Reuters World News Summary

(1500 GMT), injuring eight passengers as it spread to four compartments of the Benapole Express headed for the capital, Dhaka. Taiwan slams Chinese balloons as safety threat, psychological warfare Taiwan's defence ministry accused China on Saturday of threatening aviation safety and waging psychological warfare on the island's people with a recent spate of balloons spotted near or over the island, days before key Taiwanese elections.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Exclusive-US intelligence confirms Islamic State's Afghanistan branch behind Iran blasts -sources

Communications intercepts collected by the United States confirmed that Islamic State's (ISIS) Afghanistan-based branch carried out twin bombings in Iran that killed nearly 100 people, two sources familiar with the intelligence told Reuters on Friday. "The intelligence is clear-cut and indisputable," one source said.

Congo's election commission cancels 82 candidates in disputed December polling

Congo's election commission said it has cancelled votes cast for 82 of the 101,000 legislative candidates in the disputed December general election over alleged fraud and other issues, amid fresh opposition calls for a re-run of the vote. Those disqualified include contenders for national, provincial and municipal assemblies, the results of which are yet to be published amid the fallout from the Dec. 20 poll that threatens to further destabilise the Democratic Republic of Congo, a top producer of cobalt and Africa's second-largest country.

Blinken: M. East nations need to use influence to prevent 'endless cycle of violence'

Middle Eastern nations need to use their influence over regional actors to ensure the Gaza conflict is contained and prevent "an endless cycle of violence," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Saturday. Blinken spoke late in the day after meeting the leaders of Turkey and Greece at the start of a week-long trip aimed at calming tensions that have spiked since Israel's war with Hamas began in October.

Ukraine shows evidence Russia fired North Korea missile at Kharkiv

The Kharkiv region prosecutor's office provided further evidence on Saturday that Russia attacked Ukraine with missiles supplied by North Korea, showcasing the fragments. A senior adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday that Russia hit Ukraine this week with missiles supplied by North Korea for the first time during its invasion.

Japan earthquake death toll exceeds 100, with hundreds still missing

The confirmed death toll from the New Year's Day earthquake in Japan reached 110 on Saturday as a search for survivors in the rubble of collapsed buildings entered a sixth day. The magnitude 7.6 quake struck the west coast, destroying infrastructure and snapping power links to 22,000 homes in the Hokuriku region. Rain hampered efforts to sift the rubble for survivors as more than 30,000 evacuees awaited aid.

War, weather put ocean shippers on notice for rough seas in 2024

Recent hostilities in the Red Sea have thrown global shippers of vital goods for a loop - but it is hardly the only issue that big carriers are facing as 2024 kicks off. Giants like Maersk say the industry, which handles 90% of global trade, faces the possibility of significant disruptions, from ongoing wars to droughts affecting key routes like the Panama Canal. Complex vessel schedules are likely to be knocked out of sync for giant container ships, fuel tankers and other commodity haulers throughout the year.

Five Senegalese commandos missing after suspected drug-smuggling boat sinks

Five Senegalese marine commandos have been missing since Friday when a suspected drug-trafficking boat was scuppered off the coast of the capital Dakar while it was being searched by the navy, the armed forces said on Saturday. A Senegalese patrol boat intercepted the vessel, suspected of involvement in the trade in which drug smugglers ship tonnes of cocaine from South America to Europe, using West African countries as transit points.

Israel, Hezbollah trade fire across Lebanon border amid alarm over Gaza war spillover

Air raid sirens sounded across northern Israel on Saturday as Lebanon's Iranian-backed Hezbollah group said it fired rockets at Israel, and Israel said it struck a "terrorist cell" in retaliation, as top U.S. and EU diplomats visited the region seeking to keep the war from spreading. Fighting raged on inside Gaza, especially in and near the southern city of Khan Younis, where the Israeli military said it had killed three members of the militant Palestinian Hamas group that rules the densely populated coastal strip.

Bangladesh poll booths burn on election eve, as train arson kills four

Polling booths were set ablaze in Bangladesh on the eve of Sunday's general elections, while four people, including two children, were killed in a train fire that the government described as arson targeting democratic values. Friday's fire broke out at about 9 p.m. (1500 GMT), injuring eight passengers as it spread to four compartments of the Benapole Express headed for the capital, Dhaka.

Taiwan slams Chinese balloons as safety threat, psychological warfare

Taiwan's defence ministry accused China on Saturday of threatening aviation safety and waging psychological warfare on the island's people with a recent spate of balloons spotted near or over the island, days before key Taiwanese elections. The potential for China to use balloons for spying became a global issue in February when the United States shot down what it said was a Chinese surveillance balloon. China said the balloon was a civilian craft that accidentally drifted astray.

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