World News at a Glance

Italy’s President Proposes Caretaker Government Amid Stalemate

President Sergio Mattarella took Italy’s gridlocked politics into his own hands Monday night. Two months after inconclusive elections created a political stalemate, Mattarella asked his country’s bickering political leaders to support a neutral caretaker government of his own choosing. It would last until they formed a sustainable parliamentary majority or until new elections, as early as summer but no later than early next year. Mattarella made clear that Italy, facing critical issues such as the euro and migrant policies in Europe, and needing to approve a budget and prevent automatic tax increases at home, could no longer wait.

Elections in Lebanon Boost Hezbollah’s Clout

Hezbollah and its political allies expanded their share of seats in Lebanon’s Parliament, increasing their political clout at the expense of the country’s Western-backed prime minister, according to preliminary election results released Monday. The outcome of Lebanon’s first parliamentary elections in nine years shored up Hezbollah’s position in a way that is likely to alarm the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia. Iran backs Hezbollah, a political party and militant group that is considered a terrorist organization by the United States. The election’s biggest blow was to the movement led by Prime Minister Saad Hariri.

Volunteers Who Rescued Migrants Are Cleared of Criminal Charges in Greece

Five volunteers for European aid groups who worked in Greece at the height of the migrant crisis were cleared of illegally bringing migrants into the country by a Greek court Monday. The case had been closely watched by migrant relief and rescue groups, especially in Denmark and Spain, where the volunteers were from, because their defense lawyers and supporters said it was an attempt to criminalize humanitarian action. The issue has taken on broad importance across Europe and the Mediterranean as the migrant crisis has continued, if at a lower level than when the defendants volunteered two years ago.

45 Killed in Nigerian Village as Mass Killings Increase

Heavily armed men killed 45 people and wounded 12 in an assault on a village in northwestern Nigeria on Saturday, the latest in a wave of mass killings that have shocked the country, exposed serious gaps in its security and shaken its political foundations. The gunmen, described by officials as bandits, entered the village of Gwaska around 2:30 p.m., killing indiscriminately before armed vigilantes drove them off. According to local residents, the nearest state police force, based far from the remote village, arrived hours after the killings had ended. Witnesses described the attack Saturday as the worst in years.

A Newspaper Is Sold and Cambodians Fear the End of Press Freedom

The Phnom Penh Post, a newspaper widely seen as the last bastion of a free press in Cambodia, has been sold to a Malaysian investor with ties to Cambodia’s strongman prime minister, Hun Sen, a move that critics say further highlights the country’s slide toward outright authoritarianism. Intervention in the paper’s editorial decision-making came almost immediately after the sale was announced. Several senior editors resigned or were fired after they refused to excise a story from the paper’s website about the relationship between the investor, Sivakumar S. Ganapathy, his company and the Cambodian government.

Danish Inventor Peter Madsen Won’t Appeal Murder Conviction

Peter Madsen, a Danish inventor, will not appeal his conviction for killing a journalist aboard the submarine he built, prosecutors said, in a new twist to one of the most-watched criminal cases in recent European history. Madsen will appeal the life sentence a court imposed on him — a rare penalty in Denmark, even in murder cases — but will not challenge the verdict delivered April 25 that he was guilty of sexually assaulting and killing Kim Wall, and desecrating her body. Even with a life sentence, Madsen could be considered for release in as little as 12 years.