World News Roundup: Six killed in Russian air strike on Ukrainian cities; Death toll in China landslide rises to 25, rescuers search for missing and more

The review at the U.N. in Geneva is the first since the global body's top rights official released a report in 2022 saying the detention of Uyghurs and other Muslims in China's Xinjiang region may constitute crimes against humanity. Israeli troops suffer worst Gaza losses, encircle Khan Younis Twenty-four Israeli soldiers were killed in Israel's worst day of losses in Gaza, the military said on Tuesday, as its forces encircled southern Gaza's main city, trapping Palestinian residents trying to flee.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

China undergoes rare scrutiny of rights record at UN meeting

China underwent scrutiny of its human rights record at a U.N. meeting on Tuesday, with mostly Western countries calling for protections for Xinjiang Uyghurs and greater freedom in Hong Kong which Beijing dismissed as guidance based on lies. The review at the U.N. in Geneva is the first since the global body's top rights official released a report in 2022 saying the detention of Uyghurs and other Muslims in China's Xinjiang region may constitute crimes against humanity.

Israeli troops suffer worst Gaza losses, encircle Khan Younis

Twenty-four Israeli soldiers were killed in Israel's worst day of losses in Gaza, the military said on Tuesday, as its forces encircled southern Gaza's main city, trapping Palestinian residents trying to flee. Spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said 21 soldiers were killed when two buildings they had mined for demolition exploded after militants fired at a nearby tank. Earlier, three soldiers were reported killed in a separate attack in southern Gaza.

CIA tries to recruit double agents in Russia with new video

The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency has released a slickly produced Russian-language video to try to persuade Russian intelligence employees to switch sides and work as double agents for Washington. CIA Director William Burns said in July that disaffection among some Russians over the war in Ukraine was creating a rare opportunity to recruit spies, and that the CIA was not letting it pass.

Lithuania seeks to buy Leopard 2 tanks from Germany

Lithuania's Defence Council has decided to initiate negotiations to buy Leopard 2 tanks from Germany, Defence Minister Arvydas Anusauskas told reporters on Tuesday, as the NATO member seeks to build a tank battalion. The Leopard 2 is made by Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, part of German-French technology group KNDS.

Little aid reaching Gaza prompting risk of 'pockets of famine' - WFP

The World Food Programme said on Tuesday that very little food assistance has made it beyond southern Gaza since the start of the conflict and that the risk of pockets of famine in the Palestinian enclave remained. Israel's offensive launched in the wake of a deadly rampage by Hamas militants in southern Israel on Oct. 7 has displaced most of Gaza's 2.3 million population and caused acute shortages of food, water and medical supplies.

Turkey set to approve Sweden's NATO membership bid after long delay

Turkey's parliament is widely expected to approve Sweden's NATO membership bid on Tuesday, clearing the biggest remaining hurdle to expanding the Western military alliance after 20 months of delays. Turkey's general assembly, where President Tayyip Erdogan's ruling alliance holds a majority, is set to vote on the application that Sweden first made in 2022 following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Jailed Kremlin critic Navalny put in solitary confinement in Arctic prison - spokesperson

Jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny has been placed in solitary confinement for 10 days in a prison above the Arctic circle for "incorrectly introducing himself" to a guard, his spokesperson said late on Monday. Navalny, 47, a former lawyer who rose to prominence more than a decade ago by lampooning President Vladimir Putin's elite and voicing allegations of vast corruption, is currently in a jail about 60 km (40 miles) north of the Arctic Circle.

Six killed in Russian air strike on Ukrainian cities

Russian air strikes hit the Ukrainian capital and other cities on Tuesday, local officials said, killing at least six people and wounding more than 70 as Moscow's war approaches its third year. Five of the dead as well as 51 wounded were in the eastern city of Kharkiv, Governor Oleh Synehubov said on Telegram.

Death toll in China landslide rises to 25, rescuers search for missing

The death toll from a landslide in China's Yunnan province rose to 25 late on Tuesday as rescue workers battled freezing temperatures and snow to locate dozens of missing people. Rescuers worked through the night sifting deep mounds of earth at the site of the landslide in Zhenxiong County, state-owned China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Tuesday.

Portugal's Socialists extend lead for March election, far-right grows -survey

Portugal's centre-left Socialist Party (PS) has extended its lead as the favourite to win the most votes in a snap general election on March 10, although it remains far from a parliamentary majority, an opinion poll showed on Tuesday. There was also a strong jump in voting intentions for the third-placed far-right party Chega (Enough) that could be key to the wider right wing forming a government, according to the survey by Intercampus for newspapers Correio da Manha and Jornal de Negocios.

(With inputs from agencies.)