World News Roundup: Hungary cannot support Mark Rutte for NATO chief, minister says; Trump seeks knockout as 'Super Tuesday' states choose nominees and more

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Hungary cannot support Mark Rutte for NATO chief, minister says

Hungary's government cannot support Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte to become NATO's next secretary general, Hungary's foreign minister told a press conference on Tuesday. "We certainly can't support the election of a man to the position of NATO's secretary general, who previously wanted to force Hungary on its knees," Peter Szijjarto said, referring to Rutte's position taken during the spat between Hungary and the EU over rule-of-law concerns.

Liberia's civil war refugees left destitute after decades-old Ghana camp demolished

Sitting on a tattered mattress amongst the rubble of his former home, Wendell Elijah Mallobe is one of 15,000 Liberian refugees left destitute after authorities in Ghana demolished the camp where he has lived for more than 30 years. "I don't know anybody in Liberia. Nobody. They burnt the village I was living in," said 55-year-old Mallobe, who arrived in the camp in 1990, after fleeing Liberia's civil war. "My bed, television, clothes - everything I have worked for is gone."

In Haiti, gang violence renders thousands homeless

Raging violence in Haiti triggered by a top gang leader's push to overthrow the prime minister has forced more than 15,000 people to flee their homes, many of which have been destroyed, accentuating the country's sense of misery and lawlessness. "Armed gangs forced us to leave our homes. They destroyed our houses, and we're on the streets," said Nicolas, who is living in a camp after abandoning his home, sleeping in such cramped conditions he says he feels like an animal.

Trump seeks knockout as 'Super Tuesday' states choose nominees

Donald Trump will aim to deliver a knockout blow on "Super Tuesday" to his lone challenger for the Republican presidential nomination, Nikki Haley, as 15 states hold Republican contests on the biggest voting day of the primary season. The former president, who has dominated the Republican campaign from the start despite his litany of criminal charges, has swept all but one of the early nominating contests, winnowing a sprawling Republican field of candidates down to two in the process.

Gaza ceasefire talks extended in Cairo for another day, Hamas says

Hamas negotiators will remain in Cairo for another day at the request of mediators, keeping ceasefire talks going after two days with no breakthrough, an official from the militant group said on Tuesday. The Cairo talks have been billed as a final hurdle to reach the first extended ceasefire in the war between Hamas and Israel- a 40-day truce during which Israeli hostages would be freed and aid pumped into Gaza - ahead of Ramadan, which is due to begin at the start of next week.

Philippines summons China diplomat over 'aggressive' actions in South China Sea

The Philippines summoned China's deputy chief of mission in Manila on Tuesday to protest what it called "aggressive actions" by Chinese naval forces against a resupply mission for Filipino troops stationed on a South China Sea shoal. Manila's South China Sea task force said Philippine vessels carrying out the routine mission to the Second Thomas Shoal were "harassed (and) blocked" by Chinese maritime militia and coast guard ships on Tuesday.

Russia says Western envoys at Navalny funeral meddling in Russia

Russia on Tuesday accused Western ambassadors in Moscow of meddling in Russia's internal affairs by attending the funeral of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, saying their behaviour raised questions about the point of such envoys. The Ukraine war has triggered the deepest crisis in Russia's relations with the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis and President Vladimir Putin has warned that the West risks provoking a nuclear war if it sends troops to fight in Ukraine.

Ukraine says it has sunk a Russian patrol ship near Crimea

Ukrainian sea drones hit and sank a Russian Black Sea Fleet patrol ship off occupied Crimea in an overnight attack, the Ukrainian military said on Tuesday. The Ukrainian military intelligence agency said a special unit called Group 13 had fired Magura V5 maritime drones at the Sergey Kotov near the Kerch Strait, which connects the Sea of Azov to the Black Sea.

Exclusive-World on brink of fourth mass coral reef bleaching event, NOAA says

The world is on the verge of a fourth mass coral bleaching event which could see wide swathes of tropical reefs die, including parts of Australia's Great Barrier Reef, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said. Marine biologists are on high alert following months of record-breaking ocean heat fuelled by climate change and the El Nino climate pattern.

China drops 'peaceful reunification' reference to Taiwan, raises defence spending by 7.2%

China will boost its defence spending by 7.2% this year, fuelling a military budget that has more than doubled under President Xi Jinping's 11 years in office as Beijing hardens its stance on Taiwan, according to official reports on Tuesday. The increase mirrors the rate presented in last year's budget and again comes in well above the government's economic growth forecast for this year.

(With inputs from agencies.)