World News Roundup: Ukraine strikes Russian naval landing warship, Moscow admits damage; Hamas, Islamic Jihad reject Gaza gov. overhaul for permanent ceasefire - Egyptian sources and more

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Iran undoes slowdown in enrichment of uranium to near weapons-grade -IAEA

Iran has reversed a months-long slowdown in the rate at which it is enriching uranium to up to 60% purity, close to weapons grade, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Tuesday. Many diplomats believed the slowdown, which had begun by June, was the result of secret talks between the United States and Iran that led to the release of U.S. citizens held in Iran earlier this year.

Israel launches more Gaza strikes as Netanyahu says Hamas must be destroyed

Israeli shellfire slammed into central Gaza on Tuesday after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged no respite in attacks on Hamas, as residents of the coastal enclave mourned more dead in a war that has cost more than 20,000 Palestinian lives. Israel is determined to pursue its goal of destroying Hamas despite global calls for a ceasefire in the 11-week-old war, amid concerns the conflict could spread with U.S. and Iran-aligned forces attacking each other elsewhere in the region.

Russia's Navalny describes harsh reality at 'Polar Wolf' Arctic prison

Jailed Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny on Tuesday confirmed his arrival at what he described as a snow-swept prison above the Arctic Circle and said he was in excellent spirits despite a tiring 20-day journey to get there.

Navalny posted an update on X via his lawyers after his allies lost touch with him for more than two weeks while he was in transit with no information about where he was being taken, prompting expressions of concern from Western politicians.

Global 2024 staple food supplies to be strained by dry weather, export curbs

High food prices in recent years have prompted farmers worldwide to plant more cereals and oilseeds, but consumers are set to face tighter supplies well into 2024, amid adverse El Nino weather, export restrictions and higher biofuel mandates.

Global wheat, corn and soybean prices - after several years of strong gains - are headed for losses in 2023 on easing Black Sea bottlenecks and fears of a global recession, although prices remain vulnerable to supply shocks and food inflation in the New Year, analysts and traders said.

Pakistan deported Afghans waiting for US resettlement -sources

Pakistan's huge deportation drive has forcibly repatriated scores of Afghans awaiting resettlement in the United States, an advocacy group and Afghan applicants say, adding that Pakistani authorities often ignored U.S. embassy letters of protection. That complicates the efforts of such Afghans, as the U.S. has shuttered its embassy in Kabul and they must also grapple with human rights restrictions and stubborn financial and humanitarian crises in their homeland.

Hamas, Islamic Jihad reject Gaza gov. overhaul for permanent ceasefire - Egyptian sources

Hamas and the allied Islamic Jihad have rejected an Egyptian proposal that they relinquish power in the Gaza Strip in return for a permanent ceasefire, two Egyptian security sources told Reuters on Monday. Two officials from Hamas and the Islamic Jihad groups later separately denied what the sources said about the talks.

Ukraine strikes Russian naval landing warship, Moscow admits damage

Ukraine struck a large Russian landing warship in Crimea with cruise missiles in an overnight attack that killed at least one person and could hinder any Russian attempt to seize more Ukrainian territory along the Black Sea coast. The Russian defence ministry, cited by the Interfax news agency, said Ukraine had used air-launched missiles to attack the Crimean port of Feodosia and that the Novocherkassk large landing ship had been damaged.

Russia says controls Maryinka in east Ukraine, Kyiv denies the claim

Russia said on Sunday that its forces have gained full control of Maryinka in Ukraine's east, but Kyiv's military denied Moscow's claim, saying Ukrainian troops were still within the borders of the blighted town. "Our assault units (...) have today completely liberated the settlement of Maryinka," Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu told Russian President Vladimir Putin in a televised meeting.

Four children and their mother murdered in France

Police in France on Tuesday arrested a man suspected of murdering his wife and four children in a knife attack early on Christmas Day, a public prosecutor said. Their bodies were found on Monday night in a bloodied apartment in the town of Meaux, 40 km (25 miles) northeast of Paris.

As election looms, Biden struggles to match Trump's judicial appointments

The White House is gearing up for what could be President Joe Biden's last chance to put his stamp on the judiciary, as progressive advocates fret that he may fall short of appointing as many judges as former President Donald Trump did over his four-year term. With a November 2024 election rematch between Biden and his Republican predecessor looking increasingly likely, Senate Democrats are pledging to remain focused on confirming Biden's judicial nominees in 2024 and adding to the 166 already approved to sit on the bench.

(With inputs from agencies.)