Bill Clinton supports #MeToo campaign

Former President Bill Clinton used the opening of a book tour event in New York on June 4 to respond to a defensive interview he gave NBC News in which he defended his handling of the Monica Lewinsky scandal and said that he didn't have to apologize to her. Asked by author Walter Mosley about the response, Clinton said, "The truth is, the hubbub was I got hot under the collar because of the way the questions were asked. And I think what was lost were the two points that I made that are important to me."

Pope Francis calls for dialogue as Nicaragua violence escalates

Pope Francis called on June 3 for dialogue in Nicaragua after new clashes killed at least seven people, the latest bloodshed in weeks of anti-government protests that have left more than 100 dead. The Church has tried to mediate the crisis in the Central American country, but called off peace talks with President Daniel Ortega's government last week after a march led by victims' mothers was met with gunfire, killing at least 16 people. Violence erupted again Saturday, as protesters fired homemade mortars to fend off police crackdowns in the cities of Masaya and Tipitapa, both near the capital Managua.

Italy's new PM begins work

Italy's new Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte attended a military parade on his first full day in office on June 4 while his outspoken deputy Matteo Salvini was to head to Sicily as part of his campaign against illegal immigration. The military parade, which Conte attended alongside President Sergio Mattarella, marked Republic Day for the foundation of the Italian Republic in 1946. Conte was finally sworn in on Friday afternoon at the head of an anti-establishment and eurosceptic government, ending months of uncertainty since elections in March. The 53-year-old academic heads a government of ministers from the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) and the far-right League Party, the first populist coalition in a founding EU member.

Microsoft says buying GitHub for $7.5b

Microsoft on June 4 said it will buy software development platform GitHub, in a deal worth $7.5 billion. The tech giant, based in Washington state, said it "will acquire GitHub for $7.5 billion in Microsoft stock." Subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory review, the deal is expected to be finalized by the end of the year, Microsoft said in a statement on its website. "GitHub will retain its developer-first ethos and will operate independently to provide an open platform for all developers in all industries," Microsoft said. "Developers will continue to be able to use the programing languages, tools and operating systems of their choice for their projects - and will still be able to deploy their code to any operating system, any cloud and any device."