Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

U.S. could offer armed troops to commercial vessels in Strait of Hormuz- officials

The United States could soon offer to put armed sailors and Marines on commercial ships traveling through the Gulf's Strait of Hormuz, two U.S. officials said on Thursday, amid alleged attempts by Iran to hijack ships in international waters. The Pentagon last month sent additional F-35 and F-16 fighter jets along with a warship to the Middle East in a bid to monitor key waterways in the region following Iran's seizure and harassment of commercial shipping vessels.

Niger junta supporters protest sanctions as region considers intervention

Hundreds of supporters of Niger's junta marched in the capital Niamey on Thursday to protest against West African sanctions, as regional defence chiefs discussed possible intervention to restore democracy. General Abdourahamane Tiani, the former head of Niger's presidential guard, confined President Mohamed Bazoum to his residence last Wednesday and declared himself head of state in the seventh coup in West and Central Africa since 2020.

US to keep Russia's food exports flowing if grain deal revived, Blinken says

The United States would continue to do "whatever is necessary" to ensure Russia can freely export food if there was a revival of a deal allowing the safe Black Sea export of Ukrainian grain, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday. Russia last month quit the July 2022 deal brokered by the United Nations and Turkey aimed at easing a global food crisis after Russia's invasion of Ukraine five months earlier. Ukraine and Russia are both leading grain exporters.

Ukraine, US start talks on security guarantees, official says

Ukraine and the United States started talks on Thursday aimed at providing security guarantees for Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's chief of staff said, a follow-up to pledges by G7 countries at last month's NATO summit. Ukraine was told that the Group of Seven (G7) would draw up and honour security guarantees and help bolster its military in light of Russia's 17-month-old invasion of Ukraine.

North Korea denounces US arms aid to Taiwan as 'dangerous' provocation

North Korea on Friday criticised a U.S. weapons aid package to Taiwan, state media reported on Friday, accusing the United States of driving tensions in the region to "another ignition point of war". The United States unveiled an aid package for Taiwan worth up to $345 million on Friday as Congress authorised up to $1 billion worth of weapons for the island as a part of the 2023 budget.

New Zealand defence review calls for more money to meet great power rivalry, climate change risks

New Zealand needs to spend more on its military and strengthen ties with countries in the Indo-Pacific to help meet the challenges of great power rivalry and climate change, the government said on Friday amid an ongoing defence review. Launching the country's first national security strategy, Defence Minister Andrew Little said New Zealand faced more geostrategic challenges than it had in decades.

Cuba bans company access to ATMs, limits cash transactions

The Cuban Central Bank issued rules this week banning state and private businesses from using ATMs and limiting cash transactions between them, as it seeks to tame runaway inflation and off-the-books business amid a grave economic crisis. The regulations went into effect on Thursday. They limit cash transactions to 5000 pesos and will be implemented gradually over six months, official media said.

Trump pleads not guilty of plotting to overturn election loss

Donald Trump pleaded not guilty on Thursday to charges he orchestrated a plot to try to overturn his 2020 election loss in what U.S. prosecutors call an unprecedented effort by the then-president to undermine the pillars of American democracy. Special Counsel Jack Smith, who has overseen the federal investigation, looked on from the courtroom's front row as Trump entered his plea before U.S. Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya.

Trump after arraignment: This is a very sad day for America

Former U.S. President Donald Trump said after his arraignment on charges of trying to overturn the 2020 election that it was a "very sad day for America." "This is a persecution of a political opponent. This was never supposed to happen in America," Trump said before boarding his plane to return to New Jersey after the court hearing.

Zelenskiy says Ukrainian strength dominates, top officers report progress

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday that Ukraine's military faced difficulties on front lines in the east and south of the country, but were dominant in their campaign. Senior military officials reported Ukrainian gains in the east -- long the focal point of the 17-month-old conflict - around the shattered Russian-held city of Bakhmut.

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