RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel launched heavy strikes across central and southern Gaza overnight and into Wednesday after broadening its offensive against Hamas to more areas where the military had told Palestinians to seek shelter earlier in the war.

Residents reported heavy bombing in the built-up Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, in the southern city of Khan Younis and in the southern town of Rafah, areas where tens of thousands have sought refuge as much of northern Gaza was pounded to rubble.

AHMEDABAD, India, Dec 27 (Reuters) - India has launched an investigation into how 303 Indians ended up on a chartered flight that was grounded in France last week because of suspected human trafficking, authorities in the western Indian state of Gujarat said on Wednesday.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia fired almost 50 Shahed drones at targets in Ukraine and shelled a train station where more than 100 civilians were gathered to catch a train to Kyiv, Ukrainian officials said Wednesday. The barrages killed at least five people and knocked out power in most of the southern city of Kherson.

The aerial barrage came a day after Ukrainian warplanes damaged a Russian ship moored in the Black Sea off Crimea as both sides’ soldiers struggle to make much progress along the front line of the 22-month war.

MOSCOW, Dec 27 (Reuters) - Russia's Supreme Court has upheld a decision to bar a former TV journalist who opposes the war in Ukraine from taking part in a presidential election in March, Yekaterina Duntsova, the would-be candidate, said on Wednesday.

Members of the central electoral commission voted unanimously to reject the candidacy of Duntsova, citing "numerous violations" in the papers she had submitted in support of her bid.

Duntsova, in a post on her Telegram channel, confirmed that her appeal against the decision had been rejected by the Supreme Court.

TEHRAN, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Iran's nuclear chief dismissed claims that the country had increased its production of highly enriched uranium as "media hype," the Iranian Students' News Agency reported Wednesday.

Mohammad Eslami, president of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, made the comments on the sidelines of a cabinet meeting, responding to a statement by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) summarizing a confidential report leaked to Reuters.

TOKYO (AP) — U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel praised Japan’s contribution to drastic “reform and modernization” of their alliance, particularly its military capability and spending, as well as a decision to allow Japanese-made Patriot guided missiles to be shipped to the United States to make up for its decreasing inventory.

In a meeting with Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara on Wednesday, Emanuel noted a series of steps Japan has taken to bolster its military power and the countries’ alliance, saying it brings the “level of deterrence to capital D deterrence.”

SEOUL, Dec 27 (Reuters) - More than 1,000 South Korean military, police and emergency personnel joined rare defence drills on Wednesday that simulated an attack by North Korea on Seoul, to counter fears the city is in striking distance of Pyongyang's weapons and covert attack.

The exercise comes amid heightened tension after the North tested an intercontinental ballistic missile and launched its first military spy satellite, with the neighbours reinstating last month some military measures eased after a 2018 pact.

MOSCOW, Dec 27 (Reuters) - A move by Japan to provide Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine will have "grave consequences" for Russia-Japan ties, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.

Relations between Moscow and Tokyo, already difficult, have deteriorated sharply since Russia sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in Feb. 2022. Japan has joined its Western allies in imposing sweeping economic sanctions on Russia.

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s political battle over state media continued Wednesday as the president filed a revised spending bill in defiance of the new pro-European Union government ‘s goal of freeing the media from political control.

President Andrzej Duda, an ally of the previous right-wing government, had vetoed the new government’s bill that provided 3 billion zlotys ($762 million) for the public media. His proposed bill strips that funding out.

ANKARA, Dec 27 (Reuters) - Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told his U.S. counterpart Antony Blinken in a call on Wednesday that Turkey expected the United States to act in line with their NATO alliance and keep its promises on the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Ankara, a Turkish diplomatic source said.

The call came at the request of the U.S. side, a day after a Turkish parliamentary commission voted to approve Sweden's NATO membership bid, the source added. The parliament's general assembly must also approve the bid for it to be ratified.

MOSCOW, Dec 27 (Reuters) - Russia told South Korea on Wednesday not to be surprised if Moscow retaliates against Seoul for expanding the list of goods which cannot be exported from the East Asian nation to Russia without special permission.

Seoul said this week it would add over 600 types of goods which could potentially be used for military purposes to its export control list for Russia.

The list includes heavy construction equipment, rechargeable batteries, aeronautical components, and some cars.

RAMALLAH, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- At least six Palestinian youths were killed as a result of an Israeli drone strike on the Nour Shams refugee camp in the city of Tulkarm in northern West Bank, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry and security sources on Wednesday.

The Health Ministry said in a press statement that the six youths were transported to the government hospital in the city, along with other persons seriously wounded.