Reuters World News Summary

In recent days, Tunisian police have detained a number of leading figures with links to the opposition or to critics of President Kais Saied, including prominent politicians, two judges, the head of Tunisia's main independent news outlet and a senior UGTT labour union official. New Zealand finance minister: Govt accounts in solid shape to respond to impact of cyclone New Zealand Finance Minister Grant Robertson said on Thursday the government's books were in good shape to meet the challenge ahead and support New Zealanders facing cost of living increases and extreme weather events such as Cyclone Gabrielle.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Cyclone Gabrielle death toll rises to five as recovery starts

Recovery efforts continue in New Zealand Thursday after Cyclone Gabrielle caused havoc across the North Island leaving at least five people dead, displacing 9,000 and causing significant damage. Gabrielle, which reached New Zealand on Sunday before making its way down the east coast of the North Island, cut off entire towns, washed away farms, bridges and livestock, and inundated homes, stranding people on rooftops.

Top German ministers spar over budget in sign of coalition tensions

German Finance Minister Christian Lindner and Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck have clashed over plans for next year's budget, according to an exchange of letters seen by Reuters that underscores growing tensions in the three-way coalition. Social Democrat Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government with the Greens and Free Democrats (FDP) has come under strain over some aspects of Germany's response to the Ukraine war, and all three parties suffered losses in a state election on Sunday.

Serb nationalists pledge riots if Belgrade tries to improve ties with Kosovo

Hundreds of hardline Serb nationalists and pro-Russia activists rallied in downtown Belgrade, threatening riots if Serbia accepts a Western-backed plan aimed at mending ties with Kosovo, its former mainly Albanian southern province. Pro-Russian sentiment is running high in Serbia which regards Russia, a veto-wielding member of the U.N. Security Council, as a main ally in its opposition to the 15-year-old independence of Kosovo.

Three women, two children pulled from rubble in Turkey, some aid reaches Syria

Two women were pulled from the rubble in Turkey's southern city of Kahramanmaras and a mother and two children were rescued from the city of Antakya on Wednesday, as rescue efforts shifted to getting relief to survivors nine days after a deadly earthquake. Rescuers could be seen applauding and embracing each other as an ambulance carried away a 74-year-old woman rescued in Kahramanmaras, and earlier in the day, a 46-year-old woman was rescued in the same city, close to the epicentre of the quake.

First female chief of Canada's national police force, the Mounties, to retire

Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Commissioner Brenda Lucki said on Wednesday she is stepping down as head of Canada's national police force. Lucki will exit the top job on March 17, she said in a statement. Appointed in 2018, she was the first woman to head the force popularly known as the Mounties.

Russia declares battlefield gains as NATO ramps up military equipment for Ukraine

Russia said it had broken through two of Ukraine's fortified defence lines in the east of the country, while Western countries announced more military spending on Ukraine, including artillery rounds, as Kyiv warned of continued Russian attacks. Bolstered by tens of thousands of reservists drafted in December, Russia has intensified attacks across southern and eastern Ukraine in recent weeks, and a major new offensive is widely anticipated as the first anniversary of its invasion nears.

Reuters wins Selden Ring Award for investigation of Nigerian military

A team of Reuters reporters has won the Selden Ring Award, one of the top prizes in investigative journalism, for reports that exposed grave human-rights abuses against women and children by the Nigerian military. The team - including reporters Paul Carsten, David Lewis, Reade Levinson and Libby George - were recognized for "Nightmare in Nigeria." Their four-part series, published in December, chronicled previously unreported abuses by the Nigerian Army during its 14-year war with Islamist insurgents in the country's northeast.

U.S. raises concern over arrests of prominent critics in Tunisia

The United States was "deeply concerned" by the reported arrests of political figures, business leaders and journalists in Tunisia in recent days, U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Wednesday. In recent days, Tunisian police have detained a number of leading figures with links to the opposition or to critics of President Kais Saied, including prominent politicians, two judges, the head of Tunisia's main independent news outlet and a senior UGTT labour union official.

New Zealand finance minister: Govt accounts in solid shape to respond to impact of cyclone

New Zealand Finance Minister Grant Robertson said on Thursday the government's books were in good shape to meet the challenge ahead and support New Zealanders facing cost of living increases and extreme weather events such as Cyclone Gabrielle. "The extreme weather that New Zealand has experienced recently is putting families and businesses under even more pressure, with some losing their homes and livelihoods. We are committed to continuing to support them through these difficult times," Robertson said.

Machu Picchu reopens to tourists after closure over civil unrest

The Incan citadel of Machu Picchu, one of South America's biggest tourist draws, reopened to visitors in Peru on Wednesday after several weeks of closure due to civil unrest. Protests triggered by the ouster and jailing of former Peruvian President Pedro Castillo in December left travelers stranded in the Andes and led authorities to evacuate Machu Picchu and halt the trains that run between the site and the city of Cusco.

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