World News at a Glance

Italy’s Uncertainty Pushes Euro to Fore, the Last Place Europe Wants It

Through more than two months of negotiations to form a government in Italy after inconclusive March elections, financial markets remained calm. Italy’s uncertainties seemed contained to Italy, and Europe’s economy kept growing. That changed this week when Italy’s president, Sergio Mattarella, blocked two populist parties from forming a government. He judged that their Cabinet was intent on having Italy abandon the euro. In doing so, Mattarella likely laid the groundwork for a new election that may amount to a referendum on the euro. The European Union and financial markets reacted with dread. On Tuesday, the Dow plunged almost 400 points.

Canadian Government to Buy Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain Pipeline

The Canadian government on Tuesday said it would buy an oil pipeline to the country’s west coast, ensuring that its protested expansion will go forward. The Trans Mountain pipeline, which carries oil from Alberta to a port in a suburb of Vancouver, British Columbia, has become a flashpoint in a debate in Canada over the environmental impact of tapping Alberta’s oil sands. Critics view the sands as a particularly dirty energy source. Environmentalists and some indigenous groups have opposed the expansion of the pipeline, citing environmental concerns. The province of British Columbia is trying to block it in the courts.

Gaza Militants Barrage Israel With Mortars and Rockets

Islamic militants in Gaza attacked southern Israel with rockets and mortars Tuesday and Israel responded instantly with a wave of airstrikes across the Palestinian territory, an escalation of violence after weeks of deadly protests, arson attacks and armed clashes along the border. The exchanges were the most intense cross-border hostilities in Gaza since the two sides fought a 50-day war in the summer of 2014. By 10 p.m. Tuesday, Israel said there had been 70 rockets or mortars fired from Gaza throughout the day. The military wing of Hamas claimed responsibility jointly with another faction, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Prison Inmate on Leave Kills 3 in Belgium

A prison inmate on a 48-hour leave fatally shot two police officers and a civilian and then took a woman hostage at a school in Liège on Tuesday, before being killed by police, officials said. The assailant, a Belgian, had a long criminal record. Prosecutors said the assailant attacked officers with a knife around 10:30 a.m., took their weapons, and used them to kill them. The attacker also killed a man sitting in a car. He then took a cleaner hostage at a nearby school. Police moved in, prompting the gunman to open fire, before he was shot and killed.

Top Aide to Kim Jong Un Is Bound for US, Trump Says

North Korea’s top nuclear weapons negotiator was headed for New York on Tuesday and plans to meet with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as officials race to settle on an agenda for a June 12 summit meeting between the North’s leader, Kim Jong Un, and President Donald Trump in Singapore. Trump said on Twitter that Kim Yong Chol, one of the most trusted aides to the North’s leader and a former intelligence chief, was “heading now to New York.” Kim will meet with Pompeo this week, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, said Tuesday.

Libyan Factions Agree to Elections Despite Deep Divisions

The leaders of rival Libyan factions agreed Tuesday to work together on a legal framework for holding presidential and parliamentary elections this December in a deal being pushed by France’s president to bring stability to Libya and stem the flow of migrants to Europe from its shores. It was latest of numerous international efforts to find a political solution to the chaos plaguing Libya since the ouster of Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. But analysts said the election timetable was optimistic and that the agreement, as with previous efforts, risked being undermined by opposition from armed groups on the ground.

Pakistani Ex-Spy Chief Faces Inquiry Over Book With Indian Counterpart

At a packed house for the release of the book “The Spy Chronicles” in New Delhi last week, the former Pakistani intelligence chief who is co-author of the book jokingly thanked India’s government for denying him a visa to attend the event. “They saved me from the wrath of our hawks at home,” Asad Durrani, a retired lieutenant general who led Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence in the 1990s, said in videotaped remarks. That was wishful thinking. On Monday, Pakistan’s military barred Durrani from leaving the country and ordered an investigation into whether he violated the military’s code of conduct.