World News Roundup: India to begin voting on April 19 in world's largest election; Ukraine attacks Russian city and refinery on second day of presidential election and more

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said he had ok'd a plan to attack the city on the southern edge of the shattered Palestinian enclave where more than half of its 2.3 million residents are sheltering after five months of war. 'Turn around immediately': Taiwan warns off Chinese coast guard boats again as tensions simmer Taiwan on Saturday warned off Chinese coast guard ships that entered its restricted waters near frontline islands close to China for a second day in a row, as tensions simmer across the sensitive Taiwan Strait.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

India to begin voting on April 19 in world's largest election

India will begin voting in phases starting April 19 to elect a new parliament, the country's election authority said on Saturday, the world's largest election in which nearly one billion people are eligible to cast ballots. The election pits two-term strongman Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his regional allies against a bickering alliance of two dozen opposition parties, with surveys suggesting a comfortable win for Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata party (BJP).

U.N. agency in Gaza says one in three children under 2 is acutely malnourished

One in three children under age 2 in northern Gaza is now acutely malnourished and famine is looming, the main U.N. agency operating in the Palestinian enclave said on Saturday. "Children's malnutrition is spreading fast and reaching unprecedented levels in Gaza," the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said in a social media post.

Russian war exiles bring banyas and blinis to Buenos Aires

When Ilia Gafarov and Nadia Gafarova host the grand opening of their "banya", a traditional Russian sauna, in April, they hope it will help make a permanent home of their adopted city of Buenos Aires. The couple, a former banker and recruiter from Russia's eastern port city of Vladivostok, moved to Argentina with their two daughters nine months ago, part of a wave of migration from Russia to Latin America since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Tensions rise in Haiti as leadership remains in balance

Residents braced for another tense night in Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince on Friday, as attacks continued across parts of the city in the aftermath of the resignation of Prime Minister Henry and in the absence of a clear plan to replace him. "Ariel Henry resigned but we are still in political distress," said resident Claude Atilus. "We must take our destiny into our own hands. I want the political players to rise to the task and commit themselves to organizing the country."

Israel approves plan to attack Rafah but keeps truce hopes alive

Israel on Friday approved a potential assault on the Gaza city of Rafah while also keeping ceasefire hopes alive with plans to send another delegation to Qatar for talks on a possible hostage deal with Islamist militant group Hamas. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said he had ok'd a plan to attack the city on the southern edge of the shattered Palestinian enclave where more than half of its 2.3 million residents are sheltering after five months of war.

'Turn around immediately': Taiwan warns off Chinese coast guard boats again as tensions simmer

Taiwan on Saturday warned off Chinese coast guard ships that entered its restricted waters near frontline islands close to China for a second day in a row, as tensions simmer across the sensitive Taiwan Strait. Taiwan's coast guard said four Chinese coast guard boats on Saturday morning entered the restricted waters of Taiwan-controlled Kinmen islands, which hug the Chinese coast. It said the Chinese boats stayed just over an hour after Taiwan authorities asked them to leave.

Jail terms of up to 7 years for 12 who stormed Hong Kong legislature in 2019

A Hong Kong court on Saturday sentenced 12 people to jail terms from more than four years to nearly seven years in a high-profile rioting case linked to the storming of the city legislature during a pro-democracy protest in 2019. The incident was a pivotal moment in the months-long protests that embroiled the China-ruled city in the boldest populist uprising against Chinese Communist Party rule since the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests in Beijing.

Two killed in shelling of Russian border city Belgorod, governor says

Two people were killed and three wounded in a Ukrainian missile strike on the Russian border city of Belgorod, the regional governor said on Saturday, as Russian citizens vote through Sunday in a three-day presidential election. In a statement on the messenger app Telegram, Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said that the city had been struck by missiles fired from a Vampire rocket launcher system. He said that vehicles and buildings had been damaged both in Belgorod and in surrounding villages.

Ukraine attacks Russian city and refinery on second day of presidential election

A Ukrainian missile attack killed two people in western Russia and a separate drone strike set an oil refinery ablaze on Saturday, the second day of an election that President Vladimir Putin has accused Kyiv of trying to disrupt. The Ukraine war has cast a shadow over voting in the three-day presidential election, which is all but certain to hand Putin six more years in the Kremlin.

Freed from jail, Senegal opposition presidential candidate draws hundreds to first event

A day after his release from jail, Senegal opposition leader Bassirou Diomaye Faye drew hundreds of supporters at his first public appearance as a presidential contender on Friday for March 24 elections, promising to tackle corruption. Next to him, the popular firebrand opposition leader Ousmane Sonko urged supporters to vote for his ally.

(With inputs from agencies.)