Reuters World News Summary

Taiwan's Jan. 13 presidential and parliamentary elections are happening as China has stepped up military and political pressure to assert its claims of sovereignty over the island, including regularly sending warplanes into the strait. Poland resumes ground search after Friday airspace breach -army Poland was renewing a search operation for elements of a suspected Russian rocket on Saturday, which it said had violated the country's airspace on Friday morning, the Polish army said.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

For Palestinians arrested under Israeli occupation, a childhood disrupted

Fourteen-year-old Abdelrahman al-Zaghal was one of the youngest Palestinians released by Israel in exchange for hostages seized during the Oct. 7 Hamas-led raid on Israel. Weeks later, his life still bears little resemblance to that of a normal teenager - he is recovering from serious injuries sustained the day of his arrest, and said his school is still awaiting Israel's permission for him to attend.

Pakistan election body rejects ex-PM Imran Khan's nomination for 2024 elections

Pakistan's election body has rejected former Prime Minister Imran Khan's nomination to contest the 2024 national elections in two constituencies, officials and his party's media team said on Saturday. The 71-year-old former cricket star has been embroiled in a tangle of political and legal battles since he was ousted as prime minister in April 2022. He has not been seen in public since he was jailed for three years in August for unlawfully selling state gifts while in office from 2018 to 2022.

Taiwan's sovereignty belongs to its people, presidential frontrunner says

Taiwan's sovereignty and independence belong to its people, the frontrunner to be its next president said on Saturday in an often testy debate with the other two candidates dominated by arguments over China and tensions in the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan's Jan. 13 presidential and parliamentary elections are happening as China has stepped up military and political pressure to assert its claims of sovereignty over the island, including regularly sending warplanes into the strait.

Poland resumes ground search after Friday airspace breach -army

Poland was renewing a search operation for elements of a suspected Russian rocket on Saturday, which it said had violated the country's airspace on Friday morning, the Polish army said. "We inform that on December 30...a ground search will be carried out in the Lublin Voivodeship for possible elements of the object that violated Polish airspace yesterday," the Polish army's operational command wrote on social media platform X.

Flooded tunnel near London disrupts Eurostar train services

Flooding in a railway tunnel near London forced the cancellation of more than a dozen trains linking Britain with the European mainland early on Saturday, international rail operator Eurostar said. "Eurostar services to and from London are being cancelled and there are severe delays to services due to infrastructure issues caused by flooding in one of the Thames tunnels located between St Pancras International and Ebbsfleet", the company said.

Israel pushes deeper into Gaza camps, 12 weeks into war

Israeli tanks pushed deeper into districts in central and southern Gaza overnight under heavy air and artillery fire, residents said, pressing a deadly offensive that has razed much of the enclave and that Israel has said may last months more. Fighting late on Friday and early Saturday was focused in al-Bureij, Nuseirat, Maghazi and Khan Younis, backed by intensive air strikes that filled hospitals with injured Palestinians.

China to boost activity to assert sovereignty over East China Sea islets - Kyodo

Chinese President Xi Jinping has instructed the coast guard to strengthen its activities to assert sovereignty over the East China islets, which are controlled by Tokyo but also claimed by Beijing, Japan's Kyodo news agency reported on Saturday. In response to the order, which the report said was issued by Xi in November, the coast guard has drawn up a plan to send ships on daily patrols during 2024 near the islets, called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China.

China eases visa application for U.S. tourists

China will simplify visa applications for tourists from the United States from Jan. 1, cutting the documents required, according to a notice on Friday on the website of the Chinese embassy in Washington. The move is the latest by China to revive tourism and boost the world's second-largest economy following a slump during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hooked on volcanoes? Tourists vie to catch Iceland's eruptions

As the glowing river of lava from a volcano that erupted last week in Iceland ebbed, not everyone was happy. Hazel Lane, a 49-year-old dental practice manager in London, had booked a ticket to Reykjavik as soon as she saw footage of the eruption on television, hoping to witness spectacular lava flows beneath molten red skies.

Malaysia anti-graft body probes ex-finance minister for abuse of power, money laundering

Malaysia's anti-graft agency said on Saturday it was investigating a former finance minister and key ally of ex-Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad under the country's abuse of power and money laundering laws. In a statement, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) confirmed media reports this month that it had seized Ilham Tower, a 60-storey building in Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur, as part of its investigation into Daim Zainuddin.

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