Reuters World News Summary

The offensive, 10 months into Israel's campaign to eliminate Hamas militants, took place as U.S.-backed mediators sought to finalise a peace deal that would free remaining hostages taken by the militants in their cross-border rampage on Oct. 7. Sullivan talks to Indian counterpart days after Indian PM Modi's Russia visit U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan spoke to his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval on Friday, India said, just days after the U.S. raised concerns with New Delhi about Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Brazil sees over 100 countries joining alliance against hunger, minister says

More than 100 countries are expected to back a global alliance against hunger that Brazil has proposed to counter the increasing number of people going hungry in the world, a Brazilian minister said. Minister of Social Development Wellington Dias told Reuters in an interview on Thursday he will travel to the United Nations next week to promote the alliance, a cornerstone initiative of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to reduce poverty in Brazil and worldwide.

Ukraine urges NATO to lift restrictions on targeting Russia, China denounces criticism

Ukraine on Thursday urged NATO allies to lift restrictions on its use of long-range weapons against targets in Russia, saying that would be "game-changer" in its war with Moscow, while China slammed NATO criticism of its support for Russia as biased and malicious. NATO members issued a declaration in support of Ukraine at a summit in Washington on Wednesday, promising additional aid and pledging to back its "irreversible path" to NATO membership.

Nearly a million homes, businesses in Texas still without power after Hurricane Beryl

Nearly a million homes and businesses in Texas remained without power on Friday, five days after Hurricane Beryl made landfall with fierce winds and rain that knocked down trees and electricity infrastructure. CenterPoint Energy, the largest power provider in Texas, said about 860,000 of its customers remained affected. It has restored power for over 1.4 million customers in the days since Beryl, according to its website.

In Russia, Biden's verbal slip over Putin's name draws mockery and unease

Joe Biden has shown he is "a pro-Russian candidate being controlled by the Kremlin," Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman joked on Friday, after the U.S. president misspoke and introduced Ukraine's leader as "President Putin" before correcting himself. Video of the gaffe at a NATO summit in Washington on Thursday featured prominently on news bulletins in Russia, where state TV commentators have long depicted Biden, 81, as a senile old man who risks stumbling into World War Three unlike Putin, 71, whom they portray as a strategic genius.

Gaza talks explore alternative to Israeli troops on Gaza-Egypt border, sources say

Israeli and Egyptian ceasefire negotiators are in talks about an electronic surveillance system along the border between Gaza and Egypt that could allow Israel to pull back its troops from the area if a ceasefire is agreed, according to two Egyptian sources and a third source familiar with the matter. The question of whether Israeli forces stay on the border is one of the issues blocking a potential ceasefire deal because both Palestinian militant group Hamas and Egypt, a mediator in the talks, are opposed to Israel keeping its forces there.

Ecuador court sentences five people for up to 34 years in candidate murder

A court in Ecuador on Friday handed down prison sentences of 12 years and 34 years for five people found guilty of murdering presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio. Journalist and former legislator Villavicencio was shot while leaving a rally in August 2023, becoming the most prominent victim of Ecuador's spiraling violence.

Rescuers say they find dozens of bodies after Israelis scale back Gaza City fight with Hamas

Israeli forces pulled back from parts of Gaza City overnight, after a fierce, week-long offensive that met with Hamas resistance, leaving dozens of dead and wrecked homes and roads in the Palestinian enclave's biggest urban area, rescuers said. The offensive, 10 months into Israel's campaign to eliminate Hamas militants, took place as U.S.-backed mediators sought to finalise a peace deal that would free remaining hostages taken by the militants in their cross-border rampage on Oct. 7.

Sullivan talks to Indian counterpart days after Indian PM Modi's Russia visit

U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan spoke to his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval on Friday, India said, just days after the U.S. raised concerns with New Delhi about Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Sullivan and Doval "discussed a wide range of issues of bilateral, regional and international concern" during their phone conversation, India's foreign ministry said in a statement.

Iran's Pezeshkian rejects U.S. pressure, praises Russia, China

The United States should realise that Iran will not respond to pressure, President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian said in a statement published on Saturday, in which he also highlighted his country's friendship with China and Russia. Pezeshkian, a relative moderate who beat a hardline rival in elections, also reiterated that Iran does not seek nuclear weapons, adding that Tehran would expand ties with neighbours and engage with Europe.

India's opposition Congress asks Modi to tax billionaires more

India's main opposition Congress party asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday to impose an additional tax on the country's billionaires to generate funds for stretched public services like education and health. The annual budget will be presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on July 23 at a time of deepening income inequality and high unemployment despite India's world-beating economic growth of nearly 8% and booming stock markets.