Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

South Korea and Japan hail spring thaw amid missiles and weight of history

The leaders of Japan and South Korea promised to turn the page on years of animosity at a meeting on Thursday, putting aside their difficult shared history and pledging to work together to counter regional security challenges. The summit between South Korea's Yoon Suk Yeol and Japan's Fumio Kishida in Tokyo - the first visit to Japan by a South Korean president in 12 years - highlighted how the two U.S. allies have been brought closer by North Korea's frequent missile launches and growing concern over China's more muscular role on the international stage.

US releases video of drone incident it says exposes Russian lies

The United States on Thursday released a de-classified video showing Russia's intercept of a U.S. military surveillance drone downed over the Black Sea two days ago, images that the White House said exposed how Moscow was lying about what happened. The downing of the U.S. MQ-9 drone on Tuesday was the first direct U.S.-Russian incident since the Ukraine war began, worsening already tense relations between Washington and Moscow as both countries publicly traded blame.

Israeli protesters paint 'red line' leading to Supreme Court after Netanyahu spurns compromise

Jerusalem woke on Thursday to the sight of a long red line painted by protesters along roads leading to Israel's Supreme Court, hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a compromise deal for his government's planned judicial overhaul. Police said they had arrested five people who had disguised themselves as workers to carry out the protest action overnight.

US says video shows Russian jet intercepted spy drone near Ukraine

The Pentagon released a video on Thursday that it said provided evidence a Russian fighter jet clipped the propeller of a U.S. spy drone and caused it to crash into the Black Sea this week, despite Russia's denial. The 40-second-long video was filmed by the MQ-9 Reaper drone as it conducted regular reconnaissance in international airspace two days ago near Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula Moscow forcibly annexed in 2014.

North Korea says it launched ICBM to warn US, S.Korea over drills

North Korea said that Thursday's launch was its largest Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), fired during a drill to demonstrate a "tough response posture" to ongoing U.S.-South Korea military drills, state media reported. Photos released on Friday by the country's government media showed Kim Jong Un watching the launch with his daughter, and included pictures from space apparently shot by a camera mounted on the missile.

Analysis-Macron wins Pyrrhic victory on pension bill, risks fuelling anger

President Emmanuel Macron's move to shun the National Assembly and push through an unpopular pension system overhaul without a vote in the lower house may secure a reform he says is needed for France's finances. But it may end up a Pyrrhic victory. By using special constitutional powers instead of risking lawmakers rejecting the reform, Macron has given ammunition to the opposition and to trade union leaders who cast the reform as undemocratic.

UN Security Council asks for advice on dealing with Afghan Taliban

The United Nations Security Council on Thursday asked Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to provide an independent assessment on how to deal with Afghanistan's Taliban administration and combat challenges including its crackdown on women and girls' rights. The 15-member council unanimously adopted a resolution that requires Guterres to submit a report to it in mid-November with "forward-looking recommendations for an integrated and coherent approach among relevant political, humanitarian, and development actors, within and outside of the United Nations."

Anger as French government pushes through pension change without vote

French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne used a special procedure to push an unpopular pensions bill through the National Assembly without a vote on Thursday, triggering boos and shouts of "Resign!" in rare chaotic scenes in the French parliament. The move will ensure the bill raising the retirement age by two years to 64 - which the government says is essential to ensure the pension system does not go bust - is adopted after weeks of protests and fractious debate.

Explainer-Everything to know about nuclear fuel uranium

Eastern Libyan forces said on Thursday that 10 drums of uranium declared missing by the U.N. nuclear watchdog had been found near the warehouse they were taken from in southern Libya.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Wednesday its inspectors found out about the missing uranium after carrying out an inspection originally planned for last year that "had to be postponed because of the security situation in the region".

Senior U.S. envoy to travel to Panama, Honduras in coming days

A high-ranking envoy of President Joe Biden will travel to Panama and Honduras this month, the U.S. Department of State said on Thursday, days after Honduras said it would establish formal diplomatic ties with China. Chris Dodd, the U.S. special presidential adviser for the Americas, will visit the two Central American nations from March 17-21, the State Department said in a statement.

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