World News Roundup: Israeli tanks storm back into north Gaza areas where they had withdrawn; North Korea's Kim calls for South to be seen as "primary foe", warns of war and more

The strikes come amid concerns about the escalation of a conflict that has spread through the Middle East since the war between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas began on Oct. 7, with Iran's allies also entering the fray from Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen. Ukraine drone attack injures two children in Russia's Voronezh A state of emergency was declared in the southern Russian city of Voronezh on Tuesday after a Ukrainian drone attack wounded a 6-year-old boy and a young girl, officials said.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Explainer-Western Canada's dry winter heralds worsening drought for 2024

Canada's abnormally dry winter is worsening drought conditions across the western provinces, where most of the country's oil, gas, forest products and grain are produced. Western Canada is slowly emerging from a blast of arctic temperatures over the weekend, but the winter had otherwise been unusually mild.

Israeli tanks storm back into north Gaza areas where they had withdrawn

Israeli tanks stormed back into parts of the northern Gaza Strip they had left last week, residents said on Tuesday, bringing back some of the most intense fighting since the New Year when Israel announced it was scaling back its operations there. Massive explosions could be seen over northern areas of Gaza from across the border with Israel - a rarity over the past two weeks after Israel announced a draw-down of forces in the north as part of a transition to smaller, targeted operations.

'Succession,' 'The Bear' prevail at nostalgic Emmy Awards

Media dynasty drama "Succession" and restaurant dramedy "The Bear" dominated the Emmy Awards on Monday, earning six trophies each as Hollywood handed out its top accolades for television. "Succession," the HBO series about the high-stakes battle for control of a global business empire, won the prestigious best drama prize for its fourth and final season.

North Korea's Kim calls for South to be seen as "primary foe", warns of war

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Monday called for the constitution to be changed to ensure that South Korea is seen as the "primary foe" and warned his country did not intend to avoid war should it happen, state media KCNA reported on Tuesday. In a speech to the Supreme People's Assembly, North Korea's rubber-stamp parliament, Kim said he had concluded that unification with the South was no longer possible, and accused Seoul of seeking regime collapse and unification by absorption.

Donald Trump heads to trial, again, against E. Jean Carroll

Donald Trump could be ordered to pay millions of dollars more to E. Jean Carroll at a second civil trial after the writer accused the former U.S. president of raping her decades ago. Jury selection for the second trial is scheduled to begin on Tuesday in Manhattan federal court. Trump has said he wants to attend and testify at the trial, unlike at Carroll's first trial.

US decries Nauru's 'unfortunate' ditching of Taiwan, warns on China's promises

The U.S. official who heads the body that handles unofficial ties with Taiwan on Tuesday decried Nauru's "unfortunate" decision to break ties with Taipei shortly after an election and warned that Beijing's promises often go unfulfilled. The Pacific, where tiny Nauru is located, has become a source of intense competition for influence between Washington which has traditionally viewed it as its backyard, and Beijing, which has targeted Taiwanese diplomatic allies there.

Iran says Revolutionary Guards attack Israel's 'spy HQ' in Iraq, vow more revenge

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they attacked the spy headquarters of Israel in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, state media reported late on Monday, while the elite force said they also struck in Syria against the Islamic State. The strikes come amid concerns about the escalation of a conflict that has spread through the Middle East since the war between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas began on Oct. 7, with Iran's allies also entering the fray from Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen.

Ukraine drone attack injures two children in Russia's Voronezh

A state of emergency was declared in the southern Russian city of Voronezh on Tuesday after a Ukrainian drone attack wounded a 6-year-old boy and a young girl, officials said. Russia's defence ministry said five Ukrainian drones were destroyed by air defences over the Voronezh region and three more were intercepted. It said four more drones were intercepted over the Belgorod region.

North Korea lauds 'comradely' ties with Russia, Putin to meet Kim's foreign minister

North Korea's foreign minister lauded comradely ties with Russia on Tuesday ahead of a rare meeting in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has been invited by Kim Jong Un to visit the reclusive nuclear-armed country. Putin has deepened ties with North Korea since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine and the United States and its allies have condemned what they say have been significant North Korean missile deliveries to Russia to help its war effort.

About 1,000 tourists trapped in China's Xinjiang after avalanches

Around 1,000 tourists remain stranded in a remote holiday village after avalanches hit China's northwestern Xinjiang region with metres-high snow and fickle weather impeding evacuation, state TV reported on Tuesday. Road access to Hemu village, a scenic destination near the borders of Kazakhstan, Russia and Mongolia where the tourists were trapped, has been cut off by avalanches for several days now. The village is situated in Xinjiang's Altay Prefecture where continuous snowfall in some areas has lasted 10 days, it said.