Reuters World News Summary

Reuters interviewed over three dozen residents of towns and neighborhoods around the capital Havana – the country's political and economic engine - from street vendors to private sector workers, taxi drivers and state employees. Commerce Secretary Lutnick planned ‌lunch on Epstein's island, new release shows The U.S. Justice Department on Friday published millions of new files related to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, including emails that showed Howard Lutnick, President Donald Trump's commerce secretary, apparently visited Epstein's private island for lunch years after he claimed to have cut off ties.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Cubans under siege as US stranglehold sets in

Cubans from all walks of life are hunkering into survival mode, navigating lengthening blackouts and soaring prices for food, fuel and transport as the U.S. threatens a stranglehold on the communist-run nation. Reuters interviewed over three dozen residents of towns and neighborhoods around the capital Havana – the country's political and economic engine - from street vendors to private sector workers, taxi drivers and state employees.

Commerce Secretary Lutnick planned ‌lunch on Epstein's island, new release shows

The U.S. Justice Department on Friday published millions of new files related to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, including emails that showed Howard Lutnick, President Donald Trump's commerce secretary, apparently visited Epstein's private island for lunch years after he claimed to have cut off ties. In another set of emails, billionaire and former Trump adviser Elon Musk asked whether Epstein was planning any parties but declined an invitation to visit the island.

Thousands marched for democracy in Myanmar. Some ⁠died in prison

Shwe Theingi was instantly drawn to Wutt Yee Aung when they met at the start of their second year at Myanmar's Dagon University in 2019. The 19-year-old zoology major stood out with her boyish clothes, short hair and a friendly but outspoken personality, Shwe Theingi said. The two young women, who were active in the student union, quickly became friends.

Morocco deploys army to help evacuate thousands after floods

Morocco has deployed army rescue units to help with the evacuation of thousands of people after floods triggered by torrential rains and rising river levels hit parts of the country's northwest, state TV reported on Saturday. Weeks of heavy rainfall, combined with water releases from a nearly full dam nearby, ​increased water levels in the Loukous River and flooded several neighbourhoods in the city of Ksar Kbir, about 190 km (118 miles) north of the capital Rabat, a national flood follow-up committee said.

Australian boy killed by shark in Sydney Harbour honoured at Bondi Beach

An Australian boy who died after being bitten by a shark in ‍Sydney Harbour was honoured in a surfing ceremony at Bondi Beach on Sunday, following a series of shark attacks along the country's east coast. Nico Antic, 12, died in hospital on January 24, six days after being attacked when he and his friends jumped off rocks in Vaucluse, around 9 km (5.5 miles) from Sydney's central business district. Friends pulled him from the water with severe injuries to both legs.

Iran president says Trump, Netanyahu, Europe stirred tensions in protests

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Saturday that U.S., Israeli and European leaders had exploited Iran's economic problems, incited unrest and provided people with the means to "tear the nation apart" in recent protests. The two-week long nationwide protests, which began in late December over an economic crisis marked by soaring inflation and rising living costs, have abated after a bloody crackdown by the clerical authorities ⁠that U.S.-based rights group ‌HRANA says has killed at least 6,563, including 6,170 protesters and 214 security forces.

Thousands demonstrate ⁠in Minnesota and across US to protest ICE

Thousands of protesters took to the streets in Minneapolis and students across the United States staged walkouts on Friday to demand the withdrawal of federal immigration agents from Minnesota following the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens. Students and teachers abandoned classes from California to New York on a national day of protest, which came amid mixed messages from the Trump administration about whether ‍it would de-escalate Operation Metro Surge.

UK's Starmer says ex-Prince Andrew should testify before Congress over Epstein ties

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Saturday that the former Prince Andrew should testify before a U.S. congressional committee, following new revelations about Andrew's links to the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. New files related to Epstein published by the U.S. justice department on Friday included emails ​that showed King Charles's brother maintaining regular contact with Epstein for more than two years after he was found guilty of child sex crimes.

Russia, Ukraine halt energy strikes, but differences emerge on moratorium

Russia and Ukraine said on Friday they had halted strikes on each other's energy infrastructure but differences emerged over the ⁠timeframe for the moratorium and there was uncertainty about the next step in talks to end the nearly four-year-old war. The Kremlin said it had agreed to U.S. President Donald Trump's request to halt strikes on energy targets, which have knocked out power and heating to hundreds of Kyiv apartment buildings. But spokesman Dmitry Peskov indicated the measure would end on Sunday.

China's corruption watchdog probing emergency management minister

China's minister of emergency management, Wang Xiangxi, is ⁠being investigated for suspected "serious violations of discipline and law," a common euphemism for corruption, the anti-graft watchdog said on Saturday as a purge of senior officials continues. The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection did not provide details in its statement on Wang, a Communist Party secretary. It is relatively rare for a sitting minister to undergo investigation.

Zelenskiy says Ukraine getting ready for new peace talks next week

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday that Ukraine was waiting for more information from the United States about further peace talks and expected new meetings to take place next week. Zelenskiy's statement during his nightly video address appeared to suggest that a meeting scheduled for Sunday in the United Arab ⁠Emirates between representatives of Ukraine, Russia and the United States would not take place. The three sides held a round of talks a week ago.

Italy investigates church painting of angel restored to look like Meloni

An angel in a church in central Rome has been restored to look like Italian Prime Minister Giorgia ⁠Meloni, a national newspaper reported on Saturday, prompting the culture ministry to investigate and Meloni to laugh ‌off the affair. In a front-page story, la Repubblica daily was the first to note that one of two angels in a chapel of the Basilica of St Lawrence in Lucina had been altered to resemble the 49-year-old conservative, Italy's first female prime minister.

Protesters in Copenhagen rally for Danish veterans after Trump remarks

Hundreds of Danes gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen on Saturday in support of veterans who said they had been insulted by President Donald Trump's comment that European allies had kept "off ⁠the front lines" in the Afghanistan war. Denmark, with a population less than 2% the size of the United States, was one of the major combat allies in the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan, losing 44 service members killed, ‍a per capita death toll on par with that of the Americans themselves.

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