Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Jail isolation left Norwegian mass killer Breivik in 'deep depression' - lawyer

Lawyers for Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik told a court on Monday he was suffering from "deep depression" and no longer wanted to live as they launched a legal bid to lift his years of isolation in prison. The far-right fanatic who killed 77 people in a bombing and shooting rampage in 2011 is suing the state, arguing that his prison conditions violate his human rights.

Jordan says Israel's Netanyahu must not be allowed to drag region into wider war

Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said on Monday it was unacceptable that the international community should allow Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to drag the Middle East into a wider regional war. In remarks carried on state media, Safadi was quoted as telling his French counterpart Catherine Colonna during a phone call the danger of the spread of war was "rising by the day" with Israel continuing to wreak "death and destruction in Gaza."

New caravan forms in Mexico as frustrated migrants complain about visa delays

A new migrant caravan of approximately 2,000 people formed in southern Mexico on Monday, largely made up of people that have been on the move since Christmas Eve who say the Mexican government's promises of transit visas last week never materialized. The migrants, including some carrying young children, are walking to the southern Oaxaca town of Tapanatepec, about 800 kilometers (480 miles) south of Mexico City by road. They hope to reach Tapanatepec by nightfall.

Biden, Saudis call for Israeli restraint as Gaza suffers another bloody day

Pressure grew on Israel on Monday from its staunch ally the United States and from Middle East powers to ease its assault on Gaza as its forces said they engaged in "tough battles" against Hamas militants in central and southern parts of the enclave. Following talks with Arab leaders, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed late Monday in Tel Aviv on the latest leg of a regional tour aimed at preventing the war - now entering its fourth month - from turning into a wider conflagration.

United finds loose bolts on several 737 MAX planes, raising pressure on Boeing

Boeing's latest 737 MAX crisis deepened on Monday after United Airlines said it had found loose bolts on multiple grounded MAX 9 aircraft, raising new concerns among industry experts about how its best-selling jet family is manufactured. U.S. regulators grounded 171 of the 737 Max 9 aircraft after a panel blew off an Alaska Airlines-operated plane flight not long after taking off from a Portland, Oregon, airport on Friday, forcing pilots to scramble to land the plane safely.

White House huddles with industry on tech innovation for Ukraine

White House officials met on Monday with about a dozen leaders from venture capital firms and the technology and defense industries in an effort to reinforce the Biden administration's interest in supporting Ukraine's access to cutting-edge U.S. equipment, senior administration officials said. "The conversation focused on a number of systems, including, unmanned aerial systems, how to counter incoming unmanned aerial systems, and then also addressing the demining challenge," one of the officials told a group of reporters during a telephone call following the five-hour meeting.

Israel kills a senior Hezbollah commander in Lebanon -sources

Israel killed a top Hezbollah commander in a strike in south Lebanon on Monday, sources familiar with the group's operations said, inflicting a heavy blow after three months of hostilities at the Lebanese-Israeli frontier. Wissam Tawil was a commander of Hezbollah's elite Radwan forces and the most senior Hezbollah officer killed so far in the conflict, a senior source in Lebanon said, adding he played a leading role in directing its operations in the south.

Pentagon says not planning a US withdrawal from Iraq

The Pentagon said on Monday it was not currently planning to withdraw its roughly 2,500 troops from Iraq, despite Baghdad's announcement last week it would begin the process of removing the U.S.-led military coalition from the country. "Right now, I'm not aware of any plans (to plan for withdrawal). We continue to remain very focused on the defeat ISIS mission," Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder told a news briefing, using an acronym for Islamic State. He added that U.S. forces are in Iraq at the invitation of its government.

Bangladesh PM Hasina secures fourth straight term in vote boycotted by main opposition

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina swept to a fourth straight term in power, with her party winning almost 75% of the seats in Sunday's general election that was boycotted by the main opposition and drew a low turnout. The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which participated in the 2018 vote but kept away in 2014, boycotted the polls after Hasina refused its demands to resign and allow a neutral authority to run the general election.

Moon lander problem threatens mission after Vulcan rocket makes successful debut

A robotic lander built by a private company suffered a propulsion system issue on its way to the moon on Monday, upending the first U.S. soft lunar landing attempt in over 50 years as mission managers scrambled to fix its position in space. Space robotics firm Astrobotic Technology's Peregrine lunar lander had launched successfully to space at 2:18 a.m. ET from Cape Canaveral, Florida, aboard the first flight of Vulcan, a rocket that had been under development for a decade by the Boeing and Lockheed Martin joint venture United Launch Alliance (ULA).

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