Reuters World News Summary

Negotiators from Hamas militants, Qatar and Egypt - but not Israel - are trying to secure a 40-day ceasefire in time for the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which begins early next week. Thousands march in Colombia to protest government reforms Thousands of people marched through Colombia's biggest cities on Wednesday to protest political, economic and social reforms backed by President Gustavo Petro, as well as to demand action against deteriorating security.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

US Democrats question arms to Israel over Gaza concerns

U.S. President Joe Biden's administration faced growing calls from his fellow Democrats on Wednesday to push Israel to ease the devastating humanitarian crisis in Gaza, with some saying they may try to stop military assistance if conditions for civilians do not improve. "We need to use all the leverage we've got. The administration has not used the leverage it has to date. I don't know how many more kids have to starve before we use all the levers of our influence here, but they really need to do more," Senator Chris Van Hollen, a Democratic member of the Foreign Relations Committee, told reporters.

UN to test Israeli military road to get aid to Gaza's north

The United Nations will assess on Thursday how it can use an Israeli military road bordering the Gaza Strip to deliver aid to hundreds of thousands of desperate civilians in the north of the Palestinian enclave, a senior U.N. aid official said. The U.N. has warned that at least 576,000 people in Gaza – one-quarter of the population – are on the brink of famine.

Three killed in first fatal Houthi attack on Red Sea shipping, CENTCOM says

A Houthi missile attack killed three seafarers on a Red Sea merchant ship on Wednesday, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said, the first fatalities reported since the Iran-aligned Yemeni group began strikes against shipping in one of the world's busiest trade lanes. The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack, which set the Greek-owned, Barbados-flagged ship True Confidence ablaze around 50 nautical miles off the coast of Yemen's port of Aden.

Gaza ceasefire possible, US says; South Africa again asks World Court to intervene

The U.S. said on Wednesday that talks on a ceasefire and release of hostages in Gaza could still reach an agreement between Hamas and Israel as the enclave's humanitarian crisis prompted South Africa to ask the World Court for new emergency measures. Negotiators from Hamas militants, Qatar and Egypt - but not Israel - are trying to secure a 40-day ceasefire in time for the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which begins early next week.

Thousands march in Colombia to protest government reforms

Thousands of people marched through Colombia's biggest cities on Wednesday to protest political, economic and social reforms backed by President Gustavo Petro, as well as to demand action against deteriorating security. Leftist Petro was elected in 2022 on ambitious promises to fight poverty and inequality, and end Colombia's six decades of internal conflict, which has killed at least 450,000.

North Korea leader Kim Jong Un orders heightened war preparations, KCNA says

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected field training of troops at a major military operations base in the western region of the country on Wednesday and ordered heightened readiness for war, state KCNA news agency reported on Thursday. The tour of the base, the location of which was not identified, comes after the start of annual combined military drills by U.S. and South Korean forces on Monday in the South with twice the number of troops taking part compared to last year.

Nikki Haley ends White House bid, clearing path for a Trump-Biden rematch

Nikki Haley ended her long-shot challenge to Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump on Wednesday, ensuring the former president will be the party's candidate in a rematch with Democratic President Joe Biden in November's election. Haley, the former South Carolina governor and Trump's ambassador to the United Nations, bowed out a day after Super Tuesday, when Trump beat her soundly in 14 of 15 Republican nominating contests.

UN Security Council considering call for Ramadan truce in Sudan

The United Nations Security Council is considering calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities ahead of Ramadan in the nearly year-long war between the Sudanese army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, diplomats said. The 15-member council is negotiating a British-drafted resolution that diplomats said could be put to a vote on Friday. The Muslim fasting month of Ramadan begins early next week.

Russia hits Ukraine's port of Odesa during Zelenskiy and Greek PM visit

A Russian missile missed Ukraine's president and the prime minister of Greece by hundreds of metres on Wednesday when it slammed into port infrastructure in the Black Sea city of Odesa. "It seems to me that we have not only heard, we have seen this strike today," President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told a news conference alongside Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Argentina photo of half naked, bowed prisoners shows tough-on-crime shift

Images of half naked prisoners in Argentina with their hands tied behind their backs have drawn both criticism and praise in the country, with many citing echoes of El Salvador President Nayib Bukele's hardline approach to drug gangs and crime. The governor of Santa Fe province, Maximiliano Pullaro, shared details on Tuesday of a recent police search operation in the Pinero prison complex, where several high-profile drug traffickers are housed.

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