Global Highlights: From Hunter Biden's Trial to Gaza Ceasefire

This overview covers recent significant events, including deliberations in Hunter Biden's gun case, Blinken urging Hamas to accept a ceasefire deal, Rishi Sunak's election manifesto unveiling, Moldova's treason law changes, France's snap election, Baltimore bridge debris removal, Haitian PM condemning police killings, and Malawi's VP missing aircraft search.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Jurors begin deliberations in Hunter Biden's criminal gun case

The jury began deliberations on Monday in the case of Hunter Biden, the U.S. president's son accused of lying about his use of illegal drugs when he bought a handgun in 2018. The 12 jurors deliberated for about an hour after hearing closing arguments. They will resume at 9 a.m. ET (1300 GMT) on Tuesday, a court official said.

Blinken, on Mideast tour, urges Hamas to accept the ceasefire deal

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday urged Hamas to accept a ceasefire proposal outlined by Washington to end the Gaza war, a plan that the United Nations Security Council voted to support. On his eighth trip to the Middle East since the war started, the top U.S. diplomat called on countries in the region to pressure the Palestinian militant group to approve the draft. The U.S. has said Israel has accepted it although Israeli officials have not formally announced this.

Under pressure, Britain's Sunak unveils party election manifesto

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak unveils his Conservatives' agenda for government on Tuesday, promising to offer voters in an election on July 4 the kind of financial security he says the opposition Labour Party can never provide. With his governing party well behind in the opinion polls just weeks before the national election, Sunak will again try to convince voters that he has a bold plan to cut taxes, boost the economy and curb migration.

Moldovan president signs changes to treason law denounced by opposition, Amnesty International

Moldova's pro-European president signed into law on Monday changes to the criminal code expanding provisions on treason denounced by her opponents and Amnesty International. The amendments were approved last week by parliament, dominated by President Maia Sandu's Party of Action and Solidarity, with the aim of fighting organised crime groups authorities say are bent on destabilising the ex-Soviet state.

France's far-right National Rally projected to win snap election without absolute majority

The far-right National Rally was forecast on Monday to win a snap election in France but fall short of an absolute majority in the first opinion poll published after President Emmanuel Macron's shock decision to dissolve parliament. Following a massive loss for his Renaissance party in Sunday's European Parliament election, Macron announced snap elections for the lower house of parliament, with the first round scheduled for June 30, less than three weeks away, and the run-off on July 7.

Access fully restored to key channel after Baltimore bridge debris removed

Federal agencies said on Monday they have restored full access for commercial maritime transit through the Port of Baltimore after the removal of 50,000 tons of debris from the March 26 collapse of the Key Bridge. The cargo ship Dali crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in March in Baltimore, killing six people and paralyzing a major transportation artery for the U.S. Northeast. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said a survey on Monday certified the riverbed as safe for transit and said the Fort McHenry Federal Channel had been restored to its original operational dimensions of 700 feet wide and 50 feet deep.

Haiti PM condemns killing of police officers in gang ambush

Haiti's new prime minister on Monday condemned the gang killings of three police officers on a patrol in a part of the capital controlled by gang leader Jimmy "Barbeque" Cherizier. A group of armed men working under Cherizier ambushed a patrol from the police's anti-gang unit in the Delmas 18 neighborhood on Sunday and set it on fire, police in the Caribbean country said.

Hamas, Palestinian authority welcome UN Security Council resolution for Gaza ceasefire

The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, its ally the Islamic Jihad group and the rival Palestinian Authority of President Mahmoud Abbas's welcomed a U.N. Security Council resolution backing a proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza. In its statement, Hamas said it was ready to cooperate with mediators over implementing the principles of the plan.

Search continues for missing aircraft carrying Malawi vice president

Search and rescue operations will continue until the missing aircraft carrying Malawi's vice president, Saulos Klaus Chilima, is found, the southern African nation's president said late on Monday. Chilima, 51, was aboard a military aircraft with nine others that left Lilongwe, the capital, at 09:17 a.m. (0717 GMT), Malawi's Office of the President and Cabinet said in an earlier statement.

UN Security Council backs Israel-Hamas ceasefire plan

The United Nations Security Council on Monday backed a proposal outlined by President Joe Biden for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip and urged the Palestinian militants to accept the deal aimed at ending the eight-month-long war. Hamas welcomed the adoption of the U.S.-drafted resolution and said in a statement that it is ready to cooperate with mediators over implementing the principles of the plan "that are consistent with the demands of our people and resistance."

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