Reuters World News Summary

Information about corridors from Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv and Mariupol will be sent to Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk, said Mikhail Mizintsev, head of the Russian National Defence Control Centre. U.S. surprised at Poland's decision to give it fighter jets for Ukraine Poland's decision to put all its MiG-29 fighter jets at the disposal of the United States was "a surprise move" by Warsaw, the U.S. State Department's No. 3 diplomat said on Tuesday, after Ukraine asked European countries to provide aircraft to help it fight Russia's invasion.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

U.S. spy chiefs say Putin may escalate despite Ukraine setbacks

Leaders of U.S. spy agencies said on Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin may intensify the assault on Ukraine despite military setbacks and economic hardships resulting from international sanctions, setting up "an ugly next few weeks." They estimated that 2,000 to 4,000 Russian troops had died and said Russia was feeling the effects of sanctions, but the situation could become much worse for Ukrainians, with food and water supplies in Kyiv possibly running out within two weeks.

Do more to help, Ukraine's defiant Zelenskiy urges Britain

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy appealed to Britain on Tuesday to do more to help his country battle Russia and punish what he called a "terrorist state", striking a defiant tone that Ukraine would fight on, no matter what the cost. Addressing Britain's parliament and greeted by a standing ovation in a packed chamber of lawmakers, Zelenskiy documented the Russian invasion day by day, listing the weapons used, the civilians killed and the lack of food and water for many.

Virginia Giuffre's lawsuit against Prince Andrew is dismissed, Britain says no public funds in settlement

A U.S. judge on Tuesday ordered the dismissal of Virginia Giuffre's lawsuit accusing Britain's Prince Andrew of sexually abusing her when she was underage, as Britain's finance ministry confirmed that no public funds were used in their settlement. The dismissal by U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan in Manhattan federal court had been requested by Giuffre and Andrew, and was expected following the settlement announced on Feb. 15 between Giuffre and Queen Elizabeth's second son.

Do not sabotage Iran deal with new conditions, West tells Russia

Western powers on Tuesday warned Russia against wrecking an almost completed deal on bringing the United States and Iran back into compliance with the 2015 nuclear accord, as Iran's top negotiator was set to return from consultations in Tehran. Eleven months of talks to restore the deal which lifted sanctions on Iran in return for curbs on its nuclear programme have reached their final stages.

China unsettled by Ukraine, but don't underestimate Xi's Taiwan resolve -CIA head

China appears to have been unsettled by the difficulties Russia has faced since its invasion of Ukraine, but Chinese leader Xi Jinping's determination with regard to Taiwan should not be underestimated, the CIA's director said on Tuesday. William Burns, appearing at the annual House of Representatives Intelligence Committee hearing on worldwide threats, was asked whether he thought there might be room for a more "productive" U.S. conversation with China over Taiwan, given the economic damage Russia had suffered after invading Ukraine. He said he did not.

Russia ready to open human corridors from five Ukrainian cities -Tass cites senior official

Russian forces will stop firing from 10 a.m. Moscow time (0700 GMT) on Wednesday and are ready to provide humanitarian corridors so people can leave Kyiv and four other cities, Tass news agency cited a senior Russian official as saying on Tuesday. Information about corridors from Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv and Mariupol will be sent to Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk, said Mikhail Mizintsev, head of the Russian National Defence Control Centre.

U.S. surprised at Poland's decision to give it fighter jets for Ukraine

Poland's decision to put all its MiG-29 fighter jets at the disposal of the United States was "a surprise move" by Warsaw, the U.S. State Department's No. 3 diplomat said on Tuesday, after Ukraine asked European countries to provide aircraft to help it fight Russia's invasion. "To my knowledge, it wasn't pre-consulted with us that they planned to give these planes to us," State Department Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland told a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing. "So I think that actually was a surprise move by the Poles," she said.

S.Korea to elect new leader to tackle soaring house prices, inequality

Some 44 million South Koreans head to polls to elect the country's next president on Wednesday, capping a race that has been marked by a series of surprises, scandals and smear campaigns. The winner of the election will face mounting challenges including deepening inequality and surging housing prices that have strained Asia's fourth-largest economy.

Big brands and oil ban punish Russia as Moscow makes new pledge on Ukraine refugees

A U.S. ban on imports of Russia's oil ratcheted up punishment for the invasion of Ukraine on Tuesday as McDonald's and Starbucks closed outlets and Moscow promised safe passage for some to flee after Kyiv said one route was shelled. As the number of refugees created by the biggest assault on a European country since World War Two surpassed 2 million, several of the most internationally famous brands added to the Kremlin's global isolation on the 13th day of the incursion.

Intercity train derails in Argentina, injuring 21

An intercity train in Argentina has derailed near the eastern town of Olavarría, injuring at least 21 people, local authorities said on Tuesday. Video images showed the passenger train with many carriages off the rails, some turned over on their sides, in the middle of fields in a rural area of the South American country.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)