Reuters World News Summary

The cap is the 27-country EU's latest attempt to lower gas prices that have pushed energy bills higher and driven record-high inflation this year after Russia cut off most of its gas deliveries to Europe. Putin and Lukashenko dwell on cooperation, not Ukraine war, after summit Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart extolled ever-closer ties on Monday as Putin visited Minsk for the first time since 2019, hardly mentioning the war raging in nearby Ukraine at a joint news conference.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Russian 'kamikaze' drones hit Kyiv, Putin has talks in ally Belarus

Russian "kamikaze" drones hit key energy infrastructure in and around Kyiv on Monday and President Vladimir Putin visited Belarus for the first time since 2019, fuelling Ukrainian fears he will pressure his ally to open a new invasion front. But Ukraine was hardly mentioned by Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko after their talks, with remarks to reporters dwelling instead on bilateral and economic cooperation.

EU countries agree gas price cap to contain energy crisis

European Union energy ministers on Monday agreed a gas price cap, after weeks of talks on the emergency measure that has split opinion across the bloc as it seeks to tame the energy crisis. The cap is the 27-country EU's latest attempt to lower gas prices that have pushed energy bills higher and driven record-high inflation this year after Russia cut off most of its gas deliveries to Europe.

Putin and Lukashenko dwell on cooperation, not Ukraine war, after summit

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart extolled ever-closer ties on Monday as Putin visited Minsk for the first time since 2019, hardly mentioning the war raging in nearby Ukraine at a joint news conference. Russian forces used Belarus as a launch pad for their abortive attack on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv in February, and there has been Russian and Belarusian military activity there for months.

Senator wants review of U.S. security assistance to Nigeria following abortion report

U.S. Senator Jim Risch, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has requested a review of U.S. security assistance and cooperation programs in Nigeria following Reuters reporting on an illegal abortion program and killing of children carried out by the Nigerian military. Risch, in a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken seen by Reuters, also called for the State Department to examine the potential use of sanctions in addition to an expeditious review of U.S. security assistance and cooperation.

UN nuclear officials leave Iran after talks, result unclear

U.N. nuclear watchdog officials left Iran on Monday after talks with the head of its nuclear energy organisation, the semi-official ISNA news agency reported, without saying whether they addressed an impasse over uranium traces at undeclared sites. The issue has been an obstacle to progress in wider talks to revive Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with major powers, meant to curb its disputed uranium enrichment programme in return for lifting sanctions imposed by Washington after exiting the pact in 2018.

Six neighbors killed in condo dispute in Toronto including suspect, 73

Six people, including the suspect, died and one person was wounded in a shooting at a high-rise condominium building near Toronto on Sunday when a 73-year-old gunman is alleged to have killed his neighbors before being shot dead by police. Police said three of the victims were members of the condominium's board. The suspect, Francesco Villi, had been involved in ongoing litigation with the board, according to Canadian media, citing court documents.

U.N. Security Council likely to vote Wednesday on Myanmar

The U.N. Security Council is likely to vote on Wednesday on a draft resolution demanding an immediate end to violence in Myanmar and urging its military junta to release all political prisoners, including ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi, diplomats said. Myanmar has been in crisis since the army took power from Suu Kyi's elected government in February last year, detaining her and other officials and responding to pro-democracy protests and dissent with lethal force.

Mexican president laments attack on journalist, then bashes media

Just days after condemning an assassination attempt on a prominent journalist, Mexico's president on Monday criticized the media for allegedly protecting special interest groups, even singling out the targeted news anchor. Leftist President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador blasted the "spokespeople for conservatism" during his daily news conference on Monday, calling out by name several high-profile independent journalists including television and radio host Ciro Gomez Leyva

U.S. accuses U.N. of yielding to Russian threats over Iran drone inquiry

The United States accused U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of "apparently yielding to Russian threats" and not sending officials to Ukraine to inspect drones used by Russia that Washington and others say were supplied by Iran. Russia has denied its forces used Iranian drones in Ukraine and argues there is no mandate for U.N. officials to travel to Kyiv to investigate the origin of the drones. Iran has acknowledged it had supplied Moscow with drones, but said they were sent before Russia invaded its neighbor in February.

Putin orders border strengthening, demands greater control of society by special services

President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered the strengthening of Russia's borders and instructed special services to keep greater control of society and to ensure the safety of people in regions in Ukraine that Moscow claims as its own, news agencies reported. "Work must be intensified through the border services and the Federal Security Service (FSB)," Russia's state-owned RIA news agency cited Putin as saying.