Briefly

UNITED STATES

Abortion rights upheld in Kansas

Kansas voters on Tuesday rejected an effort to remove abortion protections from the state's constitution, a resounding win for the abortion rights movement in the first statewide electoral test since the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The amendment's failure in the conservative state lifted Democrats' hopes that the issue of abortion rights will energize voters in November's midterm elections even as they worry about surging inflation. The result will also prevent Kansas' Republican-led legislature from passing severe abortion restrictions in the state.

VIENNA

OPEC+ meets amid oil output pressure

The OPEC+ group of major oil exporters began talks on its output strategy on Wednesday amid mounting pressure to boost production to tame soaring prices. The cartel led by Saudi Arabia and Russia has so far resisted US pressure to ramp up production significantly since the conflict began. A source of OPEC+ told Reuters that the group agrees to raise September output targets by 100,000 barrels per day. The OPEC+ group began technical talks early afternoon, to be followed by a ministerial meeting by videoconference.

YEMEN

Truce extended for only 2 months

Yemen's warring sides agreed to renew a two-month truce expiring on Tuesday, the United Nations envoy said, despite international pressure for an extended and expanded deal that would build on the longest stretch of relative calm in over seven years. "This truce extension includes a commitment from the parties to intensify negotiations to reach an expanded truce agreement as soon as possible," said Hans Grundberg, the UN's special envoy for Yemen, in a statement. Grundberg had been pushing for a six-month truce with additional measures, sources told Reuters.

Agencies Via Xinhua