Reuters World News Summary

A third-generation fisherman, Ono, 71, has been putting to sea for half a century from Shinchimachi, 55 km (34 miles) north of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant, the scene in 2011 of one of the world's worst nuclear disasters. Mexican cartel says sorry for attack on Americans, bodies return to US Suspected drug cartel members on Thursday handed over five purported henchmen as a would-be apology for the abduction of four Americans in the border city of Matamoros, according to media and a source familiar with the investigation.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Hamas gunman wounds three in Tel Aviv attack

A Palestinian gunman opened fire in Tel Aviv on Thursday, wounding three people before being killed by police in what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu labelled a "terror attack" amid rising unrest in the West Bank. The Islamist militant group Hamas claimed the shooter, a 23-year-old from the occupied West Bank, as a member.

Toronto school board becomes first in Canada to recognize caste discrimination

Toronto's school board has become the first in Canada to recognize that caste discrimination exists in the city's schools and has asked a provincial human rights body to help in creating a framework to address the issue. The Toronto District School Board on Wednesday voted in favor of a motion to that effect, which was introduced by board trustee Yalini Rajakulasingam. Sixteen trustees voted in favor of the motion and five voted against it.

North Korean leader Kim calls for intensified drills for 'real war'

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered the military to intensify drills for a "real war," state media said on Friday, after overseeing a fire assault drill that it said proved the country's capability to counter an "actual war." North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile off its west coast on Thursday, South Korea's military said, adding it was analysing possibilities the North may have launched multiple missiles simultaneously from the same area.

Russia kills civilians in first huge missile wave for weeks

Russia fired a huge wave of missiles across Ukraine on Thursday as people slept, killing at least nine civilians and knocking out power in an attack Kyiv said included six Kinzhal hypersonic cruise missiles, one of Moscow's most valuable weapons. The mass strikes on targets far from the front were the first such wave since mid-February and shattered the longest calm since Moscow began an air campaign against Ukraine's civil infrastructure five months ago.

U.S. targets 'shadow banking' network helping Iran evade sanctions

The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on 39 entities, including many based in the United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong, that Washington said facilitate Iran's access to the global financial system, describing them as a "shadow banking" network that moves billions of dollars. The U.S. Treasury Department in a statement said those targeted had granted companies previously slapped with Iran-related sanctions, such as Persian Gulf Petrochemical Industry Commercial Co (PGPICC) and Triliance Petrochemical Co Ltd, access to the international financial system and helped them hide their trade with foreign customers.

Fukushima water release stokes fresh fears for fisherman

A chilly dawn paints the sky magenta and purple as Japanese fisherman Haruo Ono unloads his catch of flounder, crab and sea bass from his boat at the small port of Shinchimachi. A third-generation fisherman, Ono, 71, has been putting to sea for half a century from Shinchimachi, 55 km (34 miles) north of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant, the scene in 2011 of one of the world's worst nuclear disasters.

Mexican cartel says sorry for attack on Americans, bodies return to US

Suspected drug cartel members on Thursday handed over five purported henchmen as a would-be apology for the abduction of four Americans in the border city of Matamoros, according to media and a source familiar with the investigation. Two of the Americans and a Mexican woman died after gunmen opened fire on the U.S. citizens shortly after their arrival in Matamoros on Friday. The four Americans were found on Monday on the edge of the city, by which time two of them were dead.

US citizen imprisoned by Iran implores Biden to win his freedom

A U.S. citizen imprisoned by Iran on spying charges the United States rejects as baseless gave a rare interview from Tehran's Evin prison on Thursday beseeching U.S. President Joe Biden to secure his release and that of two other American nationals. "I implore you, sir, to put the lives and liberty of innocent Americans above all the politics involved and to just do what is necessary to end this nightmare and bring us home," Siamak Namazi told CNN's Christiane Amanpour in a telephone interview.

Georgian ruling party drops 'foreign agents' bill, protesters remain

Georgia's ruling party said on Thursday it was withdrawing a bill on "foreign agents" after two nights of violent protests against what opponents called a Russian-inspired authoritarian shift that imperilled hopes Georgia joining the European Union. The Georgian Dream party said in a statement it would "unconditionally withdraw the bill we supported, without any reservations". It cited the need to reduce "confrontation" in society, while denouncing "lies" about the bill spread by the "radical opposition".

Several dead in shooting at Jehovah's Witness church in Hamburg

Several people have been killed or seriously injured in a shooting at a Jehovah's Witness church in the northern German city of Hamburg, with the motive for the attack unclear, police said on Thursday. There were no indications that a perpetrator was on the run, a police spokesperson said, declining to say how many people were dead.

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