Reuters World News Summary

China is, is just not something I am going to change very much,” Biden told reporters at the White House. Biden and Modi urge Pakistan to act against extremist attacks U.S. President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday called on Pakistan to act to ensure that its territory is not used to launch extremist attacks, the White House said in a joint statement.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Narendra Modi denies religious discrimination exists in India

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi denied that discrimination against minorities existed under his government during a press conference with U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday, even as rights groups and the State Department have made detailed allegations of abuses of minorities, dissidents and journalists. Biden said he discussed human rights and other democratic values with Modi during their talks in the White House. Asked at the press conference what steps he was willing to take to "improve the rights of Muslims and other minorities in your country and to uphold free speech," Modi suggested they did not need to be improved.

Ukraine hits bridge linking Crimea to mainland in blow to Russian supply route

Ukrainian missiles on Thursday struck one of the few bridges linking the Crimea Peninsula with the Ukrainian mainland, Russian-appointed officials said, cutting one of the main supply routes for Russian occupation forces in southern Ukraine. Meanwhile on the eastern front, Ukrainian forces were containing Russian troops and have not allowed "a single metre" of Russian advances, Ukraine's Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said on the Telegram app on Thursday.

Biden, Modi hail new era for US-India ties and tout deals

U.S. President Joe Biden and Narendra Modi hailed a new era in their countries' relationship after the White House rolled out the red carpet for the Indian prime minister on Thursday, touting deals on defense and commerce aimed at countering China's global influence. The partnership is "stronger, closer and more dynamic than at any time in history," Biden told reporters at a joint press conference with Modi after the two leaders emerged from Oval Office talks where differences on Russia and human rights were on the table.

South Korean president visits Vietnam as bilateral trade slumps

Visiting South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol is set to hold talks with Vietnam's leaders on Friday, meeting at a pivotal time in their relations as bilateral trade falls and Hanoi plans tax hikes for top Korean manufacturers. The two countries over the last few decades have developed almost symbiotic industrial ties, with South Korea the largest foreign investor in Vietnam, where multiple Korean companies have manufacturing hubs, including LG Electronics and conglomerate SK Group.

Bolsonaro clings to his political future as electoral court case begins

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's future in office hung in the balance on Thursday, as the country's federal electoral court (TSE) began a trial that could leave him in the political wilderness for nearly a decade. Bolsonaro, a far-right nationalist who in October narrowly lost Brazil's most fraught election in a generation, stands accused of abusing his presidential power last year when he summoned foreign diplomats to publicly vent unfounded attacks on the country's electronic voting system.

Titanic sub destroyed in 'catastrophic implosion,' all five aboard dead

A deep-sea submersible carrying five people on a voyage to the century-old wreck of the Titanic was found in pieces from a "catastrophic implosion" that killed everyone aboard, the U.S. Coast Guard said on Thursday, ending a multinational five-day search for the vessel. A robotic diving vehicle deployed from a Canadian ship discovered a debris field from the submersible Titan on Thursday morning on the seabed some 1,600 feet (488 meters) from the bow of the Titanic, 2 1/2 miles (4 km) beneath the surface, in a remote corner of the North Atlantic, U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger told reporters.

Analysis-Titanic sub: victims' families could still sue despite liability waivers

Liability waivers signed by passengers on a submersible lost at sea during a dive to the Titanic wreck may not shield the vessel's owner from potential lawsuits by the victims' families, legal experts said. The Titan submersible vanished on Sunday roughly two hours into its dive and was found in pieces on the ocean floor after what the U.S. Coast Guard said on Thursday was a "catastrophic implosion" of its pressure chamber.

No breakthrough as EU's Borrell holds crisis talks with Kosovo, Serbia leaders

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell proposed steps to end weeks of violence in predominantly Serb areas of northern Kosovo to the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia on Thursday, but there were no signs of an immediate breakthrough. Violence flared in four northern Kosovo municipalities late last month after ethnic Albanian mayors took office following a local election in which turnout was just 3.5% after Serbs, who form a majority in the region boycotted, the vote.

Biden addresses Xi 'dictator' remark, says US-China relations unharmed

President Joe Biden said on Thursday he did not think his comment referring to Chinese President Xi Jinping as a dictator had undermined or complicated the U.S. relationship with China, while declining to walk back the sentiment. "The idea of my choosing and avoiding saying what I think is the facts with regard to the relationship with ... China is, is just not something I am going to change very much," Biden told reporters at the White House.

Biden and Modi urge Pakistan to act against extremist attacks

U.S. President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday called on Pakistan to act to ensure that its territory is not used to launch extremist attacks, the White House said in a joint statement. "They strongly condemned cross-border terrorism, the use of terrorist proxies and called on Pakistan to take immediate action to ensure that no territory under its control is used for launching terrorist attacks," the White House said.

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