Reuters World News Summary

The list did not include the Russian anti-war candidate Boris Nadezhdin after the Central Election Commission (CEC) barred him on Thursday from running, saying it had found flawsin the collection of signatures required for the support of his candidacy. Figure close to Hamas survives Israeli strike in Lebanon, 3 others killed An Israeli strike about 60 km (40 miles) inside Lebanon's southern border on Saturday targeted a Palestinian figure close to Hamas but he survived, four security sources said.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

U.S.-led coalition blocks attacks at Conoco oil field in Syria -source

Air defence systems operated by U.S.-led coalition troops based in eastern Syria halted six drone attacks targeting their base at the Conoco oil field on Saturday, a security source said. The source did not tell Reuters if there were casualties.

Spanish police scuffle with farmers, truck drivers on fifth day of protests

Spanish police on Saturday clashed with a group of farmers and truck drivers in Madrid as they tried to access a main road in a bid to block it, one of several protests sweeping the European Union against the bloc's environmental rules and what workers see as excessive taxes and red tape. A group representing drivers, Plataforma Nacional, and a newly created farmers' group, Plataforma 6-F, on Saturday came together to jointly demand action from Spanish and European leaders. They claim rules to protect the environment make them less competitive compared to other regions.

Hamas had command tunnel under U.N. Gaza headquarters, Israeli military says

Israeli forces have discovered a tunnel network hundreds of metres (yards) long and running partly under UNRWA's Gaza headquarters, the military says, calling it new evidence of Hamas exploitation of the main relief agency for Palestinians. Army engineers took reporters for foreign news outlets through the passages at a time of crisis for UNRWA, which has launched an internal probe and seen a string of donor countries freeze funding over allegations last month by Israel that some of its staff doubled as Hamas operatives.

First female Argentine saint brings together Pope Francis and Milei

Pope Francis on Sunday will elevate to sainthood the first female saint from his native Argentina, an event that will be attended at the Vatican by his former strong critic, Argentine President Javier Milei. Milei, a maverick right-wing libertarian, in the past called Francis an "imbecile", a "son-of-a-bitch preaching communism" and the devil's man on earth - but has softened his tone since taking office in December.

Russia closes presidential race candidate registration with Putin, 3 others -TASS

Russia's registration of candidates for the March presidential election has closed, TASS reported on Sunday, with a list including President Vladimir Putin, who is expected to win, and three politicians who all support Moscow's war in Ukraine. The list did not include the Russian anti-war candidate Boris Nadezhdin after the Central Election Commission (CEC) barred him on Thursday from running, saying it had found flawsin the collection of signatures required for the support of his candidacy.

Figure close to Hamas survives Israeli strike in Lebanon, 3 others killed

An Israeli strike about 60 km (40 miles) inside Lebanon's southern border on Saturday targeted a Palestinian figure close to Hamas but he survived, four security sources said. Three other people were killed, including one member of the powerful, Iran-backed Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, a Hamas ally, the security sources also told Reuters.

Hungarian president Novak resigns over sex abuse case pardon

Hungarian President Katalin Novak resigned on Saturday after coming under mounting pressure for pardoning a man convicted of helping to cover up sexual abuse in a children's home. Novak, a close ally of conservative Prime Minister Viktor Orban, resigned a week after her presidential pardon was first reported by local news site 444.hu.

King Charles gives thanks for support after cancer diagnosis

Britain's King Charles on Saturday expressed gratitude to well-wishers following his cancer diagnosis, his first public comment since Buckingham Palace announced he would postpone some engagements to undergo treatment. "I would like to express my most heartfelt thanks for the many messages of support and good wishes I have received in recent days," Charles said in a statement.

Pakistan ex-PM Imran Khan's party says it aims to form government

Candidates backed by the party of jailed Pakistani opposition leader Imran Khan plan to form a government, a senior aide to the former prime minister said on Saturday, urging supporters to peacefully protest if final election results are not released. The nation of 241 million people voted on Thursday in a general election, as the country struggles to recover from an economic crisis and battles militant violence in a deeply polarised political environment.

Palestinians brace for Rafah assault as Israel promises evacuation plan

Israeli air strikes killed 17 people in Rafah on the Gaza border overnight, medics said on Saturday, as over a million Palestinians crammed into the city awaited a full-scale offensive with the rest of the enclave in ruins and nowhere left to run. Four months into the war, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said it had ordered the military to develop a plan to evacuate Rafah and destroy four Hamas battalions it says are deployed there.

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