Reuters World News Summary

Putin's two-day mission is expected to highlight the pair's vaunted "no limits" partnership in defiance from pressure from the United States over Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Fighting intensifies between Israel and Hamas-led militants in north and south Gaza Gun battles between Israel and militants from Hamas, Islamic Jihad and smaller Palestinian factions intensified overnight into some of the fiercest in months in both northern and southern Gaza, both sides said on Wednesday.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Blinken says U.S. will give Ukraine another $2 billion in military financing

The United States will provide Ukraine an additional $2 billion in foreign military financing, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday. He was speaking at a joint press conference in Kyiv alongside Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, adding that the support would be aimed at investing in Ukraine's industrial base.

Three dead in New Caledonia as riots rage after Paris approves voting change

Three people were killed in riots in New Caledonia, an official said, after a move to change voting rules in the French-ruled Pacific island triggered violent unrest in which vehicles were torched and stores looted, residents said on Wednesday. The three dead were young indigenous Kanak, said a spokesman for New Caledonia's president Louis Mapou, citing information provided by the police. Some residents have armed themselves to protect their homes, a witness said.

Explainer-Why is Russia holding nuclear exercises - and what to watch for?

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his military to practise the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons after what Moscow said were threats from France, Britain and the United States. Why, and what will happen?

Two Tunisian journalists jailed pending trial, bolstering fears for free speech

A Tunisian judge on Wednesday ordered the imprisonment of two prominent journalists pending trial, their families and lawyers said, reinforcing fears of a widespread campaign aimed at silencing dissent and curbing free speech. IFM radio journalists Mourad Zghidi and Borhen Bsaiss were detained on Saturday over political comments made on the radio, their lawyers said.

Defying West, Russia's Putin set to meet Xi Jinping in Beijing

Russian President Vladimir Putin's Beijing visit on Thursday is likely to be light on hard deals but will mark the start of his new presidential term with a show of support from his most powerful political partner, Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. Putin's two-day mission is expected to highlight the pair's vaunted "no limits" partnership in defiance from pressure from the United States over Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Fighting intensifies between Israel and Hamas-led militants in north and south Gaza

Gun battles between Israel and militants from Hamas, Islamic Jihad and smaller Palestinian factions intensified overnight into some of the fiercest in months in both northern and southern Gaza, both sides said on Wednesday. Israeli tanks reached densely populated neighborhoods and narrow alleyways of the militant stronghold of Jabalia in the northeast, facing heavy resistance. Residents said the army destroyed clusters of homes there in areas where they had not invaded before.

Jordan foils arms plot as kingdom caught in Iran-Israel shadow war

Jordan has foiled a suspected Iranian-led plot to smuggle weapons into the U.S.-allied kingdom to help opponents of the ruling monarchy carry out acts of sabotage, according to two Jordanian sources with knowledge of the matter. The weapons were sent by Iranian-backed militias in Syria to a cell of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan that has links to the military wing of Palestinian group Hamas, the people told Reuters. The cache was seized when members of the cell, Jordanians of Palestinian descent, were arrested in late March, they said.

Georgia's pro-EU Generation Z spearheads 'foreign agent' protests

For 20-year-old Georgian student Irakli, the almost nightly trip to protest outside parliament is part of a wider struggle where he and his generation have a special role to play. For weeks, the international relations student and his classmates have joined the huge crowds protesting against a draft law on "foreign agents" that passed its third and final reading in parliament on Tuesday.

Philippines says to ensure safety of civilian mission in South China Sea

The Philippines has sent three coast guard vessels to ensure the safety of a civilian flotilla sailing to a shoal in the South China Sea, where Manila and Beijing have been embroiled in heated stand-offs over competing claims. The three-day mission to hand out provisions for fishermen anchored at the contested Scarborough Shoal is being led by a group called Atin Ito (This is Ours), along with five commercial fishing vessels, organisers said. Around 100 smaller fishing boats will also join the initial part of the trip.

Battles rage across Gaza, Israel releases images of armed men at UN site

Israeli troops fought militants across Gaza on Wednesday, including in the southern city of Rafah that had been a refuge for civilians, in an upsurge of the more than seven-month war that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians. Antagonism between Israel and the United Nations worsened as the Israeli army sought an explanation for footage showing armed men next to U.N. Palestinian relief agency vehicles. Separately, the U.N. said it was investigating an unidentified strike that killed an international staff member in Gaza earlier this week.