked to her coverage of a Kurdish-Iranian woman whose death in custody last year sparked months of unrest, her husband said on Twitter.

Mahsa Amini's death while held by the morality police for allegedly violating Iran's strict dress code unleashed a wave of mass anti-government protests for months, posing one of the boldest challenges to the country's clerical leaders in decades.

South American presidents led by Lula seek new shared agenda

South American presidents are gathering in Brasilia on Tuesday for their first summit in almost a decade at the invitation of Brazil's leftist leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who aims to regain his country's active role in regional affairs. Ideological divisions undermined a previous attempt at regional cooperation called Unasur created by leftist presidents in 2008 that floundered when several countries elected right-wing governments, creating diplomatic fissures on the continent.

NATO soldiers on guard in Kosovo Serb town after clashes

Dozens of NATO troops secured a municipal building in the Kosovo town of Zvecan on Tuesday, a day after 30 NATO soldiers and 52 Serb protesters were injured in clashes that EU and NATO officials said were unacceptable as they urged calm. Kosovo police said in a statement that the situation is "fragile, but calm."

Explainer-Why Kosovo's stand-off with Serbs goes on 15 years after statehood

Fifteen years after Kosovo declared independence, 50,000 minority Serbs in the north bordering Serbia refuse to recognise state institutions, receive pay and benefits from Serbia's budget and pay no taxes either to Pristina or Belgrade. Unrest in the region has intensified more recently since ethnic Albanian mayors took office in northern Kosovo's Serb-majority area after April elections the Serbs boycotted, a move that led the U.S. and its allies to rebuke Pristina.

Fighting subsides in Sudan's capital after ceasefire extended

Clashes subsided in Sudan's capital on Tuesday though fighting could be heard in some areas, residents said, after military factions battling for more than six weeks agreed to extend a ceasefire aimed at allowing aid to reach civilians. The army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) agreed to extend a week-long ceasefire deal by five days just before it was due to expire late on Monday.

UK government given more time to hand over Boris Johnson messages to COVID inquiry

British ministers have been given more time to hand over unredacted messages from former prime minister Boris Johnson to a public inquiry looking into the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, in a stand-off that could lead to criminal sanctions.

The government ordered an inquiry in 2021 to look into the preparedness of the country as well as the public health and economic response after Britain recorded one of the world's highest total number of deaths from COVID-19.

Ukraine war comes to Moscow as drones strike both capitals

Ukrainian drones struck wealthy districts of Moscow on Tuesday, Russia said in what one politician called the most dangerous attack since World War Two, while Kyiv was also hit by air for the third time in 24 hours. Since Russia sent troops into its neighbour in February last year, the war has largely been fought inside Ukraine, though Moscow has reported some attacks on its territory and said one was an assassination attempt against President Vladimir Putin.