Reuters World News Summary

In his first visit to New Delhi as prime minister, Boris Johnson will discuss with Narendra Modi boosting trade and security ties with the South Asian country that buys more than half of its military hardware from Russia. Putin claims victory in Mariupol; Ukrainian fighters hold on Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed victory on Thursday in the biggest battle of the Ukraine war, declaring the port city of Mariupol "liberated," although hundreds of Ukrainian troops and civilians were still holding out inside a giant steel works.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Mariupol mayor says lives of city's trapped residents are in Putin's hands

Russian President Vladimir Putin alone can decide the fate of the 100,000 civilians still trapped in Ukraine's war-torn Mariupol, Mayor Vadym Boichenko told Reuters on Thursday, saying that satellite images of a mass grave site were proof Russians were burying bodies to try to hide the death toll. Earlier Putin claimed victory in the battle for Mariupol after nearly two months of siege that has led to the most intense battles of the war and its worst humanitarian catastrophe. Under heavy bombardment, citizens who did not flee have suffered without electricity, heating or water.

UK's Johnson to offer India help to build its own fighter jets

Britain is set to offer India know-how to build its own fighter jets and a licence for faster deliveries of defence equipment when the prime ministers of the two countries meet on Friday, as the West tries to wean India away from Russia. In his first visit to New Delhi as prime minister, Boris Johnson will discuss with Narendra Modi boosting trade and security ties with the South Asian country that buys more than half of its military hardware from Russia.

Putin claims victory in Mariupol; Ukrainian fighters hold on

Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed victory on Thursday in the biggest battle of the Ukraine war, declaring the port city of Mariupol "liberated," although hundreds of Ukrainian troops and civilians were still holding out inside a giant steel works. The United States disputed Putin's claim and said it believed Ukrainian forces still held ground in the city. Putin ordered his troops to blockade the steel complex, where Ukrainians were told earlier to either surrender or die.

Israel says there is no change to status-quo at Jerusalem mosque compound

Israel said on Thursday it was enforcing a long-standing ban on Jewish prayer at the compound of Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, rejecting an Arab League accusation that it was allowing such worship to take place. Violence at the compound, revered in Judaism as the Temple Mount and by Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, has surged over the past week, raising concerns about a slide back into wider Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Lights go out on Erdogan rival who refused to pay soaring power bills

The leader of Turkey's main opposition party said on Thursday that he will sit in the dark for a week after power had been cut at his home as he refused to pay his bills in protest of steep hikes in subsidised energy prices. A currency crisis late last year sent inflation soaring and prompted the government to raise prices of everything from gas and electricity to road tolls, alcohol, bus fares and petrol in January.

Ousted Pakistani PM Khan demands fresh elections

Pakistan's ousted prime minister, Imran Khan, on Thursday demanded fresh elections amid political turmoil after a new government took over and warned it faces an enormous challenge to revive a battered economy. Khan along with his over 100 lawmakers in the lower house of the parliament resigned after he lost a vote of confidence moved by a united opposition, that blamed him for mismanaging economy, governance and foreign relations.

Portuguese prosecutors say man named formal suspect in McCann case

Portuguese prosecutors said on Thursday a man had been formally identified as a suspect in the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann 15 years ago. It is the first time Portuguese prosecutors have identified an official suspect in the case since Kate and Gerry McCann, Madeleine's parents, were named suspects in 2007. They were later cleared.

Analysis-Peru's Castillo hardens stance on mining protests as economy stumbles

Peru's leftist President Pedro Castillo has signaled a tougher stance on protests against mining companies that are roiling the Andean nation, the world's second largest copper producer, mobilizing the army in a sharp tactical shift from a previous conciliatory approach. Mining activity has been halted at Southern Copper Corp's Cuajone since late February as protesters from the mostly indigenous surrounding communities demand financial compensation and a share of future profits.

Deadly blasts claimed by Islamic State hit northern Afghan cities

An explosion claimed by the Islamic State at a Shi'ite mosque in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e-Sharif on Thursday killed at least 11 people, a health official said, one of a series of blasts around the country. A separate blast caused at least 11 more casualties in Kunduz, another northern Afghan city, according to a provincial health official.

U.S. extradites ex-Honduras president on drugs, weapons charges

The United States extradited former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez on Thursday on charges of participating in a cocaine-importation conspiracy and related firearms offenses, the Justice Department said. The indictment marked a stunning fall from grace for the former Washington ally who led the Central American nation from 2014 to January 2022.