Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

UN and Red Cross call for urgent rules on autonomous weapons

The United Nations' chief and the head of the Red Cross on Tuesday warned that autonomous weapons that can kill people without human involvement could soon be used in conflicts and called for urgent negotiations to restrict their use. "We are now dangerously close to crossing a moral red ​line: the autonomous targeting of humans by machines," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a joint statement with the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross Mirjana Spoljaric.

Six months into Iran war, almost half of global oil flows from war zones

Almost half the ​world's oil comes from countries affected by conflict in 2026, Reuters calculations show, underscoring that current disruptions have eclipsed previous energy crises. Six months ago, U.S. and Israeli attacks on ‌Iran triggered what has become ​the largest oil supply crisis on record, with no clear end in sight.

Vatican foreign minister, in Moscow, says Ukraine war must end

A senior Vatican official urged an end to the Ukraine war after meeting in Moscow on Tuesday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in the first in-person talks between Vatican and Russian officials in five years. Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican's foreign minister, said every day that the four-year Russia-Ukraine war continues, it "creates new victims ... and renders future reconciliation ever more difficult."

Kremlin rebukes Finland's Stubb over his support for long-range Ukrainian strikes on Russia

The Kremlin said on Tuesday that remarks by Finnish President Alexander Stubb approving of Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory, including on e-commerce warehouses, confirmed that he belonged to the "party of war." Stubb told a news conference in Kyiv on Monday that Ukraine's partners must help it expand its ability to strike deeply inside Russia, arguing that ‌what he called a "sensible military strategy" increased the cost of the war for Moscow and helped persuade ordinary Russians it was time to end the conflict.

Trump administration plans to revoke visas of foreigners seeking asylum

President Donald Trump's administration said on Monday it planned to revoke the non-immigrant visas of foreigners who have applied for or are currently seeking asylum status in the U.S., marking its latest step in a sweeping immigration crackdown. A State Department spokesman said it was coordinating with the Department of Homeland Security "to identify and revoke the non-immigrant visas of foreigners who have come to the United States claiming to be short-term visitors, but then file for asylum to stay here permanently."

Bangladesh could consider joining Mecca pact, in test for foreign ties

Bangladesh could consider joining the Mecca pact, a mutual defence agreement signed this month between Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan, a minister said, a move that could complicate its foreign relations, particularly with neighbouring India. Ties have been strained as Bangladesh accused Indian border forces of forcibly pushing in people while it seeks extradition of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has lived in exile in India since her ouster in a protest movement in August 2024.

Factbox-What's included in the new US sanctions campaign ‌to pressure Iran's economy?

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced what his department called "an economic onslaught" against Iran on Monday that combined new sanctions with threats against Tehran's trading partners. His statement stopped short of some of the most punishing sanctions and did not list specific countries that would be targeted, or when those penalties would take effect.

US military transport plane lands in Moscow, Kremlin says it has no information yet

A U.S. military transport plane landed at Moscow's Vnukovo airport on Tuesday, data from the flight tracking service Flightradar24 showed. The large Boeing Globemaster with the U.S. registered tail number ‌07-7181 had flown direct from Riga, in Latvia, and landed in Moscow at around 0700 GMT.

Rare tornado in southwestern France injures dozens, damages homes

A tornado swept through a village in the Aude region of southwestern France late on Monday, destroying homes and injuring 39 people, authorities said, describing it as a rare and traumatic event. Two of the injured are in a critical condition and around 300 houses in the village of Pomas have been damaged, officials said. Everyone in the village has been evacuated while authorities verify if homes are still safe to live in, they added.

US Supreme Court hands a win to Trump over mail-in ballot restrictions

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday lifted one court order blocking President Donald Trump's administration from implementing an executive order restricting the use of mail-in ballots ahead of the November midterm elections. But the fate of Trump's order remains uncertain, as a separate injunction blocking a key part of the plan remains in place.

Pakistan and Iran made 'significant progress' in talks on conflict, minister says

Pakistan and Iran made "significant progress" in talks that focused on the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and a path to peace, Pakistan's interior minister said on Tuesday, at the end of a visit to Tehran. Talks between the two sides focused on measures to prevent further escalation, reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and an expedited termination of the conflict, a statement from the Pakistani military said about the meeting between the country's army chief, Asim Munir, and the Iranian leadership.

Ukraine's Zelenskiy sees window ⁠for U.S. mediation until summer 2027

Ukraine sees ​a window of opportunity for U.S. mediation to end Russia's war in Ukraine until the end of next summer and has drafted one page of ideas ⁠with U.S. and European officials to be presented to Moscow, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said. Zelenskiy said that a ceasefire and a previously discussed U.S. proposal for a free economic zone in Ukraine's eastern Donbas area — to be administered by a third party — were among the ideas in the document.

Peru to welcome Pope Leo with hymn honoring slain nun

Peru will welcome Pope Leo XIV in November with a hymn in honor of a Catholic nun killed by Maoist insurgents, celebrating the pontiff's return to the country where he worked for decades as a missionary. The song, featuring Andean rhythms and titled "Leon, Hermano del Camino" or "Leo, Brother on the Journey", will be performed by members of the Aguchita youth choir, named after Peruvian missionary Maria ⁠Agustina Rivas.

US threatens countries doing business with Iran, but holds off on penalties for now

President Donald Trump's administration on Monday warned countries to cut their business ties with Iran or face secondary sanctions as part of what it billed as an "economic D-Day," but the Treasury Department stopped short of actually imposing penalties. As the war with Iran nears its six-month mark, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the U.S. was launching an "economic onslaught" against Iran's financial connections around the globe.

Iran vows to resist widened US sanctions, says Washington seeks talks

Iran pledged to fight back against expanded U.S. sanctions aimed at isolating its economy, expressing confidence that major trading partners would resist the pressure campaign and ​saying that Washington was keen to revive talks. Almost six months into a conflict the U.S. has struggled to resolve, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent unveiled the measures on Monday but stopped short of the most punishing sanctions.

More than 120 injured in fire at Russian gas chemical complex, one Chinese worker killed

At least 19 people were being treated in hospital and more than a hundred more suffered injuries after a fire broke out on Tuesday at a gas chemical complex under construction in Russia's Far East, killing one Chinese national. "Despite ⁠prompt medical attention, one of the victims — a Chinese national employed by a contractor — could not be saved. His family will receive support, including financial assistance," the facility in the Amur region said in a statement.

Armenian ex-president Kocharyan charged with corruption in crackdown on government critics

Armenia's prosecutor general said in a statement that Kocharyan, who served as president from 1998 to 2008, had used his then-official position to transfer state-owned property to himself and his associates at "advantageous terms", and to conceal the "criminal origin" of that property.

US lawmakers urge Trump to ban Americans from aiding Chinese security agencies

Republican and Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday called on the Trump administration to bar American citizens and businesses from supporting Chinese and Russian civilian intelligence and security agencies. Congress approved a law in 2018 banning Americans from ⁠providing support ​to foreign military intelligence agencies but leaving the door open to such aid for similar civilian-led organizations. In 2019, Reuters revealed the United Arab Emirates had hired over a dozen former U.S. intelligence operatives to hack dissidents, journalists, and Americans, shining a spotlight on the issue.

USS Abraham Lincoln to dock in Thailand next week, Thai official says

The U.S. aircraft carrier the USS Abraham Lincoln will dock in Thailand next week, a Thai official said on Tuesday, following a prolonged deployment in the Middle East and reports of mental health concerns and deteriorating conditions aboard. The Lincoln, which left the Middle East on Saturday, has not made a port call in more than 200 days, setting a modern-day record for consecutive days at sea, according to Democratic lawmakers.

Gaza parents urged to stop kids flying kites after Israel warning to Hamas

Gaza parents have been warned to stop their children flying kites in the war-ravaged enclave, after Israel threatened a forceful response if the Hamas militant group revives a tactic of launching incendiary kites over the border. The popular committees, comprising representatives of local non-government organizations and charities that run Gaza displacement camps and shelters, issued the warning in a statement late on Monday.

New installations emerge ⁠on islet as China accelerates South China Sea build-up

New installations have been sighted on an islet near Antelope Reef in the Paracels archipelago of the disputed South China Sea where analysts believe China is building its largest military base, according to satellite imagery reviewed by Reuters. Security analysts say while it is too early to gauge definitively the likely function of the three-pronged construction on Yagong Island, it could be the start of an early warning radar facility to support eventual installations on Antelope Reef.

Homes submerged, tens of thousands relocated in China's south as flooding intensifies

Widespread ⁠floods triggered by heavy rain from Typhoon Narra intensified on Tuesday across southern China, with homes and shops submerged and thousands of people relocated, while another storm system made ⁠its way towards Japan and Taiwan. Authorities in Chongzuo, in China's Guangxi region, famous for its giant waterfalls and karst limestone mountains, evacuated more than 15,000 people after water levels surpassed a record high set in 2008.

India wanted red flags on chip packets and soda. Big Food fought back

A can of Fanta sold in London has 63 calories. Buy the same brand in India, and it contains three times as much sugar. It also includes artificial dye, whose presence in food products in Europe requires a prominent health warning. In India, the colorant’s presence is noted merely in small print on the back of the can. That suits some of the world’s biggest companies, which have long resisted Indian efforts to mandate nutritional warnings on the front of packaged products.

Myanmar human rights conditions hit new low, UN says

Human rights conditions in Myanmar have sunk to a ‌new low, with widespread abuses against the Rohingya minority and a booming illicit economy driven partly by illegal rare-earth mining ‌deepening civilian suffering, the U.N. said on Tuesday. The U.N. human rights office report, covering June 2025 to May 2026, said unrelenting conflict, military violence and a growing "conflict economy" were exposing civilians to severe hardship. Both Myanmar's military and the Arakan Army, which controls much of Rakhine State, had committed ​widespread, systematic violations against Rohingya communities, including killings, torture, forced recruitment, forced labour, arbitrary detention and displacement. Neither responded to a Reuters request for comment.