Reuters World News Summary

There were strikes on Kyiv and in central Ukraine and the southern region of Kherson, subject to constant shelling. Exclusive-One-month Gaza truce focus of intensive talks, sources say Israel and Hamas broadly agree in principle that an exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners could take place during a month-long ceasefire, but the framework plan is being held up by the two sides' differences over how to bring a permanent end to the Gaza war, three sources said.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Russia probing for Ukraine weaknesses as US funding stalls

Russia's military is carrying out probing attacks with barrages of missiles and drones in an attempt to find weaknesses in Ukraine's military as U.S. funding for security assistance is tied up in Congress, a senior Pentagon official said on Tuesday.

The efforts include use of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones, and Russia has also sought to force Ukraine to expend precious ammunition, and air defenses, to counter the attacks.

Explainer-What Turkey gained in delaying Sweden's NATO bid

Turkey's parliament backed Sweden's NATO membership bid on Tuesday, clearing a last major hurdle toward enlarging the Western bloc after 20 months of delays that frustrated some of Ankara's allies and extracted some concessions. In May 2022, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan raised objections to requests by Sweden and Finland to join the military alliance. The Nordic states made the bids after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

U.S. lawmakers arrive in Taiwan in post-election show of support

The leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives Taiwan Caucus, Republican Representative Mario Diaz Balart and Democratic Representative Ami Bera, have arrived in Taipei, their offices said on Tuesday, in a show of support after the island's election. The two members of Congress plan to engage with senior officials and business leaders during their visit.

US pushes for pause in Gaza as Israel suffers worst loss of soldiers

Intense international mediation efforts are working toward exchanging Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners during a proposed month-long ceasefire in Gaza, Reuters reported on Tuesday, as the White House said its envoy was having active discussions on the issue. Qatar, the U.S. and Egypt have held shuttle diplomacy since Dec. 28 and Israel and Hamas broadly agree in principle to the framework plan, sources said. It is being held up by the two sides' differences over how to bring a permanent end to the Gaza war, sources said.

Trudeau govt to appeal ruling on use of emergency powers to end 2022 protests

The Canadian government will appeal a court ruling that Ottawa's use of emergency powers in early 2022 to end anti-government protests was unreasonable, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said on Tuesday. A federal judge earlier on Tuesday said the Liberal government's use of the Emergencies Act to clear the "Freedom Convoy" demonstrations that paralyzed the national capital in 2022 was unreasonable and violated Charter rights.

Yellen reassures Ukraine's PM on budget support -US Treasury statement

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen reassured Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal on Tuesday that the Biden administration was committed to securing $11.8 billion in budget support to Kyiv as part of a supplemental U.S. funding request. The Treasury said in a statement following a virtual meeting between the two officials that Yellen "underscored the importance of Congress acting on financial support for Ukraine as quickly as possible."

Haiti's gang wars death toll doubles to nearly 5,000 in a year -UN

The number of people reported killed as Haiti faces a worsening conflict between heavily armed gangs increased by more than 110% last year to reach 4,789, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a report published on Tuesday. "I am appalled by the staggering and worsening level of gang violence," Guterres said in the report. "Gang killings, kidnappings and sexual violence, notably against women and young girls, among other abuses, continue with widespread impunity."

Turkey approves Sweden's NATO membership bid after 20-month delay

Turkey's parliament ratified Sweden's NATO membership bid on Tuesday, clearing the biggest remaining hurdle to expanding the Western military alliance after 20 months of delay. Turkey's general assembly, where President Tayyip Erdogan's ruling alliance holds a majority, voted 287-55 to approve the application that Sweden first made in 2022 to bolster its security in response to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Russian missile strikes on Ukrainian cities kill 18, Zelenskiy says

Russian missiles hit Ukraine's two largest cities, killing 18 people, injuring more than 130 and damaging homes and infrastructure, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said as Moscow's war approaches its third year. The eastern city of Kharkiv suffered three waves of attacks. There were strikes on Kyiv and in central Ukraine and the southern region of Kherson, subject to constant shelling.

Exclusive-One-month Gaza truce focus of intensive talks, sources say

Israel and Hamas broadly agree in principle that an exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners could take place during a month-long ceasefire, but the framework plan is being held up by the two sides' differences over how to bring a permanent end to the Gaza war, three sources said. Intense mediation efforts led by Qatar, Washington and Egypt in recent weeks have focused on a phased approach to release different categories of Israeli hostages - starting with civilians and ending with soldiers - in return for a break in hostilities, the release of Palestinian prisoners and more aid to Gaza.

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