Reuters World News Summary

"I want people to be able to walk down the street in peace," President Rodrigo Chaves said as he introduced the measures, including more police, tougher juvenile criminal laws, permitting the extradition of nationals in overseas drug trafficking cases and stricter rules on ammunition sales. Searching for the disappeared must be priority at Colombia peace talks -official The search for tens of thousands of people who were disappeared during Colombia's six-decade conflict must be a priority at peace and surrender talks with rebel groups and crime gangs, the top official tasked with finding them said on Wednesday.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Biden to discuss Venezuela sanctions with Colombia's Petro in White House talks -official

U.S. President Joe Biden will tell Colombian President Gustavo Petro in White House talks on Thursday that he is willing to further ease sanctions on Venezuela only in return for concrete steps toward free elections there, a senior administration official told Reuters. Previewing the leaders' first meeting, the official said Biden would reiterate to Petro, who has called for lifting sanctions on Venezuela, that he is not prepared to provide significant sanctions relief to President Nicolas Maduro's government until he agrees to democratic steps with the country's opposition.

UN chief to convene meeting to work on way forward on Afghanistan

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will convene envoys on Afghanistan from various countries next month to work on a unified approach to dealing with the Taliban authorities, the United Nations said on Wednesday. The closed-door meeting in Doha on May 1-2 was announced after U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed suggested on Monday the gathering "could find those baby steps to put us back on the pathway to recognition ... of the Taliban, a principled recognition - in other words, there are conditions."

Costa Rica president gets tougher on security as crime soars

Costa Rica's president on Wednesday presented a set of security measures in response to surging crime rates in the Central American country, which is currently on track this year to beat 2022's record murder rate. "I want people to be able to walk down the street in peace," President Rodrigo Chaves said as he introduced the measures, including more police, tougher juvenile criminal laws, permitting the extradition of nationals in overseas drug trafficking cases and stricter rules on ammunition sales.

Searching for the disappeared must be priority at Colombia peace talks -official

The search for tens of thousands of people who were disappeared during Colombia's six-decade conflict must be a priority at peace and surrender talks with rebel groups and crime gangs, the top official tasked with finding them said on Wednesday. At least 104,600 people have been forcibly disappeared in connection with Colombia's conflict between leftist rebels, right-wing paramilitaries, criminal groups and the government. Nearly 89,800 remain missing.

Exclusive-Ukraine's Zelenskiy due to address Mexico's Congress Thursday -sources

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is due to address Mexico's Congress on Thursday by video, according to two people familiar with the matter, as he seeks support in his country's ongoing war with Russia. Mexico's government has said it wants to remain neutral in the conflict, and some supporters of Ukraine have criticized the country's leftist President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador for taking issue with European arms shipments to Kyiv.

FBI says China, Iran using new tactics to harass critics on U.S. soil

China and Iran are becoming increasingly brazen in their attempts to silence dissidents on American soil and influence U.S. policy, the FBI warned on Wednesday. In a news briefing with reporters about transnational repression, FBI counterintelligence officials urged victims to come forward, saying the bureau is tracking a growing trend of foreign authoritarian regimes breaching U.S. laws to intimidate certain communities.

New Sudan ceasefire attempt fails with vital supplies running short

A new attempt at a ceasefire in fierce fighting between Sudanese troops and paramilitary forces in Khartoum failed on Wednesday, leaving people fearful about dwindling food supplies and a breakdown in medical services. The 24-hour ceasefire - lobbied for by countries trying to evacuate their citizens after days of conflict - was supposed to come into effect at 6 p.m. local time (1600 GMT). However, two eyewitnesses in separate areas of the capital told Reuters that fighting had continued.

Russia's private Wagner Group denies it is operating in Sudan

The Russian private military Wagner Group on Wednesday denied it was operating in Sudan and said it had nothing to do with battles rocking the giant impoverished African state. Western diplomats in Khartoum said in March 2022 that Wagner was involved in illicit gold mining in Sudan, among other activities. Sudan denied this was the case.

Top national security adviser to Brazil's Lula resigns

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's top national security adviser resigned on Wednesday, the presidential palace said, amid a scandal related to the aide's presence during the storming of government buildings in the capital. The resignation of General Marcos Goncalves Dias, which the president accepted, followed a report from CNN Brasil that included footage of him walking around the presidential palace while a mob ransacked government buildings in Brasilia on Jan. 8.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel re-elected by lawmakers

Cuban lawmakers on Wednesday easily re-elected Miguel Diaz-Canel as president for a second term as the country faces one of the biggest social and economic crisis since Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution. Diaz-Canel, leader of the Communist Party - the country's only recognized political movement - won a landslide vote of 97.66% of the National Assembly, all of whose 470 members are aligned with the party or sympathetic to it.

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