Reuters World News Summary

The river's levels were at their highest in 45 years this week following unusually heavy rainfall in New Delhi and hilly northern states, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of people as the Yamuna, which runs through the city, breached its banks. US, Japan, S.Korea, condemn N.Korean missile launch in joint statement North Korea's firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) this week violates multiple U.N. resolutions and threatens peace and stability in the region, the United States, South Korea, and Japan said on Friday in a joint statement condemning the launch.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

UN waits for Russian answer as Black Sea grain deal deadline looms

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is still waiting for a response from Russian President Vladimir Putin on a proposal to extend a deal allowing the safe Black Sea export of Ukraine grain beyond Monday, a U.N. spokesperson said on Friday. Guterres wrote to Putin on Tuesday asking him to extend the Black Sea deal in return for connecting a subsidiary of Russia's Agricultural Bank (Rosselkhozbank) to the international payment system SWIFT, sources told Reuters.

Coca price crash contributing to Colombia food insecurity-UN

A crash in the price of coca, the chief ingredient in cocaine, is contributing to food insecurity in Colombia and causing displacement, as people leave areas that depend on the illicit crop, according to an internal United Nations presentation seen by Reuters. Historically coca crops have provided better incomes than legal alternatives for thousands of rural Colombian families, with drug-trafficking groups often footing the costs of transport, fertilizers and other supplies.

UN raises concerns over Syria aid route from Turkey, cites 'unacceptable issues'

The United Nations raised concerns on Friday with a letter from Syria that allows it to resume using a shuttered border crossing to deliver aid to northwest Syria from Turkey after U.N. Security Council approval of that route expired on Monday. In a note to the Security Council, seen by Reuters, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) took issue with "two unacceptable conditions" in the letter sent by Syria on Thursday outlining its approval of the U.N. operation.

Thailand's Move Forward seeks to curb Senate powers after loss in PM vote

Thailand's Move Forward party filed a motion in parliament on Friday seeking to curb the power of the military-appointed Senate, a day after the body thwarted its party leader's bid to become prime minister. The role of the 249-member Senate in deciding a prime minister along with the elected lower house - a system designed by the royalist military after a 2014 coup - is seen as a constitutional safeguard to protect the interests of the generals and the conservative establishment.

Ukraine's spymaster comes out of the shadows

He wears a pistol to interviews with foreign journalists and discusses wartime intelligence. Weapons and military gear are strewn on the floor of his Kyiv office. He says he has "sources" close to Russian President Vladimir Putin. For an intelligence chief running Ukraine's spy operations during war with Russia, Kyrylo Budanov, 37, has built up an unusually public profile that he has used to get his message out and to menace Russia from afar.

New Delhi races to open jammed flood gates as river surge halts India's capital

New Delhi officials were racing to open some jammed flood gates at a barrage on the swollen river Yamuna on Friday to help drain out floodwater that has brought traffic to a standstill in parts of India's capital and swamped historical monuments. The river's levels were at their highest in 45 years this week following unusually heavy rainfall in New Delhi and hilly northern states, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of people as the Yamuna, which runs through the city, breached its banks.

US, Japan, S.Korea, condemn N.Korean missile launch in joint statement

North Korea's firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) this week violates multiple U.N. resolutions and threatens peace and stability in the region, the United States, South Korea, and Japan said on Friday in a joint statement condemning the launch. The missile, fired off North Korea's east coast on Wednesday, flew for 74 minutes to an altitude of 6,000 km (3,728 miles) and a range of 1,000 km, according to Japan, in what would be the longest-ever flight time for a North Korean missile.

Sudan warring factions clash in city of Bahri as army tries to make gains

Sudan's warring factions fought heavy clashes in parts of the city of Bahri on Friday, residents said, a day after both sides welcomed a new mediation effort that seeks to end a three-month war. The fighting that broke out on April 15 has driven civilians out of the wider capital region - consisting of the cities of Khartoum, Bahri, and Omdurman - and triggered ethnically motivated attacks in the Darfur region.

Colombian children who survived five weeks in jungle released from hospital

Four Colombian Indigenous children who survived a plane crash in the country's Amazon region and lived for more than five weeks in the jungle have been released from hospital after a 34-day stay, the government said on Friday. The children, aged 1 through 13, survived the May 1 crash that killed their mother and two other adults and were found last month.

Mexico says Texan buoys in Rio Grande breach water treaty

A floating barrier of orange buoys put in the Rio Grande by the Texan government to hinder migrants crossing into the U.S. violates a water treaty and may encroach on Mexican territory, incoming Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Barcena said on Friday. "We have sent a diplomatic letter (to the U.S.) on 26 June because in reality what it is violating is the water treaty of 1944," Barcena told reporters in Mexico City, referring to the Mexican Water Treaty between the U.S. and Mexico that covers the use of water from the Colorado, Tijuana and Rio Grande rivers.

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