Reuters World News Summary

In a letter to Biden, the governing body of the church said the United States should take urgent action to help the poorest countries on humanitarian grounds, but also to shore up its own economic interests and bolster trade with the developing world.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs. Indonesian foreign minister to visit Myanmar as pressure mounts on generals

Indonesia's foreign minister plans to fly to Myanmar on Thursday in the first known visit by a foreign envoy since the Feb. 1 military coup, a leaked government document said, as Western pressure mounts over a crackdown on protesters. Retno Marsudi will arrive in the capital Naypyitaw in the morning and depart several hours later, according to the letter from the Ministry of Transport dated Feb. 23 seen by Reuters, which an official said was authentic. Iran's rulers close ranks, raise pressure on Biden to lift sanctions

An Iranian state newspaper, taking aim at hardline lawmakers' intervention in Tehran's nuclear row with the West, warned on Tuesday that overly radical actions may lead to Iran's isolation after a new law ended snap inspections by U.N. inspectors. Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers has been fraying since 2018 when the United States pulled out and reimposed harsh sanctions on Tehran, prompting it to breach the deal's limits on uranium enrichment, a potential pathway to nuclear weapons. U.S. Catholic leaders urge Biden to lead drive for more aid to poor countries

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and an alliance of faith groups urged President Joe Biden on Tuesday to back a big boost in the International Monetary Fund's emergency reserve funds to help poor countries devastated by the coronavirus pandemic. In a letter to Biden, the governing body of the church said the United States should take urgent action to help the poorest countries on humanitarian grounds, but also to shore up its own economic interests and bolster trade with the developing world. Last statue of dictator Franco removed in 'historic day' for Spain

The last statue of former Spanish dictator Francisco Franco was removed on Tuesday from the city gates of Melilla, a Spanish enclave and autonomous city on the northwest African coast. Without much fanfare, a group of workmen operated a mechanical digger and heavy drills to chip away at the brick platform on which the statue stood, lifted it off by a chain around its neck and carted it away in bubble wrap on a pickup truck. Israel sharing some COVID vaccines with Palestinians, Honduras, Czech Republic

Israel said on Tuesday it was giving small amounts of surplus COVID-19 vaccines to Palestinian-run territories as well as to several countries. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not name which countries in a statement announcing the move. Exclusive: 'Perfect trips' - Venezuela ships jet fuel to Iran in exchange for gasoline, sources say

Venezuela is shipping jet fuel to Iran in return for vital gasoline imports for the South American nation as part of a swap deal agreed by the two state-run oil firms, three people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. Iran has ramped up assistance to Venezuela since last year as the United States tightened sanctions on both countries, hitting oil exports by state-run firms Petroleos de Venezuela and National Iranian oil Company (NIOC). Wife of Mexican drug kingpin 'El Chapo' held in jail on U.S. charges of helping him run cartel

A U.S. judge on Tuesday ordered Emma Coronel Aispuro, the wife of Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, to be detained on charges she conspired with her husband to run a multibillion dollar drug enterprise while he was behind bars. The arrest of Coronel, 31, at Dulles International Airport near Washington on Monday was the highest-profile U.S. capture of a Mexican on drug charges since former Defense Minister Salvador Cienfuegos was detained in October. Top U.S. Senate Democrat directs lawmakers to craft bill to counter China

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Tuesday he has directed lawmakers to craft a package of measures to counter China's rise, capitalizing on bipartisan hardline sentiment on Beijing in Congress to strengthen the U.S. tech sector and counter unfair practices. Schumer said at a weekly press conference that he has directed committees to craft a bipartisan bill based on legislation he proposed last year seeking funding of $100 billion to spur research in key tech areas, from artificial intelligence to quantum computing and semiconductors. Biden says U.S., Canada to work toward achieving net zero emissions by 2050

U.S. President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that he and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau agreed to work toward achieving net zero emissions by 2050. "We're launching a high-level, climate-ambition ministerial and to align our policies and our goals to achieve net zero emissions by 2050," Biden said in a speech following a bilateral meeting with the Canadian leader. Exclusive: Senators revive bill to combat Chinese censorship of U.S. companies

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators will revive legislation as soon as Wednesday to counter Chinese censorship in the United States, a new effort by Congress to hold Beijing accountable for its growing efforts to stifle criticism beyond its borders, Senator Jeff Merkley told Reuters. U.S. officials have complained that the Chinese government has increasingly sought to suppress opposition to its ruling Communist Party by coercing U.S. companies – from hotel chains and airlines to Hollywood film producers – to take pro-Beijing stances.

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