Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Greek conservatives storm to victory in repeat election

Greece's conservative New Democracy party stormed to victory in a parliamentary election on Sunday with voters giving reformist Kyriakos Mitsotakis another four-year term as prime minister. With most votes counted, centre-right New Democracy was leading with 40.5% of the vote and 158 seats in the 300-seat parliament, interior ministry figures showed.

Russian mercenaries return to bases after challenge to Putin's authority

Heavily armed Russian mercenaries withdrew from the southern Russian city of Rostov under a deal that halted their rapid advance on Moscow but raised questions on Sunday about President Vladimir Putin's grip on power. Ending their short-lived mutiny, fighters of the Wagner group began heading back to their bases late on Saturday in return for guarantees for their safety. Their commander, Yevgeny Prigozhin, will move to Belarus under the deal mediated by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

Sudan's RSF says it seized police base as fighting rages

Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said it had seized the main base of a heavily armed police unit on Sunday as it sought an edge in its war with the army during heavy fighting in the capital Khartoum. The RSF in a statement said it had taken full control of the large base belonging to the Central Reserve Police southern Khartoum and posted footage of its fighters celebrating inside the facility, some removing boxes of ammunition from a warehouse.

Ukraine has a flurry of calls with allies after Moscow disorder

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and his defence minister said they held a series of calls with Kyiv's allies on Sunday to discuss the "weakness" of Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's next counteroffensive steps. The phone calls took place after an extraordinary failed mutiny by the head of Russia's Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, that raised questions about Putin's grip on power as Ukraine presses a counteroffensive in its south and east.

Germany's far-right AfD wins vote to lead district for first time

A far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) candidate won a vote on Sunday to become a district leader in Europe's biggest economy for the first time, a breakthrough for the party which has hit record highs in national polls. The 10-year old AfD, with which Germany's mainstream parties officially refuse to cooperate due to its radical views, won a run-off vote in the Sonneberg district in the eastern state of Thuringia with its candidate garnering 52.8% of the vote.

US officials see weakened Putin as Russia turmoil reveals 'cracks'

The unprecedented challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin by Wagner fighters has exposed fresh "cracks" in the strength of his leadership that may take weeks or months to play out, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday.

Blinken and members of the U.S. Congress said in a series of television interviews that Saturday's turmoil in Russia has weakened Putin in ways that could aid Ukraine's counteroffensive against Russian forces within its territory while benefiting Russia's neighbors, including Poland and the Baltic states.

Hollywood mogul Arnon Milchan testifies in Netanyahu case

Hollywood mogul Arnon Milchan began his testimony in the corruption trial of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, in a court session that was broadcast live from an English seaside town direct to Jerusalem. The trial is being held in Jerusalem but Milchan's testimony was taking place in Brighton, which is close to where the 78-year-old is presently based, on request of the prosecution. The testimony is expected to last several days.

US Coast Guard investigating cause of Titanic submersible implosion

The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating the cause of the undersea implosion of a tourist submersible that killed all five people aboard while diving to the century-old wreck of the Titanic, officials said on Sunday. The announcement comes a day after Canada's Transportation Safety Board said it was conducting its own investigation into the implosion of the Titan, which has raised questions about the unregulated nature of such expeditions.

Israel's Ben-Gvir rebukes police over 'collective punishment' of settlers

Israel's far-right police minister rebuked the force on Sunday for what he called "collective punishment" of Jewish settlers, as cracks widened between the security services and the government over violence convulsing the occupied West Bank.

Settler rampages in Palestinian towns and villages after the killing of four Israelis in a Hamas gun ambush have drawn international condemnation and U.S. statements of concern.

Israel reboots fiercely opposed judicial campaign

Israeli lawmakers on Sunday began debating a bill that would limit the Supreme Court's powers, rebooting a fiercely opposed judicial overhaul instigated by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's religious-nationalist coalition. Anti-government demonstrations had prompted Netanyahu to suspend his judicial drive in March to allow compromise talks with opposition parties. He declared those talks fruitless last week and ordered some of the legislation to be revived.

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