World News Roundup: Heavy rain hinders rescue work in tsunami-hit Indonesia; In a first, Trump makes surprise visit to U.S. troops in Iraq

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Slums on the rise in Chile

The number of slums in Chile, one of Latin America's most prosperous and stable economies, has nearly doubled since 2011, the government said on Wednesday, as an influx of migrants increasingly face a lack of low-income housing and rising rents. Chile's Housing Ministry said it had identified 822 slums in Chile that largely lack access to basic services like water, sewage disposal and electricity, an increase of 78 percent from 2011.

Indonesian rescuers struggle against heavy rain to reach tsunami-hit villages

Indonesian rescue teams on Wednesday struggled to reach remote areas on the western coast of Java amid an "extreme weather" rain warning after a tsunami killed more than 400 people last week. Heavy rain lashed fishing villages along the coast, muddying roads and holding up convoys delivering heavy machinery and aid to isolated areas while authorities urged residents to stay away from the shore in case of further waves.

Putin says Russia is ready to deploy new hypersonic nuclear missile

President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Russia would deploy its first regiment of hypersonic nuclear-capable missiles next year, saying the move meant his country now had a new type of strategic weapon. Putin was speaking after overseeing what the Kremlin said was a pre-deployment test of the new missile system, called Avangard.

Meeting between Trump and Iraq's leadership scrapped over 'disagreements': Iraq PM

A meeting between Iraq's leadership and U.S. President Donald Trump, who made a surprise visit to U.S. troops in Iraq on Wednesday, was scrapped over disagreements in how to conduct the session, according to a statement from the Iraqi PM's office. "A disagremeent over how to conduct the meeting led to the meeting being replaced by a telephone conversation," the statement said.

U.S. Coast Guard searches for cruise ship crew member who went overboard

The U.S. Coast Guard said on Wednesday it was searching for a British crew member who went overboard from a Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean. Arron Hough, 20, went overboard 267 miles (430 km) off the northwest of Puerto Rico on Tuesday, a spokesman for the Coast Guard 7th District told Reuters in a telephone interview.

Turkey fines opposition TV channels for on-air comments

Turkey has fined two of the last television channels critical of the government over on-air comments which allegedly insulted the country's president and encouraged civil disobedience, a television watchdog official told Reuters on Wednesday. A talk show on Halk TV will be suspended temporarily by the Turkish Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTUK) over comments made by prominent actors Mujdat Gezen and Metin Akpinar, an RTUK official said.

Trump defends Syria pullout during surprise visit to Iraq

President Donald Trump on Wednesday defended his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria during an unannounced visit to Iraq, saying that many people will start seeing things on Syria the same way he does. Trump made the decision on Syria abruptly last week, against the advice of top aides and commanders, including Defense Secretary James Mattis, who resigned the next day.

In a first, Trump makes surprise visit to U.S. troops in Iraq

President Donald Trump made a surprise Christmas visit to U.S. troops in Iraq on Wednesday, his first trip to a conflict zone nearly two years into his presidency and days after announcing a pullout of American troops from neighbouring Syria. Trump was looking for some positive headlines after several days of turmoil over his decisions to withdraw the 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria, pull out half of the 14,000-strong contingent in Afghanistan, and push out Defense Secretary James Mattis two months earlier than planned for criticizing his policies.

Deposed Egyptian presidents come face to face in court

Two protagonists of Egypt's recent history faced each other in court on Wednesday, with toppled strongman Hosni Mubarak testifying for the first time against the Muslim Brotherhood's jailed former president, Mohammed Mursi. Mubarak, 90, gave evidence for an hour and a half at the high-security prison complex in southern Cairo where Mursi is detained. Wearing a dark suit and using a walking stick, he was escorted into the courtroom by his two sons.

Special Report: Oil output goes AWOL in Venezuela as soldiers run PDVSA

Last July 6, Major General Manuel Quevedo joined his wife, a Catholic priest and a gathering of oil workers in prayer in a conference room at the headquarters of Petroleos de Venezuela SA, or PDVSA. The career military officer, who for the past year has been boss at the troubled state-owned oil company, was at no ordinary mass. The gathering, rather, was a ceremony at which he and other senior oil ministry officials asked God to boost oil output.

(With inputs from Reuters)