Reuters World News Summary

Kyiv and Moscow have blamed each other for the collapse of the Nova Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine that sent floods gushing towards surrounding towns and farmland and forced hundreds of civilians to flee on Tuesday. US debt ceiling battle rekindles debate over Ukraine funds The battle to raise the U.S. debt ceiling rekindled debate in Congress over funding for Ukraine, as House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy said on Tuesday he had no immediate plans to take up legislation to boost defense spending beyond what was in last week's deal.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Ukraine's Zelenskiy says dam destruction is 'environmental bomb of mass destruction'

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy described the bursting of the Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine on Tuesday as "an environmental bomb of mass destruction" and said only liberating the entire country could guarantee against new "terrorist" acts.

"Such deliberate destruction by the Russian occupiers and other structures of the hydroelectric power station is an environmental bomb of mass destruction," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address.

Prince Harry tells London court 'vile' press has blood on its hands

Prince Harry launched a fierce attack on the "vile" press on Tuesday, blaming tabloids for destroying his adolescence and later relationships, as he gave evidence for almost five hours in his lawsuit against a tabloid publisher. As he became the first senior British royal to appear in a witness box in more than a century, Harry also said the thought of people unlawfully intruding into the private life of his late mother Princess Diana made him "feel physically sick".

Kherson residents flee under artillery fire after collapsed Kakhovka dam floods homes

Distraught residents of Ukraine's Kherson evacuated their homes under artillery fire on Tuesday after they were flooded by the rupture of a vast dam upstream in a disaster that Kyiv and Moscow have blamed on each other. Some residents cried as they packed belongings into cars. A meteorologist measuring the river level at the scene told Reuters the water was 3.5 metres (11.5 ft) higher than on Monday, before the dam was destroyed.

White House: US cannot conclusively determine cause of Ukrainian dam destruction

The White House on Tuesday said it could not say conclusively what caused the destruction of a massive dam in Ukraine, but was assessing reports that the blast was caused by Russia, which has been occupying the dam since last year. Spokesman John Kirby said it was clear that the destruction of the dam on the Dnipro River that separates Russian and Ukrainian forces in southern Ukraine had likely caused "many deaths" and the evacuation of thousands of Ukrainians.

War zone villagers flee after massive Ukraine dam destroyed

A torrent of water burst through a massive dam on the Dnipro River that separates Russian and Ukrainian forces in southern Ukraine on Tuesday, flooding a swathe of the war zone, forcing villagers to flee and prompting finger-pointing from both sides. Ukraine said Russia had committed a deliberate war crime in blowing up the Soviet-era Nova Kakhovka dam, which powered a hydroelectric station. The Kremlin blamed Ukraine, saying it was trying to distract from the launch of a major counteroffensive Moscow says is faltering.

Brazil lawmakers propose reforms combining consumption taxes

Brazil's consumption tax reform advanced on Tuesday as a working group in Congress outlined a proposal to combine various levies into a value-added tax with separate federal and regional rates without increasing the overall tax burden on the economy. The report represents an early step in a reform considered crucial by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's administration. Lawmakers will now craft a formal text in greater detail to be put to a vote.

Destruction of Kakhovka dam takes Ukraine war into uncharted territory

The breach of a huge dam on the front-line Dnipro river has muddied the picture for a much-awaited Ukrainian counteroffensive against Russian invaders and threatens an environmental disaster for civilians living in the war zone. Kyiv and Moscow have blamed each other for the collapse of the Nova Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine that sent floods gushing towards surrounding towns and farmland and forced hundreds of civilians to flee on Tuesday.

US debt ceiling battle rekindles debate over Ukraine funds

The battle to raise the U.S. debt ceiling rekindled debate in Congress over funding for Ukraine, as House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy said on Tuesday he had no immediate plans to take up legislation to boost defense spending beyond what was in last week's deal. McCarthy's comments could signal a tougher road through Congress when President Joe Biden next asks for additional funds for Ukraine. The House and Senate last approved aid for the Kyiv government - $48 billion - in December, before Republicans took control of the House.

At UN, Ukraine, Russia blame each other for burst dam, US 'not certain'

The United States said on Tuesday it was "not certain" who was to blame for a burst dam in Ukraine, but it would not make sense for Ukraine to have done this to its own people and territory, as Kyiv and Moscow blamed each other for the disaster. The 15-member U.N. Security Council met on Tuesday at the request of both Russia and Ukraine after a torrent of water burst through a massive dam on the Dnipro River that separates the opposing forces in southern Ukraine.

Sudanese warring factions to resume indirect talks as clashes intensify

Sudan's warring military factions are restarting ceasefire talks sponsored by the United States and Saudi Arabia, Al Arabiya TV reported on Tuesday, as they clashed by air and on the ground in the capital Khartoum. The fighting between the army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, now in its eighth week, has caught civilians in the crossfire, cutting of their access to basic services, and spread lawlessness.

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