Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs. China's panda diplomacy puts a smile on 'best friend' Putin's face

Chinese President Xi Jinping presented two pandas to Moscow's zoo at a ceremony with Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, in a gesture the Russian president described as a sign of deepening trust and respect between the two powers. Xi unveiled the pandas - Ru Yi and Ding Ding - after talks with Putin whom he called his "best friend" at the start of a three-day visit that will see him attend Russia's flagship economic forum in St Petersburg later this week. Don't fret, Trump tells nervous Ireland, Brexit will work out 'very well'

Donald Trump, arriving in Ireland for the first time as U.S. president on Wednesday, sought to reassure the country that Britain's exit from the European Union would work out fine for its near neighbour. Prime Minister Leo Varadkar used a meeting with Trump, who has been a vocal supporter of Brexit, to underline Ireland's concerns over the departure that could affect it more than any other country remaining in the 28-member bloc. Republican, Democratic senators seek to block Trump Saudi arms sales

Republican and Democratic U.S. senators said on Wednesday they would introduce 22 separate joint resolutions seeking to block President Donald Trump's plan to sidestep congressional review and complete more than $8 billion in military sales to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan. Backers said the introduction of the resolutions was intended to "protect and reaffirm Congress' role of approving arms sales to foreign governments." U.S. cruise operators stop sailing to Cuba, travelers vent anger online

Major U.S. cruise operators said on Wednesday they will no longer sail to Cuba following the Trump administration's ban on travel to the Caribbean island, angering travelers and prompting worries about trip cancellations and company earnings. The new restrictions are aimed at pressuring Cuba's Communist government to reform and stop supporting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Mexico meets migrants at southern border with armed forces

Mexican soldiers, armed police and migration officials blocked hundreds of migrants after they crossed the border from Guatemala in a caravan into southern Mexico on Wednesday, and detained dozens of them, a witness from a migrant aid group and an official said. The Mexican response in the border town of Metapa, which included dozens of soldiers, marked a toughening of the government's efforts to curb the flow of mainly Central American migrants, said Salva Cruz, a coordinator with Fray Matias de Cordova. Exclusive: U.S. preparing to sell over $2 billion in weapons to Taiwan, testing China - sources

The United States is pursuing the sale of more than $2 billion worth of tanks and weapons to Taiwan, four people familiar with the negotiations said, in a move likely to anger China as a trade war between the world's two biggest economies escalates. An informal notification of the proposed sale has been sent to the U.S. Congress, the four sources said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the possible deal. Trump casts doubt on reports of North Korean executions

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday appeared to cast doubt on news reports of North Korean executions as part of a purge in the aftermath of a failed Hanoi summit and lamented that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was blamed too quickly. Asked about South Korean reports that North Korea had executed a top diplomat, Trump said, "I don't know if the reports are correct." Nigel Farage's Brexit Party hopes for first UK lawmaker in Peterborough vote

Nigel Farage's Brexit Party could win its first seat in Westminster when the eastern English city of Peterborough goes to the polls on Thursday to elect a new member of parliament. The Brexit Party, launched only in April, swept to victory in the United Kingdom's European Parliament election last month, riding a wave of anger over Prime Minister Theresa May's failure to deliver Brexit on time. On Normandy's beaches, leaders and veterans recall sacrifice of D-Day

Western leaders and ageing veterans gather on the shores of France on Thursday in a second day of events marking the 75th anniversary of D-Day, the Allied amphibious assault that opened the way for western Europe's liberation from Hitler's forces. An hour after sunrise, at 07:26 a.m., a lone piper will play atop the remnants of an artificial harbour built in the waters off Arromanches to resupply the invasion force, to mark the precise moment the first British soldier landed on Gold Beach. Mexican officials to meet Pence in last-ditch talks to avert tariffs

Mexican officials will seek to persuade the White House in talks hosted by U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday that their government has done enough to stem immigration and avoid looming tariffs. U.S. authorities at the southern border with Mexico have become overwhelmed in recent years by an increase in mostly Central American families and unaccompanied minors seeking asylum to escape violence back home.