World News Roundup: On Syrian frontline, Russia's war on Ukraine evokes painful memories; Putin to meet government on Thursday on ways to minimise sanctions impact and more

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

On Syrian frontline, Russia's war on Ukraine evokes painful memories

Using trench and tunnel warfare, Syrian rebel fighter Abu Ahmad said he and his group held out for years against government forces in eastern Ghouta until Russian air power came to President Bashar al-Assad's aid in 2015, to devastating effect. As he follows the news from Ukraine, Abu Ahmad is reminded of the pivotal role Moscow played in turning the tide of the conflict in favour of Assad and against rebels seeking to topple him, using siege warfare and ferocious bombardment.

Putin to meet government on Thursday on ways to minimise sanctions impact

Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold a meeting with members of his government on Thursday and the main topic will be measures to minimise the impact of sanctions on the Russian economy, the Kremlin said in a statement.

Latin America's trans politicians gain ground in a dangerous region

When Erika Hilton decided to run for political office in South America's biggest city in 2020, she had no idea she would receive more votes than any other female candidate to win a city council seat in Brazil that year. Since then, buzz surrounding the transgender 29-year-old has only grown. Hilton has seen an outpouring support from artists and leftist politicians, appearing on magazine covers in Brazil. In October she was recognized as one of the Most Influential People of African Descent, a United Nations-backed award recognizing achievement by Africans and their diaspora.

Scant progress evacuating Ukrainian civilians despite Russian ceasefire promise

Russia announced a new ceasefire in Ukraine on Wednesday to let civilians flee besieged cities, but there were only limited signs of progress providing escape routes for hundreds of thousands of people trapped without medicine or fresh water. The governor of Sumy, an eastern city, said civilian cars were leaving for a second day through a safe corridor set up to Poltava further west.

Food crisis grows as spiralling prices spark export bans

A global food crisis sparked by Russia's invasion of Ukraine escalated on Wednesday as Indonesia tightened curbs on palm oil exports, adding to a growing list of key producing countries seeking to keep vital food supplies within their borders. The conflict in Ukraine is threatening global grain production, the supply of edible oils and fertiliser exports, sending basic commodity prices rocketing and mirroring the crisis in energy markets.

Israel's president flies to Turkey to thaw frosty ties as gas interest grows

President Isaac Herzog embarked on Wednesday on the first visit by an Israeli leader to Turkey since 2008 as the regional rivals seek to overcome years of animosity. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan invited Herzog, whose post is largely ceremonial, in January, and has said they will review in their talks in Ankara all aspects of Turkey-Israel ties.

Union matchmakers a turn-off, say Chinese web users as birth rate debate heats up

Proposals for matchmaking committees within unions and a drive to encourage more graduate students to have babies triggered a frosty reception on social media, as officials brainstormed ways to raise China's plunging birth rate. In all, delegates to China's annual meeting of parliament submitted more than 20 suggestions for ways to produce more children in a country that did not scrap a decades-long policy restricting couples to a single offspring until 2016.

UN war crimes panel urges U.S. to probe casualties of air strikes in Syria

UN war crimes investigators urged the United States on Wednesday to carry out thorough probes into civilian casualties caused by U.S. air strikes in Syria to ensure that those responsible for any violations are held to account. The U.N. Commission of Inquiry reiterated a "recommendation to the United States and all parties to conduct credible, independent and impartial investigations into incidents entailing civilian casualties in which their forces are implicated".

Host nations boost aid effort as thousands more Ukrainians flee across borders

Thousands more Ukrainian refugees fled to central and eastern Europe on Wednesday, many with no contacts and nowhere to go, as host countries scrambled to accommodate them. Since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, the number of refugees has probably reached 2.1-2.2 million, the head of the U.N. Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Filippo Grandi, said.

Ukraine's president says no-fly zone is needed to avert humanitarian catastrophe

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday the international community would be responsible for a mass "humanitarian catastrophe" if it did not agree a no-fly zone to protect his country. In a daily televised address, he said the threat level in Ukraine was at a maximum nearly two weeks into Russia's invasion but Ukrainians had shown they would never give in.