World News: Strikes, Elections, and Security Challenges

This summary provides an overview of current world news, including South Korea's doctors planning a strike, Ukraine's military hit on a Russian fighter jet, Israel extending an Al Jazeera ban, Bulgaria's political instability, and incidents in the South China Sea. Various global security and political issues are highlighted.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

South Korea's doctors plan June 18 strike to protest reforms

South Korea's main doctors' lobby group said on Sunday it would go on strike on June 18 to protest the government's healthcare reform plan, defying a warning by the prime minister that such action would damage the credibility of the medical community. The Korean Medical Association, which it says represents the country's 140,000 doctors, said 74% of the members who participated in a vote approved "collective action."

Ukraine says latest-generation Russian fighter jet hit for first time

Ukrainian forces have for the first time hit a latest-generation Russian Sukhoi Su-57 fighter jet at an air base inside Russia, Kyiv's GUR defence intelligence agency said on Sunday, showing satellite pictures which it said confirmed the strike. In a Telegram post, the GUR did not specify how the Su-57 was hit or by which unit of the Ukrainian military.

Israel extends Al Jazeera ban by 45 days, cites security threat

A ban on Al Jazeera's operations in Israel was extended for another 45 days by Israel's telecoms regulator on Sunday after the cabinet agreed its broadcasts posed a threat to security. A Tel Aviv court last week upheld an initial 35-day ban on Al Jazeera operations in Israel, imposed by the government on national security grounds, which ended on Saturday.

Bulgaria holds another snap election, 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.

South Korea blasts loudspeaker broadcasts after North's trash balloons

South Korea resumed loudspeaker broadcasts directed at North Korea on Sunday, its military said, following through on a warning demanding Pyongyang stop sending balloons carrying trash into the South. The decision to resume the broadcasts, as a form of psychological warfare, was made after North Korea began launching on Saturday about 330 balloons with trash attached, with about 80 of them dropping over the border, South Korea's military said.

British TV presenter Mosley found dead on Greek island of Symi - local officials

British TV presenter and healthy living advocate Michael Mosley has been found dead in a rocky area on the Greek island of Symi, just metres away from his destination, local mayors told Reuters on Sunday. Mosley, 67, had been missing since Wednesday after he went for a walk alone along a coastal path in searing heat.

No word from White House on whether Biden to meet Netanyahu in Washington

The White House declined to say on Sunday whether President Joe Biden will meet Benjamin Netanyahu when the Israeli prime minister visits Washington next month to address the U.S. Congress. "I don't have anything to announce today," Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in an interview with CBS's "Face the Nation," adding the two men were in regular communication.

European Parliament poised for rightward shift after final voting

Voters in 21 EU countries including France and Germany will conclude a four-day election for the European Parliament on Sunday, which is expected to shift the assembly to the right and boost the numbers of eurosceptic nationalists. The election will shape how the European Union, a bloc of 450 million citizens, confronts challenges including a hostile Russia, increased industrial rivalry from China and the United States, climate change and immigration.

China says US provoking arms race in moves into South China Sea

The U.S. poses the largest security challenge in the South China Sea as its military deployment there is turning it into "the whirlpool of an arms race", Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong said in remarks published on Sunday. Recent maritime run-ins between China and the Philippines, a U.S. treaty ally, have made the highly strategic South China Sea a potential flashpoint between Washington and Beijing.

Israel pounds central Gaza as Palestinian death toll in hostage rescue raid rises to 274

Israeli forces pounded central Gaza anew on Sunday, a day after killing 274 Palestinians during a hostage rescue raid, and tanks advanced into further areas of Rafah in an apparent bid to seal off part of the southern city, residents and Hamas media said. Palestinians remained in shock over Saturday's death toll, the worst over a 24-hour period of the Gaza war for months and including many women and children, Palestinian medics said.

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