Reuters World News Summary

The opening of borders after the COVID-19 lockdowns boosted tourism and the movement of Pacific workers who could send back remittances from overseas, playing an important factor in the rebound in countries including Samoa and Tonga, an economic outlook report from the World Bank said. Honduras ex-President Hernandez denies taking drug bribes at US trial Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez on Tuesday took the witness stand at his U.S. drug trafficking trial and denied taking bribes from cartel members in exchange for protecting their U.S.-bound cocaine shipments.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Hungary president signs Sweden's NATO membership ratification

Hungary's President Tamas Sulyok has signed the bill that approved Sweden's accession to the NATO military alliance, the president's office said on Tuesday, clearing the way for Sweden to become the 32nd member of the alliance in the coming days. Stockholm abandoned its non-alignment policy for greater safety within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Brazil's ex-military chiefs told police Bolsonaro discussed coup in 2022, sources say

The former heads of Brazil's Army and Air Force have confirmed to federal police that ex-President Jair Bolsonaro discussed a draft decree to prevent the handover of power after the 2022 election, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters. Their testimonies, delivered to investigators in recent weeks, augur badly for Bolsonaro, whose political career looks finished and is now widely seen as battling to stay out of jail.

Republicans back deporting illegal immigrants as Trump looks for Super Tuesday blowout

Many Republicans voting in U.S. presidential primary elections on Super Tuesday said immigration was their top issue and that immigrants in the country illegally should be deported, a campaign pledge made by Donald Trump. The former president aimed to vanquish his sole remaining challenger for the Republican nomination, Nikki Haley, on Super Tuesday, the biggest day in the presidential nominating calendar when 15 states and one territory were voting.

Biden says Gaza ceasefire deal is in Hamas' hands as Ramadan nears

U.S. President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that it was in the hands of Hamas whether to accept a deal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip in exchange for the release of Israeli hostages, as delegations held a third day of talks with no sign of a breakthrough. Negotiators from the Palestinian militant group, Qatar and Egypt - but not Israel - are in Cairo trying to secure a 40-day ceasefire in Hamas' war with Israel in time for the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which begins early next week.

Explainer-Famine looms in Gaza - how will the world know it has arrived?

The United Nations has warned that widespread famine in the Gaza Strip is "almost inevitable" without action. A formal conclusion that famine has arrived in the coastal enclave of 2.3 million people could come next week. WHAT IS FAMIME AND WHO DECLARES ONE?

Ukraine says it has sunk a Russian patrol ship near Crimea

Ukrainian sea drones hit and sank a Russian Black Sea Fleet patrol ship off occupied Crimea in an overnight attack, the Ukrainian military said on Tuesday. Ukraine's GUR military intelligence agency said a special unit called Group 13 had fired Magura V5 maritime drones at the Sergey Kotov near the Kerch Strait, which connects the Sea of Azov to the Black Sea.

At least 126 activists killed in Latin America in 2023 -report

At least 126 human rights and environmental defenders were murdered in Latin America in 2023, according to data from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) published on Tuesday, matching the previous year's figure. The IACHR, an autonomous organ of the Washington-based Organization of American States, expressed alarm over "high rates of violence" against human rights defenders in the region, where 54 assassinations were reported just in the year's final three months.

Analysis-As China's Xi summons 'new productive forces', old questions linger for economy

Facing its deepest economic challenges in years, China's leadership has tasked ministries and local governments with implementing a new mantra from President Xi Jinping: unleash "new productive forces". In his annual report to China's legislature on Tuesday, Premier Li Qiang, Xi's top deputy, vowed a "new leap forward" by supporting developing sectors and industries including electric vehicles, new materials, commercial spaceflight, quantum technology and life sciences.

Pacific Islands face challenges as growth slows, says World Bank

Growth in Pacific Island economies slowed last year to 5.5%, with tourism and remittances from overseas workers recovering in some countries, while shocks from cyclones and drought hampered others, the World Bank said on Wednesday. The opening of borders after the COVID-19 lockdowns boosted tourism and the movement of Pacific workers who could send back remittances from overseas, playing an important factor in the rebound in countries including Samoa and Tonga, an economic outlook report from the World Bank said.

Honduras ex-President Hernandez denies taking drug bribes at US trial

Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez on Tuesday took the witness stand at his U.S. drug trafficking trial and denied taking bribes from cartel members in exchange for protecting their U.S.-bound cocaine shipments. Hernandez, 55, described himself as an ardent opponent of drug trafficking during his tenure leading the Central American country from 2014 to 2022. He pointed to his administration's military cooperation with the United States, and his frequent visits to Washington to visit U.S. officials.

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