Reuters World News Summary

President Gustavo Petro declared a natural disaster in January as fires ravaged areas of the world's second-most bio-diverse country. Ukraine says it sank Russian large landing warship in Black Sea Ukraine destroyed a Russian landing warship off the coast of occupied Crimea in an operation with naval drones that breached the vessel's port side on Wednesday and caused it to sink, Kyiv's military spy agency and armed forces said.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Putin says he prefers 'more predictable' Biden over Trump

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview broadcast on Wednesday that he preferred Joe Biden to Donald Trump but was willing to work with any U.S. president. Putin was asked by interviewer Pavel Zarubin who was "better for us" out of Biden, a Democrat, and Trump, a Republican.

Israel vows action against Hamas in Rafah amid global calls for restraint

Israel will press ahead with an offensive against Hamas in Rafah, the last refuge for displaced Palestinians in southern Gaza, after allowing civilians to vacate the area, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday. The Israeli leader, who is under growing international pressure to hold off on the planned assault, gave no indication as to when the offensive might take place or where the hundreds of thousands of people now crammed into Rafah might go.

Colombia turns drug-fumigation planes into fire fighters

Colombia on Wednesday added eight aircraft, some previously used to fumigate drug crops, to its fire-fighting fleet as it braces for more dry El Nino weather that has stoked major wildfires. President Gustavo Petro declared a natural disaster in January as fires ravaged areas of the world's second-most bio-diverse country.

Ukraine says it sank Russian large landing warship in Black Sea

Ukraine destroyed a Russian landing warship off the coast of occupied Crimea in an operation with naval drones that breached the vessel's port side on Wednesday and caused it to sink, Kyiv's military spy agency and armed forces said. There was no immediate comment from Russia, which said earlier that it had destroyed six drones in the Black Sea. The Kremlin declined to comment.

North Korea's Kim Jong Un oversees test of surface-to-sea missile -KCNA

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the inspection test of a new surface-to-sea missile on Wednesday, KCNA said on Thursday. North Korea had fired multiple cruise missiles off its east coast on Wednesday, South Korea's military said, the latest of multiple missile tests in recent weeks before an April general election in South Korea.

India security forces fire tear gas at protesting farmers on drive to Delhi

Indian security forces fired tear gas at protesting farmers for a second day on Wednesday to stop tens of thousands from marching to the capital New Delhi to demand higher prices for their produce. Travelling on trucks and trolleys loaded with food, bedding and other supplies, the farmers began their "Delhi Chalo" (Let's go to Delhi) march on Tuesday morning after talks with the government failed to yield a commitment on minimum prices for a range of crops.

Australia PM backs parliament motion calling for Julian Assange's release

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese voted in favour of a motion in parliament's lower house calling for the return of WikiLeaks' founder Julian Assange to Australia, ahead of a hearing next week at London's High Court on his extradition. The motion, moved by independent lawmaker Andrew Wilkie, was passed on Wednesday with 86 votes in favour and 42 against after it was supported by the Labor government. Most members of the conservative opposition coalition opposed the motion.

Gunfire mars Kansas City Super Bowl victory rally, one killed, up to 15 wounded

A blast of gunfire killed one person and wounded as many as 15 outside a landmark railroad station in Kansas City, Missouri, where the NFL champion Chiefs were celebrating their Super Bowl victory, sending crowds of fans scurrying for safety.

Police Chief Stacey Graves told a press conference that two suspects were in custody. Police earlier said the two were armed. She said one shooting victim had been killed and that 10 to 15 people in all had been struck by gunfire.

US, EU discuss Russia sanctions ahead of Ukraine war's second anniversary

The U.S., EU and other partners discussed Russia sanctions at a meeting in Brussels this week ahead of the two year anniversary of the war in Ukraine, which a senior U.S. official said Washington and its allies are prepared to mark with "robust" sanctions. "Many of us are prepared to roll out quite robust anniversary packages," the official told Reuters, but declined to provide details. Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.

Indonesians wake to new presumed president Prabowo

After months of uncertainty, Indonesians on Thursday woke to a new presumed president, ex-special forces commander Prabowo Subianto, who appeared in unofficial counts to comfortably win the hotly contested election in a single round. The 72-year-old defence minister declared before jubilant supporters late on Wednesday that it was a "victory for all Indonesians."

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