Australian government boosts Senate numbers ahead of tax cut bill

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison will need to secure just three votes in the country's upper house to pass legislation after election results on Wednesday showed his government picked up four additional Senate seats.

from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2WS58ro

El Salvador president rules out talks with criminal gangs

El Salvador President Nayib Bukele ruled out negotiations with criminal gangs on Tuesday and vowed to go after their finances in a bid to reduce violence in the Central American country.

from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2FiUOTo

Scientists amazed as Canadian permafrost thaws 70 years early

Permafrost at outposts in the Canadian Arctic is thawing 70 years earlier than predicted, an expedition has discovered, in the latest sign that the global climate crisis is accelerating even faster than scientists had feared.

from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2IY2rQ2

China completes outer dome on overseas Hualong One reactor in Pakistan

China has finished building the outer safety dome at its first overseas "Hualong One" nuclear reactor in Pakistan, with the project scheduled to be finished by the end of 2020, the China National Nuclear Corp (CNNC) said late Tuesday.

from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2Xf6qRJ

Xi firmly backs Pyongyang's effort to solve Korea Peninsula issues: Rodong Sinmun

Chinese President Xi Jinping said in an op-ed in North Korean state newspaper Rodong Sinmun on Wednesday that China supports North Korea's "correct direction" in politically resolving issues on the Korean Peninsula.

from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2KZ1TMt

Mexican president pitches universal internet in chat with Facebook's Zuckerberg

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said he spoke with Facebook Inc's Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday, inviting the social media tycoon to partner with him in a bid to promote universal internet access in Mexico.

from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2FhVAQA

Brazil Senate blocks Bolsonaro move to ease gun carrying

Brazil's Senate on Tuesday overturned a decree signed last month by right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro that drastically expanded the number of people allowed to carry weapons in public.

from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/31z6WZU

Xi says China backs North Korean efforts to solve Korea Peninsula issue: Rodong Sinmun

Chinese President Xi Jinping said in an op-ed in North Korean state newspaper Rodong Sinmun on Wednesday that China supports North Korea's "correct direction" in resolving the issue of the Korean Peninsula politically.

from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/31Gq1JP

U.S. seizes $1 billion worth of cocaine from ship in Philadelphia

Federal authorities seized 16.5 tons of cocaine worth more than $1 billion from a ship in Philadelphia in one of the largest drug seizures in U.S. history, the U.S. Justice Department said on Tuesday.

from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2ISSjbu

Syria says it does not want fighting between Syrian and Turkish militaries

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem said on Tuesday that he does not want to see fighting between the Syrian and Turkish militaries.

from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2Zs2evh

Beijing-backed candidate announces bid to lead casino hub of Macau

The head of the legislature in Macau, the world's biggest gambling hub, formally declared his candidacy on Tuesday in the race to run the Chinese-controlled territory for the next five years.

from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2XifTrj

Britain's Hammond 'prepared to resign' over May's spending plans: ITV, citing PA

British finance minister Philip Hammond is "prepared to resign" over Prime Minister Theresa May's legacy spending plans, ITV said on Tuesday, citing the Press Association.

from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2L2MQBk

Venezuela frees jailed opposition lawmaker ahead of U.N. rights chief's visit

Venezuela on Monday freed opposition lawmaker Gilber Caro, who was detained in April in what allies said was a violation of his parliamentary immunity, the opposition-controlled National Assembly said on Twitter.

from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2ZrWBgD