Reuters World News Summary

Masri had taken refuge at Al Shifa hospital in Gaza City, in the north of the enclave, with his mother and sister 10 days ago after receiving treatment in another hospital for a leg wound. Russian shelling kills three, damages gas, power lines in Ukraine's south Russian artillery and drone attacks on Friday killed three people and damaged an unspecified infrastructure facility, power lines and a gas pipeline in the Dnipropetrovsk and Kherson regions of Ukraine, local officials said.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Spain's Sanchez wins support for PM bid amid anger over Catalan amnesty vow

Spain's acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez looked assured of another term in office on Friday after securing the backing of two more regional parties, but it comes amid widespread anger over his pledge of amnesty for Catalan separatists. The confirmed support of the National Basque Party (PNV) and the Canaries' Coalition, along with that of Catalan separatist party Junts confirmed on Thursday, would give Sanchez an absolute majority in the 350-member lower house in a vote due to take place in the coming days.

Biden to meet Xi on Wednesday in San Francisco Bay area, U.S. says

President Joe Biden will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping face-to-face for the first time in a year on Wednesday, the White House said, in high-stakes diplomacy aimed at curbing tensions between the world's two superpowers. The closely watched interaction, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in the San Francisco Bay area, could last hours and involve teams of officials from Beijing and Washington.

Israel revises Hamas attack death toll to 'around 1,200'

A spokesperson for Israel's foreign ministry said on Friday that the death toll from the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in southern Israel had been revised to around 1,200 from a previous government estimate of 1,400. "Around 1,200 is the official number of victims of the October 7 massacre," spokesperson Lior Haiat said in a written statement.

Palestinians flee Al Shifa hospital after deadly strike

Ayman Al-Masri joined thousands of people seeking safety in southern Gaza on Friday after fleeing the enclave's main hospital in what Palestinian officials said was an Israeli air strike. Masri had taken refuge at Al Shifa hospital in Gaza City, in the north of the enclave, with his mother and sister 10 days ago after receiving treatment in another hospital for a leg wound.

Russian shelling kills three, damages gas, power lines in Ukraine's south

Russian artillery and drone attacks on Friday killed three people and damaged an unspecified infrastructure facility, power lines and a gas pipeline in the Dnipropetrovsk and Kherson regions of Ukraine, local officials said. Both regions have come under regular shelling by Russian troops in occupied territory on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River. Locals usually face numerous air alerts throughout the day.

US voices concern over killing of Palestinians as Gaza death toll tops 11,000

The United States on Friday expressed growing concern about the rising Palestinian death toll in the Gaza Strip where health officials said the number killed in a five-week-old Israeli bombardment had topped 11,000. Fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas militants escalated near and around Gaza City's besieged and overcrowded hospitals, which Palestinian officials said were hit by explosions and gunfire.

LinkedIn says spy firm targeted Hungarian activists, journalists before 2022 election

Private spy firm Black Cube was behind a hidden video campaign that used LinkedIn to target Hungarian activists and journalists leading to last year's election in the central European country, the professional networking site said on Thursday. A researcher for Microsoft-owned LinkedIn said Black Cube, based in Israel, created a network of fake personas that used bogus job postings to connect with their targets on the platform.

France's Macron urges Israel to stop bombing Gaza

Israel must stop bombing Gaza and killing civilians, French President Emmanuel Macron told the BBC in an interview published late on Friday. Macron said there was "no justification" for the bombing and saying a ceasefire would benefit Israel.

Analysis-Losing ground to rebel alliance, Myanmar junta faces biggest test since coup

A rebel alliance has overrun parts of northern Myanmar, including areas bordering China, with resistance to the military junta notching its most significant win since the 2021 coup, according to a rebel commander, diplomats and analysts. The fiercest fighting has been near Myanmar's border with China in northern Shan state where three powerful ethnic armed groups have combined to lead an offensive that has taken multiple towns and military outposts in recent weeks.

A child killed on average every 10 minutes in Gaza, says WHO chief

A child is killed on average every 10 minutes in the Gaza Strip, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the United Nations Security Council on Friday, warning: "Nowhere and no one is safe." He said that half of Gaza's 36 hospitals and two-thirds of its primary healthcare centers were not functioning and those that were operating were way beyond their capacities, describing the healthcare system as being "on its knees."