Reuters World News Summary

President Vladimir Putin's Feb. 24 invasion of neighbouring Ukraine has pummelled the global economy and revived Cold War-era geopolitical divisions just as the world was emerging from the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Unconfirmed report of Russian missiles hitting Polish village sparks worries across NATO The United States and Western allies said they were investigating but could not confirm a report on Tuesday that a blast in NATO member Poland resulted from stray Russian missiles, while Russia's defence ministry denied it.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Blast kills two in Poland near Ukraine border, Russia denies its weapons involved

Two people died in an explosion in a Polish village near the border with Ukraine on Tuesday, firefighters said, with NATO allies investigating unconfirmed reports the blast was caused by stray Russian missiles. The explosion occurred after Russia hammered cities across Ukraine with missiles on Tuesday, attacks that Kyiv said were the heaviest wave of strikes nearly nine months into the Russian invasion. Some hit the western city of Lviv, less than 80 km (49.7 miles) from the border with Poland.

Cuba and U.S. make progress in migration talks, but more is needed, Cuba says

Cuba and the United States are making progress in talks aimed at curbing a migration crisis that saw a record number of Cubans arrive at the U.S. border last year, but those advances are not enough to stem the tide, Cuba's top diplomat in the talks said on Tuesday. Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio told reporters that despite steps in the right direction, the United States had yet to address the root of the problem.

Wrangling over Ukraine war dominates summit of G20 major economies

A Western-led push to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine dominated Tuesday's Group of 20 (G20) summit on the Indonesian island of Bali where leaders of major economies grappled with a dizzying array of issues from hunger to nuclear threats. President Vladimir Putin's Feb. 24 invasion of neighbouring Ukraine has pummelled the global economy and revived Cold War-era geopolitical divisions just as the world was emerging from the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Unconfirmed report of Russian missiles hitting Polish village sparks worries across NATO

The United States and Western allies said they were investigating but could not confirm a report on Tuesday that a blast in NATO member Poland resulted from stray Russian missiles, while Russia's defence ministry denied it. Two people were killed in an explosion in Przewodow, a village in eastern Poland about 6 kilometers (3-1/2 miles) from the border with Ukraine, firefighters said. Media reports said the strike hit a grain-drying facility.

Oil flows on Druzhba pipeline suspended in parts of Eastern Europe

Oil supply to parts of Eastern and Central Europe via a section of the Druzhba pipeline has been temporarily suspended, according to oil pipeline operators in Hungary and Slovakia. The extent of the disruption was not immediately clear, and came concurrent with an explosion in a village in eastern Poland near the Ukrainian border that raised alarm among NATO countries.

Americas rights body turns up heat on Mexico over missing students

Mexico's government still owes an explanation to the families of 43 student teachers who disappeared eight years ago, and must clear up what role the armed forces played in the crime, a top international human rights body said on Tuesday. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) said efforts by officials to cover up what happened to the students in the southwestern city of Iguala in September 2014 appeared to be part of a "structural pattern" of abuses in Mexico.

Iranians strike to mark 2019 protests in fresh rebuff to ruling clerics

Iranians went on strike in several cities on Tuesday to commemorate the 2019 protests over fuel prices, a display of dissent that was crushed by security forces in the bloodiest crackdown in the history of the Islamic Republic. The move will add to pressure on Iran's clerical rulers, who have been battling two months of nationwide protests triggered by the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police.

Big-power rivalry overshadows Biden-Xi cooperation pledge

Their photo op looked good for U.S. and Chinese leaders Joe Biden and Xi Jinping, but the superpowers remain driven by geopolitical rivalry despite their pledge to cooperate on global issues like climate change and public health. Biden and Xi sought in their meeting in Bali this week to ease tensions between the United States and China, and some experts saw an improvement in the mood after relations atrophied to near historic lows this summer.

Sticking points slow deal-making at COP27 climate talks

Government ministers and negotiators from nearly 200 countries on Tuesday began the slog of finding common ground for a deal at the annual U.N. climate summit, as host country Egypt assured that the slow-moving talks were on track. Some delegates began to discuss the possibility the summit would go overtime into the weekend, with countries snagged on issues including funding for developing nations to combat and adapt to climate change.

Exclusive-Kamala Harris to visit Philippine islands at edge of South China Sea dispute

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris will visit the Philippine islands of Palawan on the edge of the disputed South China Sea, a senior administration official said on Tuesday, in a move that may be interpreted by Beijing as a rebuke. The visit, scheduled for next Tuesday, will make Harris the highest-ranking American official to visit the island chain adjacent to the Spratly Islands. China has dredged the sea floor to build harbors and airstrips on the Spratlys, parts of which are also claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.