Reuters World News Summary

Philippine officials have said a coast guard ship and a fisheries vessel were damaged when Chinese coast guard vessels fired water cannons at them while on their way to the disputed Scarborough shoal on Tuesday to help Filipino fishermen at sea. UK begins detaining migrants set to be deported to Rwanda British authorities have started to detain migrants in preparation for them to be sent to Rwanda in the next nine to 11 weeks, the government said on Wednesday, laying the groundwork for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's flagship immigration policy.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Harvey Weinstein expected in New York court after rape conviction overturned

Harvey Weinstein is due to appear in state court in Manhattan on Wednesday for the first time since New York's highest court threw out his 2020 rape conviction last week. The hearing before Judge Curtis Farber will give prosecutors and Weinstein's lawyers a chance to address the next steps for the former film mogul, which could include a new trial.

Philippines says Chinese coast guard elevating tensions in South China Sea

The Philippines on Wednesday accused China's coast guard of elevating tensions in the South China Sea after two vessels suffered damage from water cannon use by Beijing, an official said. Philippine officials have said a coast guard ship and a fisheries vessel were damaged when Chinese coast guard vessels fired water cannons at them while on their way to the disputed Scarborough shoal on Tuesday to help Filipino fishermen at sea.

UK begins detaining migrants set to be deported to Rwanda

British authorities have started to detain migrants in preparation for them to be sent to Rwanda in the next nine to 11 weeks, the government said on Wednesday, laying the groundwork for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's flagship immigration policy. A law to pave the way for sending asylum seekers to Rwanda if they arrived in Britain without permission was approved by parliament in April, and Sunak wants the first flights to take off in July.

In Israel, Blinken pushes Netanyahu for sustained aid into Gaza

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, pushing to get more aid into Gaza, while urging Hamas to accept a deal that would halt fighting and bring some hostages home from the enclave. Israel is the final stop on the top U.S. diplomat's Middle East tour, his seventh visit to the region which was plunged into conflict on Oct. 7 when Hamas attacked southern Israel.

Georgian lawmakers tussle in parliament after crack down on foreign agent protesters

Georgian lawmakers tussled in parliament on Wednesday as lawmakers resumed debating the second reading of a bill on "foreign agents" that has sparked weeks of protest, and a violent police crackdown on Tuesday. Georgian television showed commotion in the chamber. One pro-government deputy was seen throwing a book at opposition legislators, while others shouted and physically confronted opponents. The foreign agent bill has prompted an upsurge of violence in Georgia's often-rowdy parliament.

Russia ramps up arms production as US boosts support for Ukraine

Russia's defence minister on Wednesday ordered a hike in weapons production and said deliveries needed to be faster for the war in Ukraine, a week after U.S. President Joe Biden signed off on tens of billions of dollars of new military aid for Kyiv.

President Vladimir Putin's 2022 invasion of Ukraine touched off the worst breakdown in relations between Russia and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, according to Russian and U.S. diplomats.

Biden approves $6.1 billion in student loan debt relief for Art Institute enrollees

President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced the approval of more than $6.1 billion in student loan debt relief for nearly 317,000 borrowers who were enrolled at any Art Institute campus from January 2004 until October 2017. The Art Institutes was a private-for-profit system of art schools in the United States that faced a host of legal issues and closed last September.

Police arrest dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University

New York City police arrested dozens of pro-Palestinian demonstrators holed-up in an academic building on Columbia University campus late on Tuesday and removed a protest encampment the Ivy League school had sought to dismantle for nearly two weeks. Shortly after police moved in, Columbia University President Minouche Shafik released a letter in which she requested police stay on campus until at least May 17 - two days after graduation - "to maintain order and ensure that encampments are not re-established."

Police move in after pro-Israel supporters attack pro-Palestinian camp at UCLA

Police deployed in force on the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) campus on Wednesday morning after Israel supporters attacked a camp set up by pro-Palestinian protesters.

Witness footage from the scene, verified by Reuters, showed people wielding sticks or poles to attack wooden boards being held up as a makeshift barricade to protect the pro-Palestinian protesters, some of whom held placards or umbrellas.

Kenya flood toll rises to 179 as homes and roads are destroyed

Floods and landslides across Kenya have killed 179 people since March, with hundreds of thousands forced to leave their homes, the government said on Wednesday, as dozens more were killed in neighbouring Tanzania and Burundi. Torrential rain and floods have destroyed homes, roads, bridges and other infrastructure across the region. The death toll in Kenya exceeds that from flooding triggered by the El Nino weather phenomenon late last year.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)