Israel new cabinet
Israel’s parliament will vote on the formation of a new cabinet on Sunday. That’s what Knesset speaker Yariv Levin has announced. Levin says the new cabinet will be sworn in on the same day if lawmakers give it a go-ahead. The possible vote of confidence would oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after being 12 consecutive years in power. If approved, extremist Naftali Bennett would take over, leading an alliance of right-wing, left-wing, centrist and Arab parties. Under a deal, Bennett will serve first as prime minister for two years. Then centrist politician Yair Lapid will take the helm in the second half. The deal follows an inconclusive election in March that saw no parties winning a majority. It was the fourth election in Israel in two years.
Covid-19 origin probe
A US government study on the origins of Covid-19 reportedly finds that the hypothesis of a virus leak from a Chinese laboratory in Wuhan is plausible. The classified study by a US national laboratory called for further investigation into the issue. According to the Wall Street Journal, the secret survey was carried out in May 2020 as part of a State Department inquiry into the origins of the pandemic. President Joe Biden said last month he had ordered aides to find answers to the origin of the virus. US officials have accused China of withholding data on the issue. Beijing has denied that. In March, a World Health Organization team concluded that the lab origin of the virus is extremely unlikely.
Peru presidential polls
Peru’s presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori has alleged fraud in Sunday’s runoff election as her rival Pedro Castillo took a lead in the vote count. Right-wing Fujimori says she has evidence of what she calls a clear intention to boycott the popular will in the election. Fujimori had led early counting. But, far-left trade unionist Castillo gained ground as votes from Peru's rural areas came in. Nearly 95% of ballots have been counted so far. Castillo has got 50.2%, Fujimori 49.7%. Castillo has urged election authorities to protect the vote, and told supporters he will respect the will of the people. Peru is currently struggling with an economic recession and the highest per capital Covid death rate globally.