Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Trump says Strait of Hormuz has been demined, warns Iran not to plant more

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that all mines had been detonated or removed from international waters of the Strait of Hormuz and that Iran has been told that any ship or boat placing new mines will be destroyed. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the United States, through its ​Space Force, was watching "every square inch" of the Strait, a key waterway in the global energy supply chain.

Russia says it struck five vessels in Ukraine's Black Sea ports

The Russian Defence Ministry said on Tuesday that its forces had struck three cargo vessels carrying supplies for the Ukrainian military and ​a tanker at the Black Sea port of Pivdennyi. The ministry also said it had hit another cargo vessel in the nearby port of Odesa, as well as port infrastructure in Pivdennyi and Odesa and ‌fuel storage facilities at the port ​of Chornomorsk.

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.

Lake America? Trump mulls renaming Lake Ontario, expresses love for French Canadians amid trade war

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he was considering changing the name of Lake Ontario to "Lake America" and denied that a rift over French language requirements contributed to a breakdown in trade talks between the U.S. and Canada. "The United States is giving serious consideration to changing the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America in that we don’t expect to doing ‌much business with Ontario any longer," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

US spy chief visits Russia for meetings, media reports

U.S. CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Moscow on Tuesday for meetings with Russian officials, U.S. media outlets reported, citing unnamed sources. The trip would be the first known visit to the Russian capital by a U.S. spy chief since Ratcliffe's predecessor, William Burns, held talks with Vladimir Putin in November 2021. About three months after that meeting, the Russian president launched Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Six bodies of migrants recovered in southeast Libya, security directorate says

Libya's security authorities recovered the bodies of at least six migrants in the southeast of the country after their vehicle broke down in the desert, the Alwahat Security Directorate said in a statement on Tuesday. The Directorate said the bodies were recovered in a desert area about 200 km (124 miles) northwest of the town of Jalu.

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.

Sweden's ruling coalition trails in poll, but closes gap on centre-left opposition

The gap between Sweden's ruling right-wing coalition government and the centre-left opposition parties has narrowed since June ahead of an election for parliament next month, a new opinion poll showed on Tuesday. The August 11 to 23 survey, published by daily Dagens Nyheter, showed the right-wing coalition's gap to the opposition deceased to 6.8 percentage points, compared with 9.5 percentage points in June.

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

Iran denounced on Tuesday expanded U.S. sanctions aimed at isolating its economy as an act of "gross lawlessness", expressing confidence that ‌many countries would not join the pressure campaign. 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 options.

Exclusive-Ukraine needs changes to avoid losing war, ousted defence minister says

Ukraine appears to be slowly losing the war against Russia, ousted Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov told Reuters, warning that Kyiv has a window of several months to make key decisions needed to turn the tide in its favour. Fedorov, a young reformer whose dismissal last month sparked weeks of protests, said Ukraine lacked any overall vision for how to win the four-year-old conflict, and was hobbled by its failure to innovate.

Landmark ruling puts normal life in reach for child of Egyptian rape survivor

As Egypt’s new academic year approaches, Amal Abdel Hameed is hopeful her daughter will be able to enroll officially in school for the first time since she was born as a result of a rape nearly eight years ago. Under Egyptian law, Abdel Hameed’s daughter had been barred from obtaining a birth certificate — and thus lacked official access to essentially all public services — because she was born outside wedlock. She had attended school but could not take exams.

Analysis-Iraq may show how U.S. can squeeze Iran's trade partners

Iraq could serve as an example of how the United States could carry out its threat to force countries that continue trading with Iran out of the dollar-based financial system. Washington has already sanctioned a host of Iraqi banks accused of doing business with Tehran, though it has avoided measures that would devastate the economy of the strategic ally of both countries.

U.S. military officer who called ⁠for Trump impeachment faces three charges

A U.S. military ​service member who called for President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance to be impeached is facing charges under the military justice system, his lawyer and the Air Force ⁠said on Tuesday. The active-duty officer, Major Jason Watson, denounced Trump and Vance last month for actions including going to war with Iran without congressional authorization, according to a video of the protest event posted online.

Dolly Parton, queen of country music, dies at 80

Dolly Parton was around six when she wrote her first song: "Little Tiny Tasseltop," an ode to her corncob doll with corn-silk hair. Her mother stored it preciously in a shoebox. "I loved that little doll," Parton wrote decades later. "I expressed myself and my feelings through writing - I’m sure what I was thinking was, 'Well, Tasseltop has to have a song about her.'"

US starts returning staff to Middle East missions after Iran war evacuations, sources say

President Donald Trump's administration is starting to send personnel back to some diplomatic missions in the Middle East that ⁠were evacuated or downsized amid tensions with Iran, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters. The posts in Lebanon, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Baghdad, Iraq, are among those where staff will return, the sources said. Family members will also be allowed to return to the U.S. post in Riyadh, they added.

China, India hold border talks, agree to continue search for boundary settlement

China and India agreed on Tuesday to continue dialogue and seek a "fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable settlement" of their border issue after talks between senior diplomats in Beijing. The world's two most populous nations, both nuclear powers, share a roughly 3,800-km (2,400-mile), largely undemarcated and disputed border in the Himalayas.

Syria's Kurdish-led SDF dissolves as part of integration with Damascus

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces has been dissolved, the armed ​militant group's leader said on Tuesday, a major step in the integration plan agreed on earlier this year with the Islamist-led government in Damascus. "We announce today the end of the mission of the Syrian Democratic Forces and announce with full responsibility its dissolution as an independent military force," SDF commander Mazloum Abdi said in a televised speech.

India, China review ties, discuss border issue in Beijing talks, Indian Embassy in China says

India's National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday discussed steps to expand bilateral cooperation, maintain peace and stability along the border and advance ⁠work on boundary delimitation at a meeting in Beijing on Tuesday, the Indian Embassy in China said. The two officials co-chaired the 25th Meeting of the Special Representatives on the India-China Boundary Question and reviewed the ongoing momentum in bilateral relations, the embassy said in post on X.

Bolivia's Paz taps deputy to lead economy after minister's ousting

Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz appointed Christian Morales as economy and public finance minister on Tuesday, signaling policy continuity as his government seeks to stabilize the crisis-hit economy, secure foreign financing and push reforms through Congress. Morales, who served as deputy minister under Jose Gabriel Espinoza, takes over after lawmakers last week censured and removed Espinoza in a blow to Paz.

Trump sends Saudi nuclear deal to Congress but says Riyadh must recognize Israel

President Donald Trump has sent Congress a proposed agreement with Saudi Arabia on civil nuclear energy while insisting the pact ⁠will ​only be approved if the kingdom normalizes relations with Israel, a U.S. administration official told Reuters on Tuesday. The agreement, which was reached in July and would allow U.S. companies to export civilian nuclear technology to the kingdom, was sent to Congress on Monday, according to the U.S. official, who declined to be identified.

U.S. Secret Service aware of Iranian video threat against Barron Trump

The U.S. Secret Service is aware of a video broadcast by Iranian state television discussing a potential plot to assassinate U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, a spokesperson said on Tuesday. "The U.S. Secret Service is aware of the video and investigates anything that can be perceived as a threat toward our protectees. Out of concern for operational security, we do not discuss matters of protective intelligence," Secret Service spokesperson Nate Herring said in an email.

Canada slaps retaliatory tariffs on US goods worth $20 billion as trade war intensifies

Canada hit back on Tuesday with retaliatory tariffs on about $20 billion worth of U.S. annual imports and rolled out aid for businesses and workers, matching Washington's latest duties dollar-for-dollar. The counter-tariffs on U.S. goods take effect on September 8 and impose duties of 15%, 25% and 50% across around 700 products imported from south of the border, a government statement said.

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.

Iran and Oman discuss temporary Hormuz corridor as impasse with US drags on

Iran said it had restarted talks with neighbor Oman to manage the Strait of Hormuz as it faces heightened economic pressure from U.S. ⁠President Donald Trump in the wider conflict.

Iran and Oman have been in on-and-off talks for weeks about controlling traffic through the strategic waterway, which handled one-fifth of global oil and liquefied ⁠natural gas shipments before the war began in February.

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.

Guinea-Bissau to vote on new constitution that would expand presidential powers

Guinea-Bissau, which is currently led by military officers who staged a coup last year, will hold a constitutional referendum on August 30 that would expand the power of the presidency and reshape rules for elections scheduled for December. Under the current constitution, Guinea-Bissau's legislature names a prime minister who appoints a cabinet. The new constitution would allow the president to appoint and dismiss the prime minister and cabinet. The president ‌would also be able to create or abolish government ministries, chair the Council of Ministers, dissolve parliament in the event ‌of a grave political crisis and dismiss the government under certain circumstances, according to a copy seen by Reuters.

Ghislaine Maxwell loses bid to throw out conviction for aiding Jeffrey Epstein

A U.S. judge rejected Ghislaine Maxwell's bid to throw out her conviction and 20-year prison sentence for helping the late financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse teenage ​girls. In a decision made public on Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer in Manhattan said Maxwell's claims were all meritless, and all or almost all were frivolous.