Reuters World News Summary

Biden told Univision in the interview that because bipartisan legislation that would have granted him the authority to shut the border was stalled by Republicans in Congress, he was being encouraged to try to do it alone. Hamas says Israeli proposal fails to meet Palestinian demands, but is under review Hamas said on Tuesday that an Israeli proposal on a ceasefire in their war in Gaza did not meet the demands of Palestinian militant factions, but it would study the offer further and deliver its response to mediators.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Senior US Democrat wants more answers before approving Israel F-15 sale

The top Democrat on the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee said on Tuesday he would not approve a massive arms transfer to Israel until he has more information about how Israel would use the weapons. "I'm waiting for assurances," Representative Gregory Meeks told CNN. "... I want to make sure that I know the types of weapons and what the weapons would be utilized for," he said.

Russia, Kazakhstan evacuate over 100,000 people amid worst flooding in decades

Russia and Kazakhstan ordered more than 100,000 people to evacuate after swiftly melting snow swelled mighty rivers beyond bursting point in the worst flooding in the area for at least 70 years. The deluge of melt water overwhelmed scores of settlements in the Ural Mountains, Siberia and areas of Kazakhstan close to rivers such as the Ural and Tobol, which local officials said had risen by metres (yards) in a matter of hours to the highest levels ever recorded.

Mass famine in Gaza would ensure long conflict, US defense chief says

A deadly, mass famine in Gaza would likely accelerate violence and ensure a long-term conflict, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told a Senate hearing on Tuesday, even as he dismissed accusations that Israel was responsible for an unfolding genocide in the Palestinian enclave. Six months into Israel's air and ground campaign in Gaza, triggered by Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel, the devastated enclave faces the risk of widespread famine and disease with nearly all its inhabitants now homeless.

Swiss women win landmark climate case at Europe top human rights court

Europe's top human rights court ruled on Tuesday that the Swiss government had violated the human rights of its citizens by failing to do enough to combat climate change, in a decision that will set a precedent for future climate lawsuits. The European Court of Human Rights's ruling, in favour of the more than 2,000 Swiss women who brought the case, is expected to resonate in court decisions across Europe and beyond, and to embolden more communities to bring climate cases against governments.

UN nuclear watchdog's board sets emergency meeting after Zaporizhzhia attacks

The U.N. nuclear watchdog's Board of Governors will hold an emergency meeting on Thursday at the request of both Ukraine and Russia to discuss attacks on the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, after the enemies accused each other of drone attacks. The International Atomic Energy Agency has said drones struck the Russian-held facility in southern Ukraine on Sunday, hitting one reactor building. It has not ascribed blame but has demanded such attacks stop.

Ukraine races to fix and shield its power plants after Russian onslaught

When a Russian attack plunged a Ukrainian thermal power plant into darkness on March 29, 51-year-old Ihor did not have time to think. He grabbed a flashlight and made his way through the dust-filled control room to save remains of the system as the walls of the station fell, calling out to see if the other essential staff had survived the blast.

Killing of party official fuels sectarian, political tensions in Lebanon

The killing of a local politician has deepened sectarian and political faultines in Lebanon, raising fears of armed clashes between rival factions in a country already beset by a deep economic crisis, and cross-border shelling linked to the Gaza War. Government and religious officials have rushed to quell tensions after the killing of Pascal Sleiman prompted fears of renewed street brawls between rival parties and triggered beatings of Syrians. Sleiman headed the anti-Hezbollah Lebanese Forces Party in a predominantly Christian coastal area.

US considers easing warnings for Americans traveling to China

The U.S. is considering easing advisories against its citizens traveling to China, Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said on Tuesday, acknowledging concerns that the warnings may have curtailed exchanges between Americans and Chinese people. Campbell made the comment at an event hosted by the non-profit National Committee on U.S.-China Relations.

Biden says he is examining power to shut US border on his own

President Joe Biden said in an interview broadcast on Tuesday that he and his administration are trying to determine whether he has the authority to act on his own to shut down the U.S.'s southern border with Mexico to migrants, should it be deemed necessary. Biden told Univision in the interview that because bipartisan legislation that would have granted him the authority to shut the border was stalled by Republicans in Congress, he was being encouraged to try to do it alone.

Hamas says Israeli proposal fails to meet Palestinian demands, but is under review

Hamas said on Tuesday that an Israeli proposal on a ceasefire in their war in Gaza did not meet the demands of Palestinian militant factions, but it would study the offer further and deliver its response to mediators. The proposal was handed to the Palestinian Islamist movement by Egyptian and Qatari mediators at talks in Cairo that aim to find a way out of the devastating war in the Gaza Strip, now in its seventh month.