World News Roundup: Police arrest Macau's No 2 junket boss in crackdown - media; Israeli President Herzog makes first UAE visit and more

With tens of thousands of Russian troops massed near the Ukrainian border, Truss has previously refused to rule out personal sanctions against President Vladimir Putin if Russia invades Ukraine, something that Moscow denies it is planning to do. NATO chief says no plans to send combat troops to Ukraine if Russia invades NATO has no plans to deploy combat troops to non-NATO member Ukraine in the event of a Russian invasion, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Sunday.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Police arrest Macau's No 2 junket boss in crackdown - media

Police in Macau, the world's biggest gambling hub, said on Sunday they had arrested two men for alleged illegal gambling and money laundering, as authorities step up a crackdown on illicit capital outflows from the Chinese mainland. "One of the men involved was responsible for operating an illegal gambling syndicate while the other offered assistance," the police said in a statement on their official Wechat account, without naming either man.

Israeli President Herzog makes first UAE visit

Israeli President Isaac Herzog arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday on the first such visit, his office said, seeking to strengthen Gulf ties at a time of heightened regional tension as world powers try to revive a nuclear deal with Iran. The UAE, along with Bahrain, signed U.S.-brokered normalization agreements with Israel, dubbed the "Abraham Accords", in 2020. The two Gulf states and Israel share common concerns about Iran and its allied forces in the region.

Britain considering major NATO deployment amid Ukraine crisis

Britain is considering making a major NATO deployment as part of a plan to strengthen Europe's borders in response to Russia massing troops on the border with Ukraine, the government said on Saturday. Britain has said that any Russian incursion into Ukraine would be met with swift sanctions and would be devastating for both sides.

N.Korea caps month of tests with longest-range missile since 2017

North Korea conducted its largest missile test since 2017 on Sunday, sending a suspected intermediate-range ballistic missile soaring into space, seen as taking the nuclear-armed country a step closer to resuming long-range testing. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that a projectile believed to be a single ballistic missile was launched about 7:52 a.m. (2252 GMT) from North Korea's Jagang Province toward the ocean off its east coast.

Russia to challenge NATO on security pledge - Lavrov

Russia will ask NATO to clarify whether it intends to implement key security commitments, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Sunday, after Moscow said the alliance's response to its demands did not go far enough. Russia has forced the U.S.-led defence alliance and the 57-member Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to negotiate over regional security by massing around 100,000 troops near Ukraine while denying it plans to invade.

Taiwan VP, in U.S., repeats accusation China blocked vaccine access

Taiwan Vice President William Lai used his final day in the United States to repeat an accusation that China blocked the island from obtaining COVID-19 vaccines last year, and to thank a U.S. lawmaker for her role in donating the inoculations. Last May, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen accused China of blocking a deal with Germany's BioNTech SE for COVID-19 vaccines, after Beijing offered the shots to the island via a Chinese company just as Taiwan was dealing with a rise in domestic infections.

Oil spill threatens corals in eastern Thailand

Authorities are rushing to prevent an oil spill in eastern Thailand from damaging fragile corals, after officials said on Sunday the leak that began last week was drifting towards more coastal areas. Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment Varawut Silpa-archa said it was crucial to try to prevent the main mass of oil from reaching the shore at Ao Prao, a small bay on Koh Samet, which is a popular resort island.

Storm sets off flood warnings in northern Germany

A storm hit coastal areas in northern Germany overnight, disrupting train services and prompting flood warnings including in the port city of Hamburg, emergency officials said on Sunday.

Hamburg's famous fish market was flooded as water levels in the Elbe river that flows into the North Sea rose by 5.2 meters (17 ft) above normal levels.

UK plans to broaden scope of sanctions it could apply to Russia -Truss

The British government will introduce new legislation this week to broaden the scope of sanctions it can apply to Russia in an effort to deter aggression towards Ukraine, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said on Sunday. With tens of thousands of Russian troops massed near the Ukrainian border, Truss has previously refused to rule out personal sanctions against President Vladimir Putin if Russia invades Ukraine, something that Moscow denies it is planning to do.

NATO chief says no plans to send combat troops to Ukraine if Russia invades

NATO has no plans to deploy combat troops to non-NATO member Ukraine in the event of a Russian invasion, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Sunday. Asked on BBC Television whether he would rule out putting NATO troops in Ukraine if Russia does invade, Stoltenberg said: "We have no plans to deploy NATO combat troops to Ukraine ... we are focusing on providing support."