Reuters World News Summary
Following is a summary of current world news briefs.
Mexican president to hold first meeting with Trump as U.S. election looms
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador meets with his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, for the first time on Wednesday, in a potentially awkward encounter that has drawn flak from some U.S. Democrats unhappy it is coming so close to the presidential election. The leftist leader has brushed off criticism at home to push ahead with plans to meet Trump, a Republican widely disliked in Mexico because of his incendiary remarks about its people.
Global coronavirus cases rise to more than 12 million
Global coronavirus cases exceeded 12 million on Wednesday, according to a Reuters tally, as evidence mounts of the airborne spread of the disease that has killed more than half a million people in seven months. The number of cases is triple that of severe influenza illnesses recorded annually, according to the World Health Organization.
Canada handled the coronavirus outbreak better than United States, PM Trudeau says
Canada handled the novel coronavirus outbreak better than many of its allies, including the United States, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Wednesday, in a rare public comment on the faltering U.S. effort. Canada - with a population one-tenth the size of the United States - has so far recorded 8,711 deaths and 106,167 cases and Trudeau said the situation was stabilizing, although some hot spots remained.
Brazil's Bolsonaro, sick with coronavirus, says he is 'doing very well'
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Wednesday he was "doing very well" after contracting the coronavirus, and credited an unproven drug for his mild symptoms. Bolsonaro tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, joining a small list of world leaders who have caught the disease. But the diagnosis looks to have done little to alter the 65-year-old former army captain's view of the illness, which he has dismissed in the past as just "a little flu."
U.S. first lady Melania Trump statue set on fire in Slovenia
A wooden sculpture of U.S. first lady Melania Trump was torched near her hometown of Sevnica, Slovenia, on the night of July Fourth, as Americans celebrated U.S. Independence Day, said the artist who commissioned the sculpture. Brad Downey, a Berlin-based American artist, told Reuters he had the life-sized blackened, disfigured sculpture removed as soon as police informed him on July 5th of the incident.
David Attenborough in appeal to save charity behind London Zoo
Veteran broadcaster and naturalist David Attenborough has appealed for donations to save the conservation charity behind two leading British zoos, London and Whipsnade, which has been hammered financially by the coronavirus pandemic. The short video clip, which will air on British television on Thursday, draws attention to the scientific work of the Zoological Society of London and features images of animals both in the two zoos and their native habitats.
Trump, Mexico's president briefly discussed immigration: White House
U.S President Donald Trump and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador briefly discussed immigration during their talks on Wednesday, the White House said. "It came up briefly, and just noting the great cooperation that has been had between Mexico and the United States," White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany told reporters when asked if the two leaders discussed immigration.
Special Report: Bolsonaro bets 'miraculous cure' for COVID-19 can save Brazil - and his life
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has gone all in on hydroxychloroquine to help his coronavirus-ravaged country beat COVID-19. He has pushed his government to make the malaria drug widely available and encouraged Brazilians to take it, both to prevent the disease and to treat it. Now the far-right populist is putting his convictions to the ultimate test: Bolsonaro on Tuesday announced that he had tested positive for the disease and was taking hydroxychloroquine.
Foreign ministers of Five Eyes group nations discussed HK on call: official
Foreign ministers from the Five Eyes intelligence sharing group discussed the situation in Hong Kong during a conference call on Wednesday, a Canadian government official told Reuters. The official declined to elaborate. The Five Eyes groups Canada, the United States, Britain, Australia and New Zealand.
U.N. chief says foreign meddling in Libya conflict at 'unprecedented levels'
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned the Security Council on Wednesday that the conflict in Libya has entered a new phase with "unprecedented levels" of foreign interference and mercenaries in the oil-producing country. Libya descended into chaos after the NATO-backed overthrow of leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Since 2014, it has been split, with an internationally recognized government controlling the capital, Tripoli, and the northwest, while military leader Khalifa Haftar in Benghazi rules the east.
