Reuters World News Summary

It said he was one of the Iranian-backed militia's leaders in heavy-warhead rocket fire and said he was responsible for conducting and planning attacks against Israeli civilians. India's Congress says facing 'tax terrorism' after second tax notice India's main opposition party said on Friday it had been asked to pay an additional 18.2 billion rupees ($218 million) in taxes, which it called an attempt by the tax department to financially cripple it weeks before general elections.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Exclusive-Taiwan's navy chief to visit U.S. next week, sources say

Taiwan's navy chief, Tang Hua, will visit the United States from next week to attend a military ceremony and discuss how to boost bilateral naval cooperation as China raises threats toward the island, six people briefed on the trip said. While Taiwan and the United States have a close relationship, it is unofficial, as Washington formally recognises China, not the democratically governed island that Beijing claims as its own territory. Taiwan rejects China's territorial claims.

Tajikistan detains 9 people over Russian concert hall attack - source

Tajikistan has detained nine people this week suspected of having links to a mass shooting at a Russian concert hall last Friday and also to the militant Islamist group that claimed responsibility, a Tajik security source told Reuters. Four suspected gunmen behind the deadliest attack in Russia in 20 years are Tajik citizens. They have been arrested along with seven other suspects, some of whom also come from the ex-Soviet Central Asian nation.

After veto, Russia says big powers need to stop 'strangling' North Korea

Russia said on Friday that major powers needed a new approach to North Korea, accusing the United States and its allies of ratchetting up military tensions in Asia and seeking to "strangle" the reclusive state. Russia vetoed the annual renewal of a panel of experts monitoring enforcement of longstanding United Nations sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes.

Israeli military says it killed deputy commander of Hezbollah rocket and missiles unit

The Israeli military said on Friday it had killed Ali Abed Akhsan Naim, deputy commander of Hezbollah's rocket and missiles unit, in an air strike in the area of Bazouriye in Lebanon. It said he was one of the Iranian-backed militia's leaders in heavy-warhead rocket fire and said he was responsible for conducting and planning attacks against Israeli civilians.

India's Congress says facing 'tax terrorism' after second tax notice

India's main opposition party said on Friday it had been asked to pay an additional 18.2 billion rupees ($218 million) in taxes, which it called an attempt by the tax department to financially cripple it weeks before general elections. Calling the latest notice from the Income Tax Department "tax terrorism", Congress treasurer Ajay Maken told reporters the party would fight the demand in court.

Illness, scandal and discord leave UK royal family looking depleted

King Charles is due to make his first public appearance at a royal event since his cancer diagnosis on Sunday, but the likely absence of son Prince William and the heir's wife Kate will spotlight how depleted the monarchy has become. Buckingham Palace said the 75-year-old monarch would attend the traditional Easter Sunday church service at Windsor Castle alongside his wife Queen Camilla, one of the annual engagements usually attended by all the senior royals.

France to boost Olympics security with foreign military, police support

France has asked about 45 foreign countries to contribute several thousand extra military, police and civilian personnel to help safeguard the Paris Olympics this summer, government sources said on Friday, amid a complex geopolitical and security outlook. The country plans to deploy about 45,000 French police and security forces, 20,000 private security personnel and around 15,000 military each day to protect an event that will see millions of sports fans and tourists stay in the country for several weeks at the height of summer.

Meloni, Le Pen rift mars far right's prospects of wielding EU power

When a French minister compared Italy's nationalist Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni last year to the leader of the French far right, the Italian premier rang French President Emmanuel Macron to complain. Meloni was so incensed that the French leader felt compelled to send an emissary to Rome to appease her, said two sources with knowledge of the conversations.

North Korea rules out any meetings with Japan

North Korea has no interest in dialogue with Japan, state media KCNA reported on Friday, citing foreign minister Choe Son Hui. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has said he wants to hold talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un "without any preconditions" and is personally overseeing efforts to realise the first such leaders' summit in 20 years in an attempt to defuse decades of tensions.

Pugacheva, queen of Soviet pop, likely to be labelled a 'foreign agent' in Russia

Russian prosecutors have asked the justice ministry to label Alla Pugacheva, the queen of Soviet pop music, as a "foreign agent", the state RIA news agency reported. Pugacheva, 74, a Soviet and then post-Soviet icon, has criticised the war in Ukraine.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)