Reuters World News Summary

The launch prompted emergency alerts and brief evacuation warnings in parts of South Korea and Japan, which were then withdrawn with no danger or damage reported. European leaders head to Moldova for symbolic summit on Ukraine's doorstep More than 40 European leaders meet in Moldova on Thursday in a show of support for the former Soviet republic and neighbouring Ukraine as Kyiv prepares to launch a counter-offensive against occupying Russian forces.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

North Korea tries to launch space satellite; warnings lifted in S.Korea, Japan

North Korea attempted to launch what it called a space satellite over the sea to the south on Wednesday, South Korea's military said, as the nuclear-armed North seeks to gain ground in a regional space race. The launch prompted emergency alerts and brief evacuation warnings in parts of South Korea and Japan, which were then withdrawn with no danger or damage reported.

European leaders head to Moldova for symbolic summit on Ukraine's doorstep

More than 40 European leaders meet in Moldova on Thursday in a show of support for the former Soviet republic and neighbouring Ukraine as Kyiv prepares to launch a counter-offensive against occupying Russian forces. The gathering of the EU's 27 member states and 20 other European countries at a castle deep in Moldovan wine country will touch on a range of strategic issues and launch a new EU partnership mission in the country. But the focus will be on a symbolic show of unity on Ukraine's doorstep.

Chinese jet carried out 'aggressive' maneuver near US military plane, Pentagon says

A Chinese fighter jet carried out an "unnecessarily aggressive" maneuver near a U.S. military plane over the South China Sea in international airspace, the United States said on Tuesday. The U.S. military command responsible for the Indo-Pacific said the maneuver by a Chinese J-16 aircraft occurred last week and forced the U.S. RC-135 plane to fly through its wake turbulence.

Lula's call for South American unity faces opposing views on Venezuela

Divergent views on Venezuela surfaced during a South American leaders' summit on Tuesday hosted by Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as part of his efforts to unite the region's development and give it a stronger voice internationally. Lula urged South America's 12 countries to overcome ideological differences that have divided the region and join efforts toward more economic, cultural and social integration.

NATO to deploy more troops to Kosovo to curb violence

NATO is to send 700 extra troops to Kosovo and put another battalion on high alert to go in as unrest in the region has intensified since ethnic Albanian mayors took office in the country's northern Serb-majority area after votes last month. In the town of Zvecan on Tuesday, dozens of NATO soldiers in anti-riot gear from the United States, Poland and Italy secured a municipal building as Serbs against protested against the Albanian mayor.

Intense clashes in Sudan's capital after ceasefire extended

Intense clashes could be heard in Sudan's capital on Tuesday, residents said, after military factions battling for more than six weeks agreed to extend a ceasefire aimed at allowing aid to reach civilians. The army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) agreed to extend a week-long ceasefire deal by five days just before it was due to expire late on Monday.

Blinken urges Turkey to immediately approve Sweden's NATO accession

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday urged Turkey to immediately finalize Sweden's accession to NATO, saying the Nordic country had already taken significant steps to address Ankara's objections to its membership. Blinken also rejected the suggestion that the Biden administration was linking Turkey's approval of Sweden's NATO accession to the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Ankara, although he said the U.S. Congress was doing so. A day before, the U.S. president also alluded to a link.

US 'pleased to see' that talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan continue

The United States said on Tuesday it was pleased to see that talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan continue as they seek to resolve a decades-long dispute over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. "The United States stands ready to support the efforts of both parties to conclude a durable and dignified peace agreement," the State Department said in a statement.

Ukraine war comes to Moscow as drones strike both capitals

Ukrainian drones struck wealthy districts of Moscow on Tuesday, Russia said in what one politician called the most dangerous attack on the capital since World War Two, while Kyiv was also hit from the air for the third time in 24 hours. Since Russia sent tens of thousands of troops into its neighbour in February 2022, the war has largely been fought inside Ukraine.

EU imposes sanctions on 7 Moldovans, cites destabilising actions

The European Union on Tuesday imposed sanctions on seven people from Moldova for actions it said destabilised and undermined the territorial integrity of the small impoverished country and neighbouring Ukraine. The 27-nation bloc announced the punitive measures two days before more than 40 European leaders meet in Chisinau in a show of support for the former Soviet republic, which has a pro-western government and denounced Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

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