World News Roundup: French farmers block roads with tractors, press government for action; Nationalist candidate withdraws from Russian presidential race, endorses Putin and more

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

French farmers block roads with tractors, press government for action

Farmers set bales of hay ablaze to partly block access to Toulouse airport in southwestern France on Tuesday and parked tractors across highways near Paris as they lobbied the government for help to make a living from their work. Farmers, who also want measures against cheap imports, are looking for more support from new Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, who will spell out his policy plans later on Tuesday, and from the agriculture minister, who is also due to make an announcement.

Taiwan air force shows off its sub hunting, early warning prowess

Taiwan's air force showed off its armed-to-the-teeth submarine hunters and early warning and control aircraft on Tuesday, demonstrating how it keeps watch on the skies and waters around the Chinese-claimed island. China, which views Taiwan as its own territory, has over the past four years regularly sent warplanes and warships into the skies and waters around the island as it seeks to assert sovereignty claims that the government in Taipei rejects.

Russia to Japan: Drop territorial claim if you want a peace treaty

Senior Russian security official Dmitry Medvedev told Japan on Tuesday it would have to drop territorial claims to a group of Pacific islands if it wanted to conclude a peace treaty with Russia formally ending World War Two. The blunt remarks by Medvedev, a former president who is deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, over what Moscow calls the Kuril islands are likely to anger Japan which lays claim to four of the southernmost islands, which it calls the Northern Territories.

Hamas studies ceasefire proposal after deadly Israeli hospital raid in West Bank

Hamas said on Tuesday it would study a new ceasefire proposal in the war with Israel in Gaza, hours after Israeli commandos killed three Palestinian militants in a raid on a hospital in the occupied West Bank. The raid underscored the risk of the Gaza war spreading to other fronts, while Israeli forces fought new battles with Hamas fighters in the Palestinian enclave.

Nationalist candidate withdraws from Russian presidential race, endorses Putin

Sergei Baburin, a Russian nationalist politician who had announced his candidacy in presidential elections scheduled for March 15-17, said on Tuesday that he was pulling out of the race and endorsing the incumbent, Vladimir Putin. Baburin, leader of the Russian All-People's Union party, announced his change of heart shortly after submitting documents and signatures to the central electoral commission in support of his bid.

Pakistan court jails ex-PM Imran Khan for 10 years days ahead of polls

A Pakistan court sentenced Imran Khan to 10 years' jail on Tuesday for leaking state secrets, his party said, the harshest sentence against the former prime minister and cricketer in multiple cases coming just days before national elections. The special court found Khan guilty of making public the contents of a secret cable sent by Pakistan's ambassador in Washington to the government in Islamabad, his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said. Former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi was also sentenced to 10 years in the same case.

El Salvador's Bukele looks set for landslide election win on gang crackdown

El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele, who has described himself as the "World's Coolest Dictator," has in less than five years transformed El Salvador from a country infamous for its record on murder and gangs to a nation with one of the lowest homicide rates in the Americas. That record means he is all but certain to be re-elected in a presidential election on Sunday for another five-year term - despite a constitutional bar on immediate re-election, voter worries about the economy, and criticism of his draconian crackdown on civil and human rights.

After two-year hiatus, Northern Irish government could return in days

The leader of Northern Ireland's largest pro-British party expressed optimism on Tuesday that the regional power-sharing government could be restored within days, urging ministers in London to move quickly to implement a deal between the sides. Jeffrey Donaldson, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), announced earlier that his party had endorsed proposals agreed with London on the operation of post-Brexit trade rules, and would end a near two-year boycott of the government.

Hong Kong leader starts push for new security laws, says city 'can't afford to wait'

Hong Kong's leader confirmed on Tuesday his intention to tighten national security laws to build on sweeping legislation China imposed in 2020, saying the city "could not afford to wait". Some business people, diplomats and academics are watching developments closely, saying the prospect of new laws targeting espionage, state secrets and foreign influence, known as Article 23, could have a deep impact on the global financial hub.

Kremlin, asked about potential US strikes on Iran, calls for all sides to de-escalate

The Kremlin, asked on Tuesday about potential U.S. strikes on Iranian interests, said tensions in the Middle East were high and that steps were needed to de-escalate rather than destabilise the wider region. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday vowed the U.S. would take "all necessary actions" to defend its troops after a deadly drone attack in Jordan by Iran-backed militants, even as President Joe Biden's administration stressed it was not seeking a war with Iran.