Reuters World News Summary

Israeli tanks have been acting in Gaza for at least four days following weeks of air bombardments in retaliation for an attack by Palestinian Hamas militants on mostly Israeli civilians on Oct. 7 and the taking of more than 200 hostages. US cites progress on work to secure passage for Americans out of Gaza The United States has made "real progress" in the last few hours in negotiations to secure a safe passage for Americans and other foreigners who wish to depart the Gaza Strip, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Tuesday.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Mexico's Sheinbaum holds 18 point lead in presidency race -poll

Former Mexico City Mayor and ruling party candidate Claudia Sheinbaum holds an 18 percentage point lead over her nearest rival in the race to win Mexico's next presidential election on June 2, an opinion poll showed on Tuesday. A survey of 1,620 Mexicans between Oct. 19 and Oct. 28 by newspaper El Financiero showed Sheinbaum, who represents the leftist National Regeneration Movement (MORENA), polling 46% support, with her rival Xochitl Galvez at 28%.

Gambia court sentences soldier to 12 years in prison for leading foiled coup

Gambia's high court on Tuesday sentenced a soldier to 12 years in prison for leading a foiled coup last year against President Adama Barrow's administration. Eight soldiers were charged with treason and conspiracy in January for their role in a Dec. 21, 2022 coup attempt in the West African nation of 2.5 million people almost entirely surrounded by Senegal.

Wildfires erupt in southern Lebanon, civil defence blames Israeli shells

Firefighters in Lebanon were battling wildfires late on Tuesday that Lebanese civil defence said had been sparked by Israeli shelling, with the flames visible for miles as darkness fell. The fires started around 1700 GMT and were caused by Israeli shells containing white phosphorous being launched across the border, Abdalla Mousawae, head of the Tyre Regional Center of Lebanese civil defence, told Reuters.

Ukraine's Zelenskiy warns against excessive expectations

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned on Tuesday against expecting too much success too quickly in Ukraine's campaign to reclaim occupied lands as the military said Russian forces were gearing up for fresh attacks in different sections of the front.

There has been little movement along the 1,000-km (600-mile) front line in recent months. A Ukrainian counteroffensive launched in June has achieved only limited success despite capturing several villages in the east and south.

Blinken says US, others exploring options for future of Gaza after Hamas

The United States and other countries are looking at "a variety of possible permutations" for the future of the Gaza Strip if Hamas militants are removed from control, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday. Blinken told a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing the status quo of Palestinian Islamist group Hamas being in charge of the densely populated enclave could not continue, but Israel did not want to run Gaza either.

Bolivia severs diplomatic ties with Israel, citing 'crimes against humanity'

Bolivia's government said it had broken diplomatic ties with Israel on Tuesday, accusing Israel of committing crimes against humanity in its attacks on the Gaza Strip. Bolivia "has decided to break diplomatic relations with the Israeli state in repudiation and condemnation of the aggressive and disproportionate Israeli military offensive taking place in the Gaza Strip," Deputy Foreign Minister Freddy Mamani announced at a press conference.

Exclusive-Biden unlikely to attend Dubai COP climate meeting, sources say

U.S. President Joe Biden is unlikely to attend a gathering of world leaders in November focused on climate change, according to two U.S. officials and another person briefed on the event's planning. The 28th meeting of the United Nations "Conference of the Parties" on climate, known as COP28, takes places from Nov. 30 to Dec. 12 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, a major oil producer.

Canada's new immigration plan to factor in need to bolster housing and services

Canada will incorporate planning for housing, healthcare and other services into its a immigration strategy, Immigration Minister Marc Miller said on Tuesday, after posting its biggest population jump in almost seven decades. Statistics Canada has said the population grew by 2.9% in the 12 months to July 1, 2023, to more than 40 million.

Israel strikes dense Gaza camp, says it kills Hamas commander

Israeli airstrikes hit a densely populated refugee camp in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, killing at least 50 Palestinians and a Hamas commander, and medics struggled to treat the casualties, even setting up operating rooms in hospital corridors. Israeli tanks have been acting in Gaza for at least four days following weeks of air bombardments in retaliation for an attack by Palestinian Hamas militants on mostly Israeli civilians on Oct. 7 and the taking of more than 200 hostages.

US cites progress on work to secure passage for Americans out of Gaza

The United States has made "real progress" in the last few hours in negotiations to secure a safe passage for Americans and other foreigners who wish to depart the Gaza Strip, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Tuesday. "While I can't make an announcement today, we do think we've made very real progress on this as I said in just the past few hours," Miller told a news briefing.

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