Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Ukraine, West denounce Russian referendum plans for occupied regions

Moscow-installed leaders in occupied areas of four Ukrainian regions plan to hold referendums on joining Russia in coming days, a challenge to the West that could sharply escalate the war and drew condemnation from Ukraine and its allies. "The Russians can do whatever they want. It will not change anything," Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Tuesday in response to reporters' questions at the United Nations.

Pakistan flood-borne diseases could get 'out of control' as deaths rise

At least nine more people have died from water-borne diseases in flood-hit areas of Pakistan, officials said on Tuesday, as actress Angelina Jolie made a surprise visit to the South Asian nation to meet people affected by the crisis. An intense and long monsoon dumped around three times as much rain on Pakistan than on average in recent weeks, causing major flooding that killed 1,559 people, including 551 children and 318 women, according to the disaster management agency.

German president urges Mexico to stand against Russian invasion

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Tuesday urged the Mexican government to stand with Europe in opposing the Russian invasion of Ukraine, invoking the spirit of one of Mexico's legendary leaders in his appeal. In a speech to the Mexican Senate following a meeting with President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Steinmeier said failure to close ranks against Moscow's attack on Ukraine posed a threat to global democracy.

Iran, West at odds, U.S. sees no breakthrough on nuclear deal at U.N.

Iran and the West remained at loggerheads on Tuesday over U.N. probes of uranium traces at three Iranian sites as the United States said it did not expect a breakthrough on reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal at this week's U.N. General Assembly.

Tehran has pushed Washington to commit to closing investigations by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) into uranium traces found at three undeclared sites before it will fully implement a proposed deal to revive the nuclear pact.

Judge asks Trump's lawyers if he declassified records in FBI search

The U.S. judge named to review documents seized by the FBI last month at Donald Trump's Florida home pressed Trump's lawyers on Tuesday to say whether they plan to assert that the records had been declassified by the former president, as he has claimed. Judge Raymond Dearie - serving as an independent arbiter, or special master, to vet the more than 11,000 seized documents and potentially recommend keeping some away from federal investigators - asked Trump's lawyers why he should not consider records marked classified as genuinely classified.

UK's Truss calls on like-minded nations to unite against authoritarianism

British Prime Minister Liz Truss will call on like-minded nations to combat authoritarianism together, drawing on Russia's invasion of Ukraine to underline the need to push back against those "who weaponise the global economy". Truss, at the U.N. General Assembly on her first international trip as Britain's new prime minister, has been a vocal supporter of Ukraine since Russia's invasion. She has pledged to match or exceed her country's 2022 spending on military aid next year.

Protests flare across Iran in violent unrest over woman's death

Protests raged for a fourth straight day across Iran on Tuesday and authorities said three people had been killed during unrest over the death of a young woman in police custody. The death last week of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini who was arrested by morality police for "unsuitable attire" unleashed a flood of simmering anger over numerous issues including rights, security and an economy reeling from international sanctions.

Marshall Islands urges U.S. to better address nuclear legacy, climate

The president of the Marshall Islands on Tuesday welcomed what he called progress towards a new association agreement with the United States, but said it is vital to better address the legacy of U.S. nuclear testing and climate change. David Kabua made the remarks at the annual United Nations General Assembly in New York, where he also appealed more broadly for help and action to address climate change, to which his low-lying Pacific island nation is especially vulnerable.

German foreign minister urges Iran heed women protesters

Germany's foreign minister on Tuesday called on Iran's leadership to listen to the women protesting in the streets over the death of a woman in police custody, saying they were standing up for basic human rights. Mahsa Amini, 22, from Iran's Kurdistan province, fell into a coma and died while waiting with other women held by Iranian morality police, who enforce strict rules in the Islamic Republic requiring women to cover their hair and wear loose-fitting clothes in public.

Taking swipe at Russia, Macron says fence sitters need to wake up

French President Emmanuel Macron accused Russia of a modern day imperialism that was based on the law of the jungle and pleaded on Tuesday for neutral countries to stop being complicit by remaining silent about Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In a speech to world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly, Macron warned that Russia's invasion of Ukraine was dividing the world and restoring the "age of colonialism."

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