Reuters World News Summary

"The BJP strongly denounces insult of any religious personalities of any religion." Russia strikes Kyiv for first time in weeks as battle rages in east Russia struck Ukraine's capital Kyiv with missiles early on Sunday for the first time in more than a month, while Ukrainian officials said a counter-attack on the main battlefield in the east had retaken half of the city of Sievierodonetsk.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Biden targets Latin America reset at summit marred by invite tension

When the United States said last year it would host the 2022 Summit of the Americas, officials had high hopes the event would help repair Trump-era damage to relations and reassert U.S. primacy over China's growing clout in Latin America. But on the cusp of the coming week's gathering in Los Angeles, U.S. President Joe Biden faces a struggle to make a success of a summit plagued by problems before it even began.

Firefighters still working to put out deadly Bangladesh container blaze

Firefighters worked for a second day on Sunday to extinguish a massive blaze that killed at least 49 people at a container depot in southeast Bangladesh, the latest incident highlighting the country's poor industrial safety track record. The fire that also injured more than 200 broke out at the shipping container facility on Saturday night at Sitakunda, 40 km (25 miles) from the port city of Chittagong, triggering a huge blast and multiple container explosions, officials said.

Queen Elizabeth 'humbled' by cheering Jubilee crowds

Queen Elizabeth said she was humbled by the support she had received during her Platinum Jubilee after crowds of royal fans cheered her appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, flanked by her heir Prince Charles and two other future kings. The 96-year-old monarch had withdrawn from several events during the four-day celebrations due to "episodic mobility issues". On Sunday she was greeted by huge cheers, trumpets and a rendition of the national anthem before retreating inside.

S.Korea, U.S. launch eight missiles in response to N.Korea missile firings

South Korea and the United States fired eight surface-to-surface missiles early on Monday off South Korea's east coast in response to North Korea's short range ballistic missile launches on Sunday, the South's Yonhap news agency reported on Monday. The action is a demonstration of "the capability and readiness to carry out precision strike" against the source of North Korea's missile launches or the command and support centres, Yonhap cited the South Korean military as saying.

Russian general killed in eastern Ukraine, Russian state media reporter says

A Russian general was killed in eastern Ukraine, a Russian state media journalist said on Sunday, adding to the string of high-ranking military casualties sustained by Moscow. The report, published on the Telegram messaging app by state television reporter Alexander Sladkov, did not say precisely when and where Major General Roman Kutuzov was killed.

Putin warns United States against supplying Ukraine longer range missiles

President Vladimir Putin warned the United States in an interview broadcast on Sunday that Russia would strike new targets if the West supplied longer-range missiles to Ukraine for use in high-precision mobile rocket systems. The United States has ruled out sending its own or NATO forces to Ukraine but Washington and its European allies have supplied weapons to Kyiv such as drones, Howitzer heavy artillery, anti-aircraft Stinger and anti-tank Javelin missiles.

India's ruling party suspends official over comments about Islam

India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said on Sunday it had suspended BJP spokeswoman Nupur Sharma in response to comments she made during a TV debate about the Prophet Mohammed. The BJP said in a statement on its website that the party respected all religions. "The BJP strongly denounces insult of any religious personalities of any religion."

Russia strikes Kyiv for first time in weeks as battle rages in east

Russia struck Ukraine's capital Kyiv with missiles early on Sunday for the first time in more than a month, while Ukrainian officials said a counter-attack on the main battlefield in the east had retaken half of the city of Sievierodonetsk. Dark smoke could be seen from many miles away after the attack on two outlying districts of Kyiv. Ukraine said the strike hit a rail car repair works; Moscow said it had destroyed tanks sent by Eastern European countries to Ukraine.

Biden should not visit Saudi, meet crown prince, Democratic Rep. Schiff says

U.S. President Joe Biden should not visit Saudi Arabia or meet its Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who approved an operation to capture or kill murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to U.S. intelligence, a leading Democratic lawmaker said on Sunday. Khashoggi, a U.S. resident who wrote opinion columns for the Washington Post critical of the prince's policies, was killed and dismembered in 2018 by operatives linked to the prince in the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul.

At least 50 killed in massacre at Catholic church in southwest Nigeria

Gunmen attacked a Catholic church in southwest Nigeria during mass on Sunday, killing at least 50 people including women and children, according to a hospital doctor and media reports. The gunmen shot at people outside and inside the church building, killing and injuries worshippers, said Funmilayo Ibukun Odunlami, police spokesperson for Ondo state.

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