Reuters World News Summary

Russia last week opened a new front in the Ukraine war by pushing swiftly over the border into the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine with small groups of highly mobile units, a move that has forced Ukraine to rush in troops from other areas. Palestinian president calls on Arab countries for financial support The Palestinian government has not received the financial support it had expected from international and regional partners, President Mahmoud Abbas said at an Arab League summit on Thursday.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Slovakia PM Fico's fate remains in balance after surgery, deputy PM says

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico remains in a serious condition and it is too soon to say whether he will recover, a deputy prime minister said on Thursday, a day after an assassination attempt that has sent shock waves across Europe. The shooting was the first major assassination attempt on a European political leader for more than 20 years, and has drawn international condemnation. Political analysts and lawmakers say it has exposed an increasingly febrile and polarised political climate both in Slovakia and across Europe.

Israel moves in on north Gaza Hamas stronghold, pounds Rafah without advancing

Israel's tanks pushed into the heart of Jabalia in northern Gaza on Thursday, facing anti-tank rockets and mortar bombs from militants concentrated there, while in the south, its forces pounded Rafah without advancing, Palestinian residents and militants said. The slow progress of Israel's offensive, more than seven months after it was prompted by Hamas' deadly cross-border raid, highlighted the difficulty of achieving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's aim of eradicating the militant group.

Russian forces are trying to take Ukrainian village 30km from Kharkiv, says RIA

Russian forces are preparing to try to take a village called Lyptsi located about 30 km (19 miles) north of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city, according to a Russian-installed official quoted by Russia's RIA state news agency. Russia last week opened a new front in the Ukraine war by pushing swiftly over the border into the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine with small groups of highly mobile units, a move that has forced Ukraine to rush in troops from other areas.

Palestinian president calls on Arab countries for financial support

The Palestinian government has not received the financial support it had expected from international and regional partners, President Mahmoud Abbas said at an Arab League summit on Thursday. "It has now become critical to activate the Arab safety net, to boost the resilience of our people and to enable the government to carry out its duties," Abbas said.

Venezuela won't allow exit of opposition aides in Argentine embassy, says official

Venezuela will not grant safe passage to leave the country to six opposition aides who have taken refuge in the Argentine embassy in Caracas, a ruling party official said late on Wednesday. Senior Argentine officials told Reuters this month the administration of President Nicolas Maduro had reneged on April promises to allow the aides to leave. The opposition says Maduro is targeting rivals ahead of July presidential elections.

Jordan king says militant groups smuggling drugs, arms should be confronted

Jordan's King Abdullah said on Thursday that militant groups that smuggle drugs and arms should be confronted. The U.S.-allied kingdom foiled a suspected Iranian-led plot to smuggle weapons to help opponents of the ruling monarchy carry out acts of sabotage, two Jordanian sources with knowledge of the matter earlier told Reuters.

France sends more police in bid to restore calm in New Caledonia

The French government sent more police to the Pacific island of New Caledonia on Thursday and said it would crack down on rioters, scrambling to restore order after three nights of upheaval that have killed four people. Rioters angry with an electoral reform have burnt businesses, torched cars, looted shops, and set up road barricades, causing a "dire situation" for access to medicine and food in the French-ruled Pacific island, authorities said.

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Tunisian lawyers go on strike, protest against alleged police abuse

Tunisian lawyers began a one-day nationwide strike on Thursday, with hundreds taking to the streets of the capital, to protest against the recent arrest of two of their colleagues, one of whom they say was tortured during his detention. This is the second time this week Tunisian lawyers have staged a strike amid an escalation of the political crisis in the country following the arrest of two lawyers and two journalists last week in separate incidents.

Xi and Putin condemn U.S., pledge closer ties as Russia advances in Ukraine

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned what they cast as increasingly aggressive U.S. behaviour on Thursday and pledged to deepen their countries' already close defence and military ties. In a clear snub to Washington, whose top diplomat flew into China last month to try to persuade Beijing to scale back its relationship with Moscow, Xi signalled Beijing and Moscow saw eye to eye on a range of important issues, including on Ukraine, and would resist Western pressure to downgrade their ties.

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