Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

U.S. Republicans ask Biden to boost Taiwan in his budget request

The top Republicans on U.S. congressional foreign affairs and armed services committees pressed Democratic President Joe Biden on Thursday to include $2 billion in military assistance grants for Taiwan in his upcoming budget request. Representatives Michael McCaul and Mike Rogers, chairmen of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs and Armed Services committees, and Senators Jim Risch and Roger Wicker, ranking Republicans on the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services committees, asked Biden to include up to $2 billion in Foreign Military Financing (FMF) grants for Taiwan in his proposed budget for the fiscal year ending in September 2024.

Missiles hammer Ukraine as Russia eyes Bakhmut's capture by April

Russia rained missiles across Ukraine on Thursday and struck its largest oil refinery, Kyiv said, while the head of the Wagner mercenary group predicted the long-besieged city of Bakhmut would take weeks if not months to fall. Following a pattern of heavy bombardments after Ukrainian battlefield or diplomatic gains, Russia launched 36 missiles in the early hours, Ukraine's Air Force said.

Rescues dwindle in Turkey after earthquake as aid trickles into Syria

Two people were reported to have been pulled alive from the rubble in Turkey on Thursday, more than 10 days after a massive earthquake hit the region, but such rescues have become increasingly rare, leaving anger to smoulder as hope dies. A 17-year-old girl was extracted from the ruins of a collapsed apartment bloc in Turkey's southeastern Kahramanmaras province, broadcaster TRT Haber reported, 248 hours since the 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck in the dead of night on Feb. 6.

Ukraine prosecutor says probes Russian killing of civilians in Bakhmut

Russian Grad rockets and barrel artillery slammed into a residential district in the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut on Thursday, killing three men and two women and wounding nine more, Ukraine's prosecutor general said, adding it was being investigated as a war crime. "Five dead and nine wounded due to shelling of Bakhmut by the invaders," read a caption under blurred images of the victims shared on Telegram by the office of the prosecutor general. "Criminal proceedings have been initiated."

Portugal ends Golden Visas, curtails Airbnb rentals to address housing crisis

Portugal announced on Thursday a hefty package of measures to tackle a housing crisis, including the end of its controversial "Golden Visa" scheme and a ban on new licenses for Airbnbs and other short-term holiday rentals. Rents and house prices have skyrocketed in Portugal, which is among the poorest countries in Western Europe. Last year, more than 50% of workers earned less than 1,000 euros per month while in Lisbon alone, rents jumped 37% in 2022.

War in Ukraine to dominate global security gathering in Munich

Leading politicians, military officers and diplomats from around the world gather in Munich on Friday to survey a European security landscape transformed by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris are among many top officials attending the Munich Security Conference, a major annual global gathering focused on defence and diplomacy.

Colombia and Venezuela sign deal to revive trade

Colombia and Venezuela on Thursday signed an agreement to revive trade between the two countries during a ceremony on a border bridge at which Colombia's President Gustavo Petro and Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro both signed. The deal "updates everything having to do with tariffs, with goods traded, (and) lays the foundations for a new dynamic, for the expansion of trade between Colombia and Venezuela," Maduro said at the event broadcast on Venezuelan state television.

Canada's Trudeau to deploy Navy vessels to Haiti for surveillance, presence

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday said he would deploy Royal Canadian Navy vessels in the coming weeks to conduct surveillance, gather intelligence and maintain a maritime presence off the coast of Haiti. "We are working closely together to help address the political, security and humanitarian crisis in Haiti," Trudeau said in a speech at a conference of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) regional bloc in the Bahamas.

Alberta offers to work with Canadian gov't on carbon capture incentives

Canada's Alberta province on Thursday offered to collaborate with the federal government to incentivize carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) investments, as long as Ottawa refrains from introducing climate policies that impact the oil and gas sector without Alberta's consent. In an open letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said those policies include a proposed oil and gas emissions cap, Just Transition legislation, aimed at helping oil and gas workers retrain for green energy jobs, and clean electricity regulations.

Jamaica PM will not face corruption charges, despite 'evidence'

Jamaica's anti-corruption agency said on Thursday that the prime minister will not face any charges after investigating a potential conflict of interest around government contracts awarded to a construction company between 2006 and 2009. In a letter to parliament, the chief of the Integrity Commission said its leadership had ruled that no changes would be brought against Prime Minister Andrew Holness for allegations he recommended contracts with Westcon Construction Limited.