Reuters World News Summary

Kim made the comment at an enlarged meeting of the Central Military Commission held on Monday to discuss ongoing efforts to boost the country's war deterrent to "cope with the escalating moves of the U.S. imperialists and the south Korean puppet traitors to unleash a war of aggression," KCNA said. Ukraine battles rage, Kyiv reported to rethink counter-offensive after leak Russian forces pressed attacks on frontline cities in eastern Ukraine on Monday, while Ukrainian officials played down a report that Kyiv is amending some plans for a counter-offensive due to a leak of classified U.S. documents.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Discussion needed on how US can use Philippines bases - foreign minister

Washington and Manila will need to discuss what the U.S. may do with its access to certain military bases in the Philippines, Filipino Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo said on Monday. The Philippines last week identified four more military bases that the U.S. may access amid shared concerns about China's growing might.

Bank worker shoots dead four colleagues in Louisville, Kentucky

A bank employee armed with a rifle shot dead four colleagues and wounded nine other people at his workplace on Monday while livestreaming the attack in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, city officials said. The attacker was fatally shot at the scene, the Louisville Metro Police Department said, but it was unclear whether from police gunfire or a self-inflicted wound.

Thousands of Israelis march to illegal West Bank outpost as tensions mount

Thousands of Israelis, including ministers in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing government, marched to an evacuated Jewish outpost in the West Bank on Monday in support of settlements viewed as illegal under international law. As tensions mounted between Israelis and Palestinians, Israelis from across the country travelled to the outpost of Evyatar while waving Israeli flags and chanting religious songs and slogans during the holiday week of Passover.

U.S. officials review intel sharing after damaging leak

U.S. national security agencies are reviewing how they share their most sensitive secrets inside the U.S. government, and dealing with the diplomatic fallout from the release of dozens of confidential documents, three U.S. officials said. Investigators are also working to determine what person or group might have had the ability and motivation to release the intelligence reports, said one of the officials. The leaks could be the most damaging release of U.S. government information since the 2013 publication of thousands of documents on WikiLeaks.

Four killed in blast targeting police vehicle in Pakistan's Quetta

Four people were killed and 15 injured in a bombing targeting a police vehicle in a marketplace in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta on Monday, a hospital official said. In a successive attack, a station house officer (SHO) was targeted in a roadside blast in Quetta. Police said that the SHO of the Sariab police station, Ehsanullah Marwat, was patrolling along with his squad.

North Korea's Kim calls for more 'practical, offensive' war deterrence

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for strengthening the country's war deterrence in a "more practical and offensive" manner to counter what it called moves of aggression by the U.S. and South Korea, state media KCNA said on Tuesday. Kim made the comment at an enlarged meeting of the Central Military Commission held on Monday to discuss ongoing efforts to boost the country's war deterrent to "cope with the escalating moves of the U.S. imperialists and the south Korean puppet traitors to unleash a war of aggression," KCNA said.

Ukraine battles rage, Kyiv reported to rethink counter-offensive after leak

Russian forces pressed attacks on frontline cities in eastern Ukraine on Monday, while Ukrainian officials played down a report that Kyiv is amending some plans for a counter-offensive due to a leak of classified U.S. documents. The Russians were pounding Ukrainian positions around besieged Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region and other cities and towns with air strikes and artillery barrages, Kyiv said.

U.S. designates Wall Street Journal reporter as 'wrongfully detained' by Russia

The United States on Monday determined that Russia has "wrongfully detained" American Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, effectively saying that espionage charges are bogus and that the case is political. "Journalism is not a crime," State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said in a statement. "We condemn the Kremlin’s continued repression of independent voices in Russia, and its ongoing war against the truth."

Taiwan president says China military exercises not responsible

China's military exercises have caused instability in Taiwan and the region and are not the responsible attitude of a major country, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen wrote on Facebook.

Writing on her Facebook page shortly before midnight on Monday, Tsai said that while China's exercises had ended, the island's military and national security team will stick to their posts and defend Taiwan.

Lula says will invite Xi to Brazil as China trip approaches

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Monday he would invite his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to Brazil, speaking on the eve of his departure the Asian country in a bid to tighten relations between the two countries. "I am going to invite Xi Jinping to come to Brazil, for a bilateral meeting, to get to know Brazil, to show him the projects that we have of interest for Chinese investment," he said in an interview to state-owned broadcasting company EBC, adding he is planning to "consolidate" the relationship with China.