World News Roundup: Instability, Economics, and Rescue Operations

This summary provides an update on various global news events, including a rising death toll off Libya’s coast, Bulgaria’s snap election, UK’s Conservative Party’s economic plans, Ireland’s coalition election outcome, and discussions between Biden and Macron. It also covers Israeli operations in Gaza, a migrant policy effect at the US-Mexico border, and a Danish PM assault incident.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Death toll rises as rescue charity spots another body in sea off Libya

Another body was spotted off the coast of Libya on Saturday, a day after a Doctors Without Borders (MSF) rescue ship recovered the bodies of 11 migrants in the same area of the Mediterranean Sea and said it had saved more than 160 people from boats. Non-profit organisation Sea Watch said on social media platform X that its plane had spotted the corpse on Saturday.

Bulgaria holds another snap election, with more instability seen ahead

Bulgarians head to the polls on Sunday for their sixth parliamentary election in three years, but analysts say the vote is unlikely to yield a stable government that can end prolonged political instability and unblock economic reforms. Bulgaria, the poorest member of the European Union, has been plagued by revolving-door governments since anti-corruption protests in 2020, with a series of elections producing shaky coalitions that swiftly crumbled.

UK's Conservatives promise 12 billion-pound sickness benefit savings

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative Party, facing an election next month, on Saturday announced details of its plan to tighten sickness benefit rules, which it said would eventually save 12 billion pounds ($15.3 billion) a year. Sunak, who has previously said he wants to change welfare rules to counter a rise in people dropping out of the workforce, said his reforms represented "a moral mission" as well as a way to help fix the public finances.

Irish coalition parties set to trounce Sinn Fein in local elections

Ireland's two main coalition parties looked set on Saturday to soundly beat Sinn Fein in local council elections, a surprising and potentially devastating blow to the left-wing party's hope of its first victory in national elections due by March. Sinn Fein, the former political wing of the Irish Republican Army, saw a commanding three-year lead in opinion polls almost disappear recently as more voters came to see immigration as their top concern rather than affordable housing, an issue which Sinn Fein dominated.

Biden, Macron talk Middle East and Ukraine during ceremonial state visit

Fresh from commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day, French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed U.S. President Joe Biden in Paris on Saturday for a state visit that included talks about the Middle East, Ukraine and trade. The two countries will work harder to prevent a regional escalation from Israel's war with militant group Hamas in Gaza and focus on calming tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, Macron told reporters at the Elysee presidential palace, with Biden at his side.

Israel's war cabinet minister Gantz delays statement after hostage rescue

Israel's centrist war cabinet minister Benny Gantz has delayed a statement he was due to give later on Saturday in which he was widely expected to announce his resignation from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's emergency government. Last month, Gantz presented the conservative prime minister with a June 8 deadline to come up with a clear day-after strategy for Gaza, where Israel has been pressing a devastating military offensive against the ruling Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Israel rescues four hostages in Gaza raid that Hamas says kills 210 Palestinians

Israeli forces rescued four hostages held by Hamas since October in a raid in Gaza on Saturday that Palestinian officials said killed more than 200 people, one of the single bloodiest Israeli assaults of the eight-month-old war. The hostage rescue operation and an intense accompanying air assault took place in central Gaza's al-Nuseirat, a densely built-up and often embattled area in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian territory's ruling Islamist group.

Polish man held in custody after Danish PM Frederiksen assault

A 39-year old Polish man was remanded in custody for 12 days on Saturday over an assault the previous day on Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, which authorities said caused her to suffer a minor neck injury. Frederiksen sustained a minor whiplash injury from the alleged assault, which occurred in a square in Copenhangen's centre when a man walked up and hit the politician.

Israeli hostage Noa Argamani freed in time to see her terminally ill mother

Hours after being rescued from eight months captivity in Gaza, freed hostage Noa Argamani arrived at a hospital in Tel Aviv to see her terminally ill mother. Argamani, 26, was one of the most recognized faces among the hostages abducted by Hamas on Oct. 7. Harrowing footage of her being taken into Gaza on the back of a motorcycle, pleading for her life and reaching desperately towards her boyfriend being marched alongside her on foot circulated across the globe.

Migrant arrests drop at US-Mexico border as Biden asylum ban rolls out

The number of migrants caught illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border dropped on Friday, a senior U.S. border official told Reuters, saying it signaled a restrictive new Biden administration policy was deterring some illegal immigration. U.S. Border Patrol arrested around 3,100 people crossing illegally, down roughly 20% from the days before, the official said, requesting anonymity to discuss preliminary figures.

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