Reuters World News Summary

North Korea broke nearly a month of silence on King, who is Black, issuing a state media report that he had confessed to illegally and deliberately entering the North, driven by "ill feeling against inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination within the U.S. Army" and disillusionment with inequality in U.S. society. Pakistan crowd vandalises churches, torches homes after blasphemy accusation A Muslim crowd attacked a Christian community in eastern Pakistan on Wednesday, vandalising several churches and setting scores of houses on fire after accusing two of its members of desecrating the Koran, police and community leaders said.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Analysis-Russian raid off Turkey's coast tests Erdogan's resolve

Russia's raid on a ship just off Turkey's coast brings the fallout from the Ukraine war to another NATO frontier and raises the stakes as Ankara seeks to coax Moscow back to a grain-export deal that would restore some calm to the Black Sea.

Armed marines raided the Turkish-based vessel via helicopter on Sunday some 60 km (37 miles) off Turkey's northwest coast, in international waters but near Istanbul, in what Moscow called an inspection before it sailed on to Ukraine.

Travis King case highlights North Korea's history of citing US racism

North Korea's claim on Wednesday that U.S. soldier Travis King fled racism and abuse in America comes as Pyongyang pushes back on Washington's criticism of the North's human rights record. North Korea broke nearly a month of silence on King, who is Black, issuing a state media report that he had confessed to illegally and deliberately entering the North, driven by "ill feeling against inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination within the U.S. Army" and disillusionment with inequality in U.S. society.

Pakistan crowd vandalises churches, torches homes after blasphemy accusation

A Muslim crowd attacked a Christian community in eastern Pakistan on Wednesday, vandalising several churches and setting scores of houses on fire after accusing two of its members of desecrating the Koran, police and community leaders said. The attack took place in Jaranwala in the industrial district of Faisalabad, police spokesman Naveed Ahmad said. The two Christians were accused of blasphemy, he said, adding they and family members had fled their homes.

Prosecutors propose March 2024 trial date in Trump Georgia case

The district attorney prosecuting former U.S. President Donald Trump on election interference charges in Georgia has proposed that his trial start in March of next year, a date that would have Trump in court mid-campaign for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. The proposed March 4 trial date is one day before Super Tuesday, during which voters in more than a dozen states are set to cast their ballots for the Republican presidential nomination.

Biden to visit Maui wildfire disaster site, aid in hand

U.S. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will travel to Hawaii on Monday to survey the devastation from deadly wildfires that destroyed much of the Maui resort town of Lahaina last week and killed at least 110 people. Biden will get a first-hand look at the damage and meet with first responders, survivors and federal, state and local officials, the White House said in a statement.

Optimism emerges among Hollywood writers over talks with studios

After three months of walking the picket lines, striking Hollywood writers expressed optimism on Wednesday about the reopening of contract talks with major studios and the possibility they could be back at work in weeks. Details of the latest proposal from the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the trade group representing Walt Disney, Netflix and other major studios and streamers, remain shrouded in secrecy. Still, members of the Writers Guild of America see reason for hope.

Niger says 17 of its soldiers killed in ambush near Burkina Faso border

Niger's junta on Wednesday said 17 of its soldiers were killed in an ambush by insurgents, the deadliest attack since a July 26 coup whose leaders have cited persistent insecurity as a justification for deposing the civilian government. The ambush took place on Tuesday about 60 km (40 miles) from the capital Niamey, in a southwestern area that borders Burkina Faso, the defence ministry said, adding that 100 attackers it referred to as "terrorists" were killed.

US summit with South Korea, Japan, will seek to lock-in progress -US official

A U.S. summit with Japan and South Korea on Friday will include an ambitious set of initiatives to lock in progress between the allies, White House Indo-Pacific coordinator Kurt Campbell said on Wednesday. Campbell said the U.S. relationship with Japan and South Korea would be a "defining trilateral relationship for the 21st century."

US appeals court backs abortion pill restrictions; Supreme Court appeal planned

Access to the abortion pill mifepristone must be restricted, a U.S. appeals court ruled on Wednesday, ordering a ban on telemedicine prescriptions and shipments of the drug by mail, though the decision will not immediately take effect. The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals stopped short of ruling that the drug must be pulled off the market altogether, as a lower court had done.

Ukraine reports new attack on grain silos but cargo ship sets sail

Ukraine said Russia had attacked its grain storage facilities overnight, but a container ship left the Black Sea port of Odesa on Wednesday despite Moscow's threat to target shipping after it abandoned an export deal. In the Russian capital, five sources said authorities were considering reimposing stringent capital controls as the rouble showed the strains of Russia's invasion of its neighbour, which has brought huge military spending and Western sanctions.

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