Global Flashpoints: Fires, Treaties, and Political Shifts

A fire in Kuwait claims 49 lives, Biden to sign a security agreement with Ukraine, and the UN Security Council plans to address the Siege in Sudan. Additionally, tensions rise between Hamas and Israel, and political shifts are seen in France, India, Armenia, and the UK.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Fire in Kuwait building kills 49 foreign workers

At least 49 people were killed in Kuwait on Wednesday after a fire broke out in a building housing foreign workers, with Kuwait's deputy prime minister accusing property owners of committing violations that contribute towards such incidents. The nationalities of those who died were not immediately disclosed by local authorities. India's ambassador visited hospitals where workers were being treated for injuries sustained in the fire.

Biden will sign new security agreement with Ukraine during G7 summit

U.S. President Joe Biden will sign a new security agreement with Ukraine on Thursday to pledge America's long-term support to the country, during his meeting with leaders of the Group of Seven democracies in Italy, a top U.S. official said. Biden departed for Italy on Wednesday to increase pressure on Russia over its war against Ukraine and on China for its support of Moscow and excess industrial capacity.

UN Security Council to vote on demand for halt to siege of Sudanese city

The United Nations Security Council is likely to vote on Thursday on a British-drafted resolution that demands a halt to the siege of al-Fashir in Sudan's North Dafur region by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), diplomats said on Wednesday. The draft text, seen by Reuters, also calls for an immediate halt to the fighting and for de-escalation in and around the city and the withdrawal of all fighters that threaten the safety and security of civilians.

US says Hamas seeks changes to ceasefire plan; Hamas denies proposing new ideas

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday that Hamas had proposed numerous changes, some unworkable, to a U.S.-backed proposal for a ceasefire with Israel in Gaza, but that mediators were determined to close the gaps. Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan denied that the Palestinian Islamist group had put forward new ideas. Speaking to pan-Arab Al-Araby TV, he reiterated Hamas' stance that it was Israel that was rejecting proposals and accused the U.S. administration of going along with its close ally.

'Immense' scale of Gaza killings amount to crime against humanity, UN inquiry says

Both Israel and Hamas committed war crimes in the early stages of the Gaza war, a U.N. inquiry found on Wednesday, saying that Israel's actions also constituted crimes against humanity because of the immense civilian losses. The findings were from two parallel reports, one focusing on the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks and another on Israel's military response, published by the U.N. Commission of Inquiry (COI), which has an unusually broad mandate to collect evidence and identify perpetrators of international crimes committed in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.

Macron seeks alliance against France's far right; Republicans ditch party chief

French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday urged rival parties to join his electoral alliance against Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally, while the conservative Republicans ditched their party chief for seeking a far-right pact. The fast-moving political developments came after Macron's shock decision to call a snap parliamentary election in a few weeks. The vote could hand real power to Le Pen's party after years on the sidelines.

US wishes India luck with 'structural issues' in strained China ties

The United States wishes India well in its efforts to improve strained ties with China, the number-two U.S. diplomat said on Wednesday, while cautioning that Chinese leader Xi Jinping finds it very hard to show any flexibility on territorial issues. Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said on Tuesday after assuming office for a second straight term that India would focus on finding solutions to border issues with China, that have long strained ties between the neighbors.

Protests erupt as Armenia nears peace deal with Azerbaijan

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Wednesday that a peace treaty with Azerbaijan was close to completion, but that his country would not accept Baku's demands that it change its constitution. After Pashinyan made the comments, clashes broke out between police and demonstrators, the latest in a series of protests denouncing his policies, including the handing back of ruined villages to Azerbaijan, and demanding his resignation.

UK's Sunak, Starmer face televised grilling by unhappy voters

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Keir Starmer were grilled by voters at a televised event on Wednesday, with both challenged over past decisions, pledges and how they would fund policies if they won a July 4 election. At their latest meeting in television studios before the poll, the two men took turns to face an interviewer and then an audience, whose questions and responses underscored the everyday struggles of many in Britain and the mistrust of politicians.

UK Labour leader puts wealth creation at heart of election offer

British opposition Labour leader Keir Starmer will unveil his party's agenda for government on Thursday, putting wealth creation and economic growth at the heart of his pitch to voters before a July 4 election that polls say he is on course to win. With three weeks to go before the election, Starmer is the latest leader to launch his party's manifesto, a blueprint for what Labour would do in government and one he described as setting out "a total change in direction".

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