Reuters World News Summary

Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo are screening over 300 people on a river boat after a suspected Ebola case raised concerns of potential virus spread.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Congo tests passengers after boat that carried suspected Ebola case intercepted near Kinshasa

Congolese health authorities were screening more than 300 people travelling on a river boat intercepted near Kinshasa on Thursday after the death of a passenger suspected of having Ebola raised concerns the virus may have spread on board, officials said. Authorities deployed a mobile laboratory to the vessel after it was stopped in Maluku, ​around 65 km (40 miles) upstream from the capital on Wednesday.

Oman responds to stranded vessel off Dhofar, state media says

Oman is sending response teams to the Caroline Bezengi, an oil tanker stranded near the Hallaniyat Islands off the southern governorate of Dhofar, to limit any potential environmental impact, Omani ​state media reported on Thursday. The sanctioned ship was loaded with Russian crude prior to the voyage, shipping data showed. An oil spill from the 274-meter (900-foot) vessel has been spreading, raising concern ‌about damage to coastal areas and ​sea life.

Russian strikes kill six in Ukraine's Balakliia, Sumy, officials say

Rescuers worked on Thursday to douse fires and clear debris in Ukraine's eastern city of Balakliia after Russian strikes on homes killed three overnight, authorities said on the Telegram messaging app. Three people were also killed overnight and at least 19 wounded in Russian attacks on settlements in the northern region of Sumy.

In Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia, Russia spreads fear with 'safari' strikes on civilians

When two Russian bombs hit Kateryna Lahuta's seafood business in Ukraine's southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia last month, they shattered the last semblance of security for the 41-year-old entrepreneur. Since the first weeks of their 2022 invasion, Moscow's forces have been dug in just south of Zaporizhzhia, a key manufacturing city of around 700,000 people, hammering it with missiles and drones.

Trump signs orders to limit US birthright citizenship, despite Supreme Court ruling

U.S. President Donald Trump signed two executive orders on Thursday in a new but narrower attempt to curtail birthright citizenship, once again challenging ‌a provision of the U.S. Constitution even though the Supreme Court rejected his previous effort. Limiting birthright citizenship has been one of the top priorities in the Republican president's crackdown on immigration, with the White House taking particular aim at what it calls "birth tourism," in which pregnant foreigners travel to the U.S. to give birth.

Zelenskiy says Ukraine to help farmers hit by Russian attacks

Ukraine will provide assistance to farmers hit by Russian attacks on shipping and port facilities, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday. Zelenskiy, speaking in his nightly video address, said the measures had been elaborated at a government meeting and would focus on farmers "who are now in a difficult situation because of Russian strikes on our ports and the maritime corridor".

Saudi Arabia expects imminent attacks from north and south, senior official says

Saudi Arabia expects imminent coordinated attacks from the north and south by Iraqi militias and Yemen's Houthis under the supervision of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a senior Saudi official said on Thursday. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said intelligence reports from Saudi Arabia, the United States and other regional countries indicated civilian and economic sites could be targeted, including energy infrastructure, ports and airports.

Israel charges settler in Palestinian activist's killing, in rare indictment

Israeli prosecutors on Thursday charged a Jewish settler over the killing of a Palestinian community leader last year in the West Bank, the first such ‌indictment in more than seven years amid a rise in settler violence in the occupied territory.

In an indictment filed by the State Attorney's office, Yinon Levi is charged with reckless manslaughter in the death of Owdeh Hathaleen, a prominent activist who was involved in the 2025 Oscar-winning documentary "No Other Land".

Trump signs executive orders targeting birthright citizenship

U.S. President Donald Trump signed executive orders on Thursday targeting birthright citizenship, a month after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the Republican president's bid to restrict the practice. The orders expand the definitions of people who are ineligible for birthright citizenship and ban "birth tourism".

Exclusive-Iran warns Gulf states: tell ‌Trump to desist or we hit you hard

Iran has made a concerted diplomatic push with Gulf states, warning them explicitly that Tehran will hit their oil, power and water plants unless they convince Donald Trump to end U.S. strikes on Iran and instead seek a negotiated end to the war. The warning envisaged attacks on the energy facilities, oil fields, refineries, electricity grids, water infrastructure, transport networks and other strategic assets of Washington's closest Arab allies, according to a senior Iranian official.

Morocco ready to cooperate on return of minors from Spain, state media says

Morocco is ready to cooperate with Spain and other European partners on the return of unaccompanied minors who were among tens of thousands of migrants who crossed into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, state news agency MAP reported on Thursday. "Morocco has committed, in line with high royal instructions issued to the interior and foreign affairs ministries, to work towards identifying unaccompanied minors with a view to their return to their homeland," MAP, which reflects official positions, said citing a diplomatic source.

Analysis-Trump's Iran dilemma: He's stuck in war with no exit in sight

With President Donald Trump’s war against Iran now in its sixth month, this week's flurry of threats and diplomacy has underscored the ever-tighter bind he finds himself in as he tries to extricate the U.S. from an unpopular conflict he originally claimed would last just weeks. Trump is caught between an emerging interim deal being negotiated by Iran and Oman that would give Tehran control over the Strait of Hormuz it never possessed before the war, or following through on his warnings of sharp escalation, risking a more prolonged ⁠crisis.

Wildfire prompts evacuation alert in metro ​Vancouver

A wildfire prompted an evacuation alert on Wednesday about 30 kilometers (18.64 miles) from Vancouver, one of Canada's largest metropolitan areas, as blazes in Western Canada continued to spread due to ⁠dry and hot weather. About 35 properties in the village of Anmore were asked to be prepared to evacuate on Wednesday, packing essentials such as government IDs and medications. "We’re a small team, but we will be doing our best to keep our residents updated," Anmore's acting mayor Doug Richardson told residents.

Iran threatens to hit Gulf states if US launches new strikes

Iran has warned Gulf states that any new U.S. attack on its territory would trigger retaliation against critical energy infrastructure across the region, according to five sources, as Tehran seeks to raise the cost of military action by threatening Washington's closest regional allies. The warning was delivered through a flurry of high-level diplomatic contacts after President Donald Trump threatened on July 28 to strike Iran's energy network and infrastructure, the sources said.

Former Mexican governor ⁠arrested for allegedly destroying evidence tied to 43 missing students

The former governor of Mexico's southern Guerrero state has been arrested for allegedly ordering the destruction of evidence that could have helped shed light on the whereabouts of 43 students who disappeared in 2014, authorities said on Thursday. Angel Aguirre — who has previously denied wrongdoing — was arrested on charges of obstruction of justice and forced disappearance, Attorney General Ernestina Godoy told reporters.

Exclusive-Jailed ex-US Marine may be near death in Russia, sister, advocacy groups say

A former U.S. Marine jailed in Russia since 2022 and allegedly tortured and injected with mind-altering drugs, slipped into a stupor in June and may be close to death, according to two hostage advocacy groups and his sister. The White House and the ​State Department have urged Moscow to release Robert Gilman, 32, so he can receive urgent medical treatment in the U.S., said Eric Lebson, chief strategy officer of Global Reach, an advocacy group representing his family. Gilman is being fed through a tube, he said.

Venezuelan government, opposition delegation begin talks

U.S.-backed negotiations between Venezuela's interim government and a faction of the opposition began on Thursday afternoon, the two sides said, after nearly a week of delays. The talks are aimed at remaking the country's political system ahead of eventual elections.

US to vet social media of foreign journalists ⁠applying for visas, report says

The U.S. State Department will vet the social media accounts of foreign journalists applying for visas to work in the United States, according to a media report on Thursday. The report in the conservative news outlet The Daily Signal cited an internal memo that said an initiative by President Donald Trump's administration that requires applicants for many visa types to make their social media accounts public for screening was being expanded to include foreign media representatives.

Bomb planted on minibus kills two near Damascus, Syrian officials say

A bomb planted in a minibus killed two people and wounded 14 others on the outskirts of Syria's capital Damascus on Thursday night, officials said. The blast occurred in the predominantly Druze area of Jaramana, outside Damascus. A security source told the state-run Ekhbariya TV that the blast was caused by an explosive device ⁠planted on ​the vehicle, citing preliminary information.

Myanmar's Min Aung Hlaing visits Thailand in quest for legitimacy

Myanmar's junta chief turned President Min Aung Hlaing received a red-carpet welcome in Thailand on Thursday as Bangkok pushes for progress on peace efforts in Myanmar's civil war and its re-engagement with the regional bloc ASEAN. The retired general, who seized power in a 2021 coup, is the subject of a raft of Western sanctions and has sought international legitimacy since becoming Myanmar's president in April, which followed an election dominated by an army-backed party in the absence of any viable opposition.

Pakistan broadens foreign media curbs to local staff, drawing backlash

Pakistan has imposed further restrictions on foreign media outlets operating in the country, for the first time seeking to routinely control the movement of Pakistani nationals working for them. Until the new government restrictions were first circulated widely on Sunday, only foreign citizens working as journalists were routinely subject to controls on movement outside Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi.

Pacific ministers to debate China missile statement

Pacific Island foreign ministers are expected to debate on Friday whether to issue a joint statement on China's July missile launch, with New Zealand pushing for a response but acknowledging divisions could prevent agreement, New Zealand's foreign minister said. Foreign Minister Winston Peters told a media conference that talks at the Pacific Islands Forum Foreign Minister's meeting in ⁠Suva would test whether members could overcome "predetermined" positions on the issue.

Puerto Rico to begin water rationing due to intense drought

Puerto Rico will begin a rotating water rationing program on Friday across the island in response to intense drought, authorities said, in a plan that forces tens of thousands of people to go without water for 48 hours at a time. The rationing will last at least through the end of August, according to details posted on the U.S. territory's Aqueduct and Sewer Authority website. Puerto Rico Governor Jenniffer Gonzalez said at a press conference late on Wednesday that she does ⁠not know how long the rationing will be required.

Israel strikes south Lebanon after soldiers killed, talks continue in Rome

Israel said two of its soldiers were killed in southern Lebanon on Wednesday while ⁠Lebanese authorities said Israeli retaliatory attacks killed at least one person, a flare-up in violence that coincided with the latest round of talks between the two countries. The Rome talks, which began on Tuesday and are expected to continue through Thursday, come after the two countries agreed in June to a U.S.-brokered security arrangement intended to ease hostilities along the border.

As Iran war drags on, Americans are bracing for more chaos in Middle East, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds

Five months into the U.S. war with Iran, Americans who expect the Middle East to slide toward chaos outnumber those who see the war bringing more stability by three to one, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll. The six-day poll concluded on Monday, as Republican President Donald Trump again backed away from threatened "massive attacks" on Iran, underscoring uncertainty surrounding a conflict he initially predicted would bring a swift victory.

Trump says he thinks war with Iran will end 'pretty soon'

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday told ‌reporters that he believed the war with Iran would be over soon and said the armed forces were experiencing issues ‌with supplies of some weapons. "I think it's going to end pretty soon. I don't think they can go much longer," Trump said in the Oval Office in a reference to Iran.

Trump suggests Fauci should be prosecuted

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday suggested that Dr. Anthony Fauci should be prosecuted, hours after Republican Senator Rand Paulo ​said that he would ask the Justice Department to do so. Paul said he wanted action after Fauci refused to answer questions about the COVID-19 pandemic.