Reuters World News Summary

The top U.S. diplomat is the first senior U.S. official to travel to Ukraine after U.S. Congress passed last month a $61 billion military aid package following a delay of several months during which Russia gained advantage on the battlefield. Exclusive-North Korea laundered $147.5 million in stolen crypto in March, say UN experts North Korea laundered $147.5 million through virtual currency platform Tornado Cash in March after stealing it last year from a cryptocurrency exchange, according to confidential work by United Nations sanctions monitors seen by Reuters on Tuesday.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Ukraine pulls back in two areas of Kharkiv region, warns of buildup near Sumy region

Ukraine's military said on Tuesday its forces pulled back to new positions in two areas of the northeastern Kharkiv region where Moscow is pressing an offensive, and warned of a Russian force buildup to the north near its Sumy region. A cross-border attack on a new flank in Sumy region would likely stretch Kyiv's depleted defenders even further after Russia's incursion into Kharkiv region opened a new front on Friday, forcing Ukraine to rush in reinforcements.

Summer 2023 was the hottest in 2,000 years, study says

The intense northern hemisphere summer heat that drove wildfires across the Mediterranean, buckled roads in Texas and strained power grids in China last year made it not just the warmest summer on record - but the warmest in some 2,000 years, new research suggests. The stark finding comes from one of two new studies released on Tuesday, as both global temperatures and climate-warming emissions continue to climb.

Israeli tanks push deeper into Rafah, battles rage in northern Gaza

Israeli tanks pushed deeper into Rafah on Tuesday, reaching some residential areas of the southern Gazan border city where more than a million people had sought shelter, and its forces pounded the enclave's north in some of the fiercest attacks in months. Israel's international allies and aid groups have repeatedly warned against a ground incursion into Rafah, where many Palestinians fled and Israel says four Hamas battalions are holed up. Israel says it must root out the remaining fighters.

Blinken, in Kyiv, vows unwavering US support as Russian attacks intensify

The U.S. will stand by Ukraine until its security sovereignty is guaranteed, Secretary of State Antony Blinken pledged on Tuesday in a visit to Kyiv, at a time when Russia is mounting fresh attacks in the country's east. The top U.S. diplomat is the first senior U.S. official to travel to Ukraine after U.S. Congress passed last month a $61 billion military aid package following a delay of several months during which Russia gained advantage on the battlefield.

Exclusive-North Korea laundered $147.5 million in stolen crypto in March, say UN experts

North Korea laundered $147.5 million through virtual currency platform Tornado Cash in March after stealing it last year from a cryptocurrency exchange, according to confidential work by United Nations sanctions monitors seen by Reuters on Tuesday. The monitors told a U.N. Security Council sanctions committee in a document submitted on Friday that they had been investigating 97 suspected North Korean cyberattacks on cryptocurrency companies between 2017 and 2024, valued at some $3.6 billion.

Defying West, Russia's Putin due to meet Xi Jinping in Beijing

Russian President Vladimir Putin's Beijing visit on Thursday is likely to be light on hard deals but will mark the start of his new presidential term with a show of support from his most powerful political partner, Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. Putin's two-day mission - the first visit of his new term - is expected to highlight the pair's vaunted "no limits" partnership in defiance from pressure from the United States over Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

YouTube to block Hong Kong protest anthem videos after court order

Alphabet's YouTube on Tuesday said it will comply with a Hong Kong court decision and block access to 32 video links deemed to be prohibited content. The action follows a government application granted by Hong Kong's Court of Appeal requesting the ban of a protest anthem called "Glory to Hong Kong."

Exclusive-French, Dutch seek EU sanctions on financial institutions helping Russia military

France and the Netherlands are seeking European Union sanctions on any financial institution in the world that helps Russia's military pay for goods or technology for making weapons, according to a proposal seen by Reuters. The EU has been trying to prevent circumvention of 13 packages of sanctions already imposed on Russia since it invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Existing sanctions include a ban on selling to Russia certain dual-use goods and technologies that have both civilian and military application.

Georgian parliament passes 'foreign agent' bill, prompting US anger, new protests

Georgia's parliament on Tuesday passed the third and final reading of a "foreign agents" bill, prompting a warning from the United States that if the legislation failed to meet European Union standards, Washington could review relations. Thousands of protesters, who along with Western nations denounce the bill as authoritarian and Russian-inspired, massed in the centre of Tbilisi, shutting down a major intersection controlling traffic between different neighbourhoods.

Canada's oil sands hub threatened by wildfire, sparking large evacuations

A large wildfire is slowly approaching the major Canadian oil sands city of Fort McMurray and around 6,000 people in four suburbs have been told to evacuate, local officials said on Tuesday. The fire, fueled by tinder dry conditions and high winds, has been threatening the city in the western province of Alberta since last week. It is now about 13 km (8 miles) away to the south west.

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