Reuters World News Summary

Earlier on Monday, North Korea's KCNA state news agency said Kim made the pledge in a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin marking Russia's National Day. Japan to consider delaying defence spending tax increase to 2025 or beyond -source The Japanese government is looking into putting off a tax increase to fund extra defence spending by a year to 2025, a ruling party source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters said on Monday.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

White House: US shared concerns with Cuba about hosting China spy base

The United States has made its concerns known to the Cuban government about Cuba hosting Chinese spy operations on its territory, White House spokesperson John Kirby said on Monday. Kirby said the bilateral relationship with China was tense at the moment, but President Joe Biden was committed to keeping the lines of communication open.

Ukraine claims new gains in early phase of counteroffensive

Ukraine said on Monday its troops had recaptured seven villages from Russian forces along an approximately 100-km (60-mile) front in the southeast since starting its long-anticipated counteroffensive last week. The task of ending Russia's occupation of southern and eastern Ukraine is daunting, given Russia's numerical superiority in men, ammunition and air power, and the many months it has had to build deep defensive fortifications, especially in southern Ukraine.

Trump arrives in Florida to face charges, maintains lead in poll

Former President Donald Trump arrived in Miami on Monday to face federal criminal charges, while a new Reuters/Ipsos poll found a vast majority of his fellow Republicans believe the case to be politically motivated. Trump, the front-runner for the Republican nomination in the 2024 presidential election, is scheduled to be in a Miami federal courthouse on Tuesday at 3 p.m. EDT (1900 GMT) for an initial appearance in the case.

US official denies any talks with Iran on an interim nuclear deal

The United States and Iran are not discussing an interim nuclear deal, a U.S. official said on Monday, but Washington has told Tehran of steps that might trigger a crisis and also those that may create a better climate between the long-time antagonists. "There are no talks about an interim deal," said the U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Western Canada covered in smoke as wildfires loosen grip on Quebec

Smoke shrouded Western Canada on Monday as wildfires flared again in the main oil-producing province of Alberta, while firefighters in Quebec doused some of the worst early season blazes, allowing thousands of evacuees to return home. Canada is enduring its most destructive start to wildfire season, with about 4.8 million hectares (48,000 square kilometers) - an area larger than the Netherlands in western Europe - already burnt.

Silvio Berlusconi, former Italian prime minister and media mogul, dies at 86

Silvio Berlusconi, the billionaire media mogul and former Italian prime minister who transformed the nation's politics with polarising policies and often alarmed his allies with his brazen remarks, died on Monday aged 86. Berlusconi, Italy's longest-serving premier who counted Russian President Vladimir Putin as a close friend and gained notoriety for his "bunga bunga" sex parties, had suffered from leukaemia and recently developed a lung infection.

Sudan war traps civilians after ceasefire ends

Air strikes, artillery and gunfire rocked several areas of Sudan's capital on Monday as fighting between warring factions intensified for a second day, trapping civilians in a worsening humanitarian crisis. The war between the country's army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has raged for almost two months, forcing almost 2 million to flee and wrecking the economy, causing frequent electricity and water outages.

Eldest of rescued Colombian children pulled sister from plane wreckage

The eldest of the four Indigenous children who were missing for more than five weeks in Colombia's southern jungle after a plane crash pulled her youngest sibling from the wreckage, the children's grandfather said on Monday. The children, aged 1 through 13, survived the May 1 crash that killed their mother and two other adults and were found on Friday in Caqueta province after weeks of searching by the military and Indigenous communities.

U.S. concerned North Korea planning to deliver more weapons to Russia

The United States is concerned that North Korea is planning to deliver more weapons to Russia, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said on Monday after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to bolster strategic cooperation with Moscow. Earlier on Monday, North Korea's KCNA state news agency said Kim made the pledge in a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin marking Russia's National Day.

Japan to consider delaying defence spending tax increase to 2025 or beyond -source

The Japanese government is looking into putting off a tax increase to fund extra defence spending by a year to 2025, a ruling party source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters said on Monday. The coalition government agreed in December to raise key taxes to increase the defense budget, but stiff opposition among lawmakers effectively delayed a decision on when to implement the unpopular move.

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