Reuters World News Summary

According to preliminary results released by the central election commission after just over half of the votes had been counted, Aliyev was way ahead with 92.1% of votes cast. Putin says Russia is working to free hostages in Gaza conflict President Vladimir Putin told leaders of Russia's Jewish community on Wednesday that Moscow had achieved "specific results" in diplomatic efforts to free hostages caught up in Israel's conflict with Hamas, Russian news agencies reported.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Gaza ceasefire hopes alive with more talks planned

Mediators from the U.S., Qatar and Egypt scrambled to forge a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in their four-month-old war in the Gaza Strip after America's top diplomat on a Middle East mission said there was still hope for a deal. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he saw room for negotiation, and a Palestinian Hamas delegation led by senior official Khalil Al-Hayya was due to travel on Thursday to Cairo for ceasefire talks with Egypt and Qatar.

Footballer Dani Alves denies sexual assault before Barcelona court

Brazilian former footballer Dani Alves maintained that he had consensual sex and did not act violently in his encounter with a woman in a Barcelona nightclub in 2022 as he gave his testimony on Wednesday in a trial on charges of sexual assault. Speaking calmly, but ending with tears in his eyes, the 40-year-old former Barcelona defender said the complainant had touched his genitals while dancing and willingly accompanied him to a restroom, where she performed oral sex on him and they had a sexual intercourse.

China bid to 'cheat' its way to chip prominence failing -Taiwan's US envoy

China has sought to "cheat" and "steal" its way to matching Taiwan in chip technology, but has yet to succeed despite investing huge sums, Taiwan's de facto ambassador to Washington said on Wednesday, while holding out the prospect of more Taiwanese semiconductor investment in the U.S. In a wide-ranging interview with Reuters, Taiwan's representative Alexander Yui cast doubt on reports that China's chipmakers are on the cusp of making next-generation smartphone processors, and refuted charges by Donald Trump, the leading Republican candidate for the 2024 U.S. presidential election, that Taiwan was taking American semiconductor jobs.

Azerbaijan President Aliyev heads for landslide re-election win - initial results

Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev was on course for a landslide re-election win, initial results showed on Wednesday, in a vote he called early after recapturing the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh from Armenia and a crackdown on the media. According to preliminary results released by the central election commission after just over half of the votes had been counted, Aliyev was way ahead with 92.1% of votes cast.

Putin says Russia is working to free hostages in Gaza conflict

President Vladimir Putin told leaders of Russia's Jewish community on Wednesday that Moscow had achieved "specific results" in diplomatic efforts to free hostages caught up in Israel's conflict with Hamas, Russian news agencies reported. The agencies said Putin made the comments at a meeting with Russia's chief rabbi, Berl Lazar, and the head of the Federation of Jewish Communities, Alexander Boroda. Putin said Russia had made use of its contacts with the political wing of Hamas.

Pakistan votes amid polarisation, militant attacks and economic crisis

Pakistan votes on Thursday in an election scarred by rising militant attacks, an economic crisis and a deeply polarised political environment, and many analysts believe no clear winner may emerge. The main contests are expected to be between candidates backed by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, whose Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party won the last national election, and the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) of three-time premier Nawaz Sharif, who is considered the front-runner.

North Korea scraps all economic cooperation with South Korea

North Korea's Supreme People's Assembly has voted to scrap all agreements signed with South Korea on promoting economic cooperation, the North's official KCNA news agency reported on Thursday, as the two Koreas' relations continue to deteriorate sharply. The assembly, which takes formal steps to adopt policy dictated by the ruling Workers' Party, also voted to abolish laws governing economic ties with Seoul, including the special law on the operation of the Mount Kumgang tourism project.

US imposes sanctions on Ecuador's Los Choneros gang

The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on Ecuador criminal group Los Choneros and its leader, the U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement. WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

Nicaragua grants asylum to Panama's ex-President Martinelli

Nicaragua's government said on Wednesday it had granted asylum to Panama's former President Ricardo Martinelli, after the ex-leader, currently facing a lengthy prison sentence at home, requested the protection at Nicaragua's embassy in Panama City. The former president confirmed to Reuters that he had requested asylum in Nicaragua. His spokesman said he was still in Panama.

Kataib Hezbollah commander killed in Baghdad in US strike

A commander from Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed armed group in Iraq that the Pentagon has blamed for attacking its troops, was killed in a U.S. strike on Wednesday, the U.S. military said. "(U.S.) forces conducted a unilateral strike in Iraq in response to the attacks on U.S. service members, killing a Kataib Hezbollah commander responsible for directly planning and participating in attacks on U.S. forces in the region," a statement from the military said. It did not name the commander.