World News Roundup: Trump comments show Europe must spend more on defence, Latvia says; Israel bombards Gaza, with biggest functioning hospital under siege and more

Navalny, a 47-year-old former lawyer, fell unconscious and died on Friday after a walk at the "Polar Wolf" penal colony in Kharp, about 1,900 km (1,200 miles) northeast of Moscow, where he was serving a three-decade sentence, the prison service said. Trump comments show Europe must spend more on defence, Latvia says Donald Trump's stark comments on NATO show that Europeans should take more responsibility for their security, but they will still need the transatlantic military alliance, Latvian Foreign Minister Krisjanis Karins said.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Talk of European nuclear deterrent 'not helpful', says NATO's Stoltenberg

Talk of a potential European nuclear deterrent that would not involve the United States is "not helpful", NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Saturday. Speaking at the annual Munich Security Conference, Stoltenberg said any questioning of NATO's current nuclear deterrent "would only undermine NATO in a time when we really need credible deterrence".

Ukrainian troops withdraw from Avdiivka as ammunition shortage bites

Ukrainian troops withdrew from the devastated eastern town of Avdiivka, Kyiv's military chief said on Saturday, paving the way for Russia's biggest advance since it captured the city of Bakhmut last May. The pullback, announced as Ukraine faces acute shortages of ammunition with U.S. military aid delayed for months in Congress, aimed to save troops from being fully surrounded by Russian forces after months of fierce fighting, Kyiv said.

Surging cocaine violence has Uruguay clamoring for DEA help

Uruguay's main port received two cargo scanners sixteen years ago to detect drugs and other suspicious loads. Unfortunately, during delivery one of them fell into the sea. Since then, cocaine shipments to Europe have surged through the port of Montevideo, which handled a record 1.1 million containers last year, fueling a rise in gang violence and undermining Uruguay's reputation as a beacon of stability in turbulent South America.

Sudan's army claims first major advance

The Sudanese army has claimed its first major advance in 10 months of war, regaining control of part of the city of Omdurman from the Rapid Support Forces. The army said late on Friday it had succeeded in connecting its two main bases in the city, prompting celebrations among soldiers and local residents.

Navalny aide confirms his death, unclear where his body is in Arctic Russian region

Alexei Navalny's spokeswoman confirmed on Saturday that Russia's most prominent opposition leader was dead but said it was unclear where his body had been taken as a morgue close to the Arctic prison where he died said it had not received the body. Navalny, a 47-year-old former lawyer, fell unconscious and died on Friday after a walk at the "Polar Wolf" penal colony in Kharp, about 1,900 km (1,200 miles) northeast of Moscow, where he was serving a three-decade sentence, the prison service said.

Trump comments show Europe must spend more on defence, Latvia says

Donald Trump's stark comments on NATO show that Europeans should take more responsibility for their security, but they will still need the transatlantic military alliance, Latvian Foreign Minister Krisjanis Karins said. Trump sparked fierce criticism from top Western officials for saying that, as U.S. president, he had told an unnamed leader he would not protect countries that failed to meet NATO defence spending targets, and would even encourage Russia to attack them.

Israeli stages airstrikes across Gaza, makes arrests at hospital

‮I‬sraeli forces carried out arrests in Gaza's largest functioning hospital, health officials and the military said on Saturday, as airstrikes hit across the enclave and rain battered Palestinians taking shelter in Rafah. Israeli forces raided the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis on Thursday as they pressed their war on Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group that rules the enclave.

Stop whining about Trump and focus on Europe's interests, Dutch PM says

Outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, the frontrunner to be the next secretary-general of NATO, said on Saturday that Europe should stop whining about Donald Trump and focus instead on what it could do for Ukraine. Former U.S. President Trump has sparked outrage in Europe, saying that if re-elected in November he would not defend NATO allies who fail to spend enough on defence.

Navalny's death leaves despair and apathy in Moscow

The hundreds of flowers and candles laid in Moscow on Friday to honour the memory of Alexei Navalny, Russia's most prominent opposition leader, were taken away overnight in black bags. Russia's prison service said that Navalny, 47, fell unconscious and died on Friday after a walk at the "Polar Wolf" Arctic penal colony. Navalny's spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh on Saturday confirmed his death, citing an official notice given to his mother, Lydumila.

Israel bombards Gaza, with biggest functioning hospital under siege

Gaza's largest functioning hospital was under siege on Friday in Israel's war with Islamist group Hamas, leaving patients and doctors helpless in the chaos as warplanes struck Rafah, the last refuge for Palestinians in the enclave, officials said. Israeli forces remained in Nasser Hospital in the town of Khan Younis after raiding it early Thursday. The Gaza Health Ministry said five intensive care patients died on Friday due to power outages and lack of oxygen supply caused by the attack.