Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Pakistan recalls envoy from Iran after 'unprovoked' missile strikes

Pakistan recalled its ambassador from neighbouring Iran on Wednesday to protest at a "blatant breach" of its sovereignty after Tehran said it launched missile attacks on militant bases in southwestern Pakistan. Iran's foreign minister said it hit militants in "missile and drone" strikes. State media said Iranian missiles struck two bases of the Sunni Muslim group Jaish al-Adl, designated a "foreign terrorist organisation" by the U.S. State Department.

US court will reconsider forcing Texas to remove Rio Grande migrant barrier

A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday said it would reconsider a recent decision requiring Texas to remove a 1,000-foot-long (305-meter) floating barrier it had placed in the Rio Grande river to deter migrants from illegally crossing the border with Mexico. The decision by the full 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans sets aside a divided three-judge panel's December ruling, which had sided with the Biden administration and said that the state could not install the string of buoys without permission from the federal government.

Germans protest nationwide after far-right meeting on deportation plan

Protests against the far-right Alternative for Germany party are gaining momentum in the wake of a report that two senior party members joined a meeting to discuss plans for the mass deportation of citizens of foreign origin. While the party has long railed against immigrants, the proposals for "unassimilated citizens" to be deported to "a model state in north Africa", reported by outlet Correctiv, have struck a nerve in Germany. Some have compared them to the Nazis' initial plan to deport European Jews to Madagascar.

Biden, Republicans talking Ukraine, US border in White House meeting

President Joe Biden was meeting with House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson and other congressional leaders on Wednesday afternoon to discuss immigration policy at the U.S. border and funding for Ukraine. Republicans in Congress have blocked emergency funding that Biden has requested for Ukraine and threaten to force a partial shutdown of the government in an effort to tighten security along the U.S.-Mexico border; they blame Biden's policies for leading to an influx of immigrants into the United States.

Abramovich ally says UK sanctions imposed due to 'pressure' on minister

A billionaire ally of Russian businessman Roman Abramovich renewed his bid to overturn British sanctions at the Court of Appeal on Wednesday, saying he was targeted because of pressure put on then Foreign Secretary Liz Truss by a Cabinet colleague. Oil tycoon Eugene Shvidler was sanctioned in March 2022 on the grounds of his association with former Chelsea Football Club owner Abramovich. His two private jets were also seized.

On visit to Ireland, Chinese premier eyes deeper economic ties

China would like to deepen economic and trade cooperation with Ireland, particularly in areas of "huge potential" such as green technologies and the digital economy, Premier Li Qiang said on Wednesday during a trip to Dublin. Li, the most senior Chinese official to visit Ireland since his predecessor Li Keqiang in 2015, said he had candid, friendly discussions with Ireland's prime minister and president and that the countries were "very much on the same page" on many issues.

Winter weather snarls air, train travel across Europe

Freezing rain in central and southern Germany grounded hundreds of flights and disrupted train travel on Wednesday, while heavy snowfall in Norway's capital led to the temporary closure of its main airport. Germany's massive Frankfurt airport cancelled all flights in early afternoon as jets could no longer be de-iced, but later resumed service with a limited capacity, a spokesperson said, adding that the situation remained uncertain.

Russian attack outside Ukraine's Kharkiv kills one, regional governor says

Russian missiles on Wednesday struck a town outside Ukraine's second largest city, Kharkiv, killing one person and damaging an educational institution, the regional governor and the military said. Governor Oleh Synehubov, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said there were two strikes on the town of Chuhuyev, southeast of Kharkiv.

Israel presses southern Gaza assault, Jordan decries damage to hospital

Israel pressed its assault on Khan Younis in southern Gaza on Wednesday, sending tanks westwards while Jordan decried shelling that badly damaged its field hospital in the city. The Jordanian army said it held Israel responsible for a "flagrant breach of international law" in damage to the facility. Israel's military denied striking or damaging the hospital, saying it opened fire after encountering a "terrorist cell" next to the hospital.

Guatemalan ex-President Alejandro Giammattei barred from entry into US

Former Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei is barred from entering the U.S. over allegations of "his involvement in significant corruption," the State Department said on Wednesday. Giammattei was defeated in August by anti-corruption crusader Bernardo Arevalo as he sought re-election as leader of Central American's most populous nation.

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