World News Roundup: Iran dismisses IAEA report on uranium enrichment -Iranian media; Indonesian protesters storm refugee shelter calling for deportation of Rohingya and more

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

South Korean capital drills to guard against surprise attack by North

More than 1,000 South Korean military, police, and emergency personnel joined rare defence drills on Wednesday that simulated an attack by North Korea on Seoul, to counter fears the city is in striking distance of Pyongyang's weapons and covert attack. The exercise comes amid heightened tension after the North tested an intercontinental ballistic missile and launched its first military spy satellite, with the neighbours reinstating last month some military measures eased after a 2018 pact.

Iran dismisses IAEA report on uranium enrichment -Iranian media

Iran's atomic energy chief Mohammad Eslami on Wednesday said there was "nothing new" in an international nuclear watchdog report saying that Tehran had reversed a months-long slowdown in its uranium enrichment programme, Iranian media reported. "We did nothing new and are doing the same activities according to the rules," Eslami was quoted as saying.

Indonesian protesters storm refugee shelter calling for deportation of Rohingya

A large crowd of Indonesian students stormed a convention centre housing hundreds of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar in the city of Banda Aceh on Wednesday, demanding they be deported, Reuters footage showed. A city police spokesperson in Banda Aceh did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Russia warns Japan over providing Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine

A move by Japan to provide Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine will have "grave consequences" for Russia-Japan ties, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday. Relations between Moscow and Tokyo, already difficult, have deteriorated sharply since Russia sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in Feb. 2022. Japan has joined its Western allies in imposing sweeping economic sanctions on Russia.

Anti-war candidate says top Russian court backs barring her from challenging Putin

Russia's Supreme Court has upheld a decision to bar a former TV journalist who opposes the war in Ukraine from taking part in a presidential election in March, Yekaterina Duntsova, the would-be candidate, said on Wednesday. Members of the central electoral commission voted unanimously to reject the candidacy of Duntsova, citing "numerous violations" in the papers she had submitted in support of her bid.

Israel pummels central Gaza, dozens more Palestinians killed

Israeli forces pounded central Gaza by land, sea, and air on Wednesday and Palestinian authorities reported dozens more deaths in the 11-week-old conflict after Israel's military chief said the war on Hamas would grind on for months. Reflecting Israeli resolve to wipe out Hamas despite growing international calls for a ceasefire, Israel's Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said the fighting would last "many months" and there were no "magic solutions" or "shortcuts".

Mexico's weed 'nuns' want to take the plant back from the narcos

Beneath each full moon on the outskirts of a village in central Mexico, a group of women in nun habits circle around a roaring fire, cleanse themselves with burned sage, and give thanks for the moon, animals, and plants. Then they inhale deeply from a joint and blow clouds of marijuana into the flames.

Russia to deploy newest howitzers against Ukrainian forces - Rostec

Russia will soon deploy its newest howitzers against Ukrainian forces as part of what Moscow calls its "special military operation," the head of the Rostec state defence conglomerate said in remarks published on Wednesday. The testing of the new Coalition-SV self-propelled artillery units has been completed and their mass production has already started, Sergei Chemezov, the head of Rostec told the state RIA news agency in an interview.

Factbox-What is Egypt's proposal for Gaza?

Egypt has held talks between Hamas and its allied Islamic Jihad to try and broker a permanent ceasefire in Israel's war in the Gaza Strip, which has killed tens of thousands, laid waste to the Hamas-governed territory, and displaced the majority of the 2.3 million Palestinian residents.

Congo police fire tear gas at banned election protest

Congo police fired tear gas on Wednesday to disperse a protest by opposition supporters in the capital Kinshasa calling for a re-run of last week's chaotic presidential and legislative elections. The disputed vote threatens to further destabilize poverty-stricken Congo, which is already grappling with a security crisis in the east that has hampered development in the world's top producer of cobalt and other industrial minerals and metals.

(With inputs from agencies.)