Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Kremlin says ousted Ukrainian defence minister's remarks show Kyiv is consumed by infighting

The Kremlin said on Wednesday that remarks by ousted Ukrainian Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov about official corruption and alleged shortcomings in military strategy showed that Kyiv was consumed by intensifying political infighting. Fedorov told Reuters this week that Ukraine appeared to be slowly losing the war against ​Russia, warning that Kyiv had a window of several months to make key decisions needed to turn the tide in its favour. He also complained about what he described as engrained corruption and patronage networks.

At least 14 infants killed in Islamabad hospital ​fire

At least 14 infants were killed in a fire at a state-run hospital in Pakistan's capital Islamabad on Wednesday, the prime minister said, with the health minister attributing ‌the tragedy to a blast ​in the nursery ward. The blaze started around 7 a.m. (0200 GMT) at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, on the third floor of the hospital's mother and child health ward, said broadcaster Geo TV, which put the death toll at 15.

Kremlin says US spy chief held talks with Russian counterparts during Moscow visit

U.S. CIA Director John Ratcliffe held talks with Russian intelligence officials during his visit to Moscow on Tuesday but did not meet President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin said on Wednesday. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Putin had been briefed on the outcome of Ratcliffe's talks, which come as the war in Ukraine is escalating and as efforts to reach a lasting peace deal between the U.S. and Iran have stalled.

US Senate Democrats urge Israel to rein in West Bank violence

U.S. Senate Democrats on Wednesday urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to rein in ‌a "surge" of violence by West Bank settlers and mass arrests of Palestinians by Israeli security forces in the occupied territory. In the letter to Netanyahu, seen by Reuters and signed by 45 of the Senate's 47-member Democratic caucus, the lawmakers noted increasing levels of "fatal violence by settlers."

Hard-left presidential candidate's plan to cancel French debt sparks backlash

France's political class has been roiled in recent years by its attempts to rein in the country's increasingly heavy debt load. Far-left presidential candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon has a simple but highly divisive idea: cancel it. Melenchon, of the France Unbowed party (LFI), has revived his calls for the central bank to cancel its holdings of French debt.

What triggered the catastrophic flood on the Nepal-Tibet border?

At least nine people have been killed in massive floods that struck the Himalayan border region of Nepal and China's Tibet on Wednesday. Here is a look at what caused

Mamdani opposes NYC event with leader of India's Hindu nationalist group

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on Tuesday he did not support an upcoming event in his city featuring the leader of the Hindu nationalist group that is the ideological parent of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Mohan Bhagwat, chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), is scheduled to speak at a Manhattan event ‌on Saturday, according to the event's website.

Devastating flash flood on Nepal-Tibet border kills nine, hundreds of tourists missing

A wall of mud and rock appeared to collapse into a river on the Himalayan border of Nepal and China's Tibet on Wednesday, triggering catastrophic flooding on the Nepali side that killed at least nine people and left hundreds of tourists missing. In a still-unfolding disaster, verified videos showed dozens of people swept away at the border, with authorities on both sides fearing far higher casualties and massive destruction.

Ulrich Siegmund, sunny face of the AfD, bids ‌for power in German state election

When Ulrich Siegmund was studying Business Psychology around a decade ago, he learned a lesson about messaging that has served him well in his quest to become the first member of the far-right AfD party to lead a state government in Germany. The 35-year-old from the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt has been the sunny, smiling face of the party, which has been polling at around 41% ahead of the September 6 election, giving him a real chance of becoming the state's next premier.

China prepares for more heavy rain from back-to-back storms

China's coastal areas and southern regions are preparing for days of intense precipitation, with tens of thousands of people evacuated as Typhoon Narra tracks inland and another storm churns toward the country's eastern seaboard. Narra made landfall as a tropical storm on Tuesday evening in the southern island province of Hainan after lingering over the Beibu Gulf — also known as the Gulf of Tonkin — for several days, dumping heavy rain across Guangxi, Hainan and Guangdong.

'Everybody has a Dolly Parton song' - World mourns country music legend

When Dolly Parton tribute artist Brooke McMullen woke up to messages about the death of the country music star, she thought it was a hoax. Dolly could never die. Parton was "one of those people that you just think is going to be around forever," McMullen said from Brisbane, Australia. "Her loss is huge."

Swiss to vote on whether to tighten neutrality, end peacetime cooperation with NATO

Swiss voters will ⁠decide in a referendum next month ​whether to approve a more restrictive form of neutrality that would block their country from imposing economic sanctions or cooperating with NATO. Posters featuring doves of peace and asking ⁠voters to reject war have appeared across the Alpine nation in a campaign that has won the backing of the Kremlin but has raised fears that it could isolate Switzerland from its European neighbours.

Harry and Meghan's media storm shows the power and peril of their brand

If Prince Harry and his wife Meghan were hoping the press would give them an easier time on their return to Britain, the frenzied reporting around her potential new acting role may indicate how they, and their brand, will fare. With most royal commentators flummoxed by the couple's imminent return to Britain six years after they left for the U.S., reports emerged that Meghan was in talks to appear in a Guy Ritchie Netflix crime drama, ⁠before a new report said a backlash had prompted the offer to be withdrawn.

Narrow majority of Icelanders back EU membership talks, poll shows ahead of referendum

A narrow majority of Icelanders support restarting negotiations on joining the European Union in a nationwide referendum set for Saturday, according to a new opinion poll, down slightly from the previous survey. The August 29 ballot is not a vote on membership itself and any deal with the EU would require Iceland to hold a second referendum on whether to join the bloc based on the terms agreed in the negotiations.

ICC urges Japan to counter US campaign against court

Japan should try to counter U.S. efforts ​to pressure members of the International Criminal Court to quit the body, the Japanese head of the court said on Wednesday, adding that Tokyo's support was pivotal to ensuring the ICC's survival. The Trump administration ratcheted up its campaign against the Hague-based court last week by sanctioning its president, Tomoko Akane, and a senior trial lawyer.

Ukraine awards Musk high state honour as it seeks to use Starlink more

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has bestowed one of Ukraine's top state honours on SpaceX owner Elon Musk as Kyiv seeks to expand use of ⁠the company's Starlink terminals, which provide battlefield communications for Ukrainian forces. Under a presidential decree published on the presidential website on Wednesday, Musk was awarded the Order of Freedom.

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.'"

Prince Harry and family due back in UK as they return from US, BBC reports

Prince Harry and his family arrived back in Britain on Wednesday, the BBC reported, days after ⁠it ​was revealed the couple were relocating six years after quitting royal duties and moving to the United States. Last week, Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, surprised even their close family when it was disclosed that they would move back from California to somewhere outside London for what was described as an extended period of time.

Defence lawyer looks to shift blame in Malta journalist’s murder trial

Lawyers defending Maltese businessman Yorgen Fenech against charges he masterminded the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia sought on Wednesday to shift blame to a former top government official. Fenech is accused of complicity in the murder of Caruana Galizia by a car bomb in October 2017, a killing that shocked Europe and set off a political firestorm in Malta, the smallest country in the European Union.

How a Ukrainian commander sped through the 'kill zone' to save wounded troops

Seeing two wounded fighters stranded on the battlefield — one of them still strapped to a land drone immobilized by a Russian strike — Ukrainian commander Vladyslav Polskyi knew he had to do something. The 29-year-old — a former science teacher who joined the army in 2023 — was watching the soldiers on a screen in his command post around 15 ⁠km (9 miles) away.

Iran and Oman reach agreements on share of Hormuz and revenues, Revolutionary Guards say

Iran and Oman have reached agreements on their share of the Strait of Hormuz and its revenues, Iran's Revolutionary Guards spokesperson said, according to a report by the semi-official Tasnim news agency on Wednesday. The spokesperson said the U.S. was obstructing negotiations between Oman and Iran, leading to them being delayed

Taiwan president pushes $6.6 billion military drone bill ahead of crucial vote

Taiwan must demonstrate its resolve to defend itself and pass a six-year, T$210 billion ($6.6 billion) special budget ⁠to buy military drones, President Lai Ching-te said on Wednesday ahead of a crucial vote in the opposition-controlled parliament.

Taiwan's government says the plans to buy some 210,000 ⁠new military drones cannot wait, given the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East have shown the importance of uncrewed weapons in modern warfare.

Iran and Oman reach accord on Strait of Hormuz, Revolutionary Guards say

Iran and Oman have reached agreement on their share of the Strait of Hormuz and its revenues, but the vital waterway will not be reopened if the U.S. does not accept their conditions, Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Wednesday. Iran and Oman have held on-and-off talks for weeks about controlling traffic through the strait, which handled one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments before the war began in February.

Turkey says SDF dissolution will help with Syrian unity

Turkey's ruling AK Party welcomes the dissolution of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces as an important step towards strengthening Syrian unity, a spokesman for President Tayyip Erdogan's party said on Wednesday. NATO member Turkey has emerged as ‌one of the main allies of neighbouring Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa after he toppled Bashar al-Assad's decades-long rule.

Bill ‌Gates, alarmed by AI, has policy ideas he wants to discuss with China's Xi

Bill Gates is looking to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this year, eager to propose global efforts to mitigate the growing risks posed by artificial intelligence. The Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist told Reuters in ​an interview that he believes China might agree to restricting potentially dangerous AI model releases if the U.S. took initiative on that first.