Reuters World News Summary

Johnson's visit, which he said was meant to support Jewish students intimidated by some anti-Israeli demonstrators, took place shortly after the university extended a deadline from Wednesday morning to Friday morning to reach an agreement to remove an encampment that has come to symbolize the campus protest movement. Russia, US clash at UN over nuclear weapons in space Russia on Wednesday vetoed a U.S.-drafted United Nations Security Council resolution that called on countries to prevent an arms race in outer space, a move that prompted the United States to question if Moscow was hiding something.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

TikTok CEO expects to defeat US restrictions: 'We aren't going anywhere'

TikTok's chief executive said on Wednesday the social media company expects to win a legal challenge to block legislation signed into law by President Joe Biden that he said would ban its popular short video app used by 170 million Americans. "Rest assured - we aren't going anywhere," CEO Shou Zi Chew said in a video posted moments after Biden signed the bill that gives China-based ByteDance 270 days to divest TikTok's U.S. assets or face a ban. "The facts and the Constitution are on our side and we expect to prevail again."

Better US-China ties but still deep disagreements as Blinken starts visit

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Shanghai on Wednesday with U.S.-China ties on a steadier footing, but with a daunting array of unresolved issues threatening the stability of relations between the global rivals. Blinken will meet with business leaders before heading to Beijing for talks on Friday with Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and a likely meeting with President Xi Jinping.

The US quietly shipped long-range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine

The United States in recent weeks secretly shipped long-range missiles to Ukraine for use in its battle to fight off Russian invaders, and Ukraine has now used them twice, a U.S. official said on Wednesday. The missiles were contained in a $300 million military aid package for Ukraine that U.S. President Joe Biden approved on March 12, said the U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity. The official would not say how many of the missiles were sent.

US House Speaker Johnson heckled and booed at Columbia, center of Gaza protests

Columbia University students heckled House Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday as he visited the flashpoint of nationwide student demonstrations over the Israeli war in Gaza, even as the New York school agreed to 48 more hours of negotiations to end a protest encampment. Johnson's visit, which he said was meant to support Jewish students intimidated by some anti-Israeli demonstrators, took place shortly after the university extended a deadline from Wednesday morning to Friday morning to reach an agreement to remove an encampment that has come to symbolize the campus protest movement.

Russia, US clash at UN over nuclear weapons in space

Russia on Wednesday vetoed a U.S.-drafted United Nations Security Council resolution that called on countries to prevent an arms race in outer space, a move that prompted the United States to question if Moscow was hiding something. The vote came after Washington accused Moscow of developing a anti-satellite nuclear weapon to put in space, an allegation that Russia has denied. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Moscow was against putting nuclear weapons in space.

How US allies are preparing for a possible second Trump term

Germany is waging a charm offensive inside the Republican Party. Japan is lining up its own Trump whisperer. Mexican government officials are talking to Camp Trump. And Australia is busy making laws to help Trump-proof its U.S. defense ties. Everywhere, U.S. allies are taking steps to defend or advance their interests in the event former President Donald Trump returns to power in November elections, an even chance based on recent opinion polls in swing states.

Biden signs Ukraine aid, TikTok ban package after Republican battle

President Joe Biden signed a hard-fought bill into law on Wednesday that provides billions of dollars of new U.S. aid to Ukraine for its war with Russia, notching a rare bipartisan victory for the president as he seeks reelection and ending months of wrangling with Republicans in Congress. "It gives vital support to America's partners so they can defend themselves from threats to their sovereignty," Biden said.

Spanish PM Sanchez shocks country again putting his continuity on the line

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is no stranger to high octane political battles and has successfully fought for his career in public life several times. On Wednesday evening, Sanchez said he would suspend public duties until next week to decide whether he wants to continue leading the government.

Brazil's government submits rules to streamline consumption taxes

Brazil's government submitted proposed rules to Congress on Wednesday to carry out a historic tax overhaul approved last year, a key element of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's strategy to foster growth in Latin America's largest economy. The Finance Ministry said in a statement the bill contains most of the regulations needed to implement the constitutional amendment approved last year, and that a second proposal will be sent to lawmakers in the coming days specifically addressing management and oversight of the new taxes.

Israel says Rafah assault looms; massive Gaza airstrikes end weeks of relative calm

Israeli warplanes pounded the northern Gaza strip for a second day on Wednesday in a fierce assault that has shattered weeks of comparative calm, and Israel said it was moving forward with plans for an all-out assault on Rafah in the south. After an abrupt Israeli pullback at the start of this month, Palestinians at both ends of the Gaza Strip were again fleeing for their lives from bombing they described as some of the war's worst.

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