Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

'Saved by a mango tree': How a Nepali labourer survived deadly flash flood

Nepali labourer Bibek Kumal was digging a toilet pit outside a newly built house on Wednesday when a wall of water, mud and rock came roaring down, sweeping him and everything near him away. Kumal, 24, was working in Bidur, downstream from the worst-hit Rasuwa district, near Nepal's Himalayan border with China's Tibet, when he ​heard a hissing sound. His four co-workers, standing above the five-foot (1.5 metre) deep pit, shouted at him to get out and run.

Kremlin says US spy chief met with Russian counterparts during Moscow visit

U.S. CIA Director John Ratcliffe spoke with Russian intelligence officials during a visit to Moscow but ​did not meet President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin said on Wednesday of a trip that U.S. President Donald Trump described as "semi-routine." Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Putin had been briefed on the outcome ‌of Tuesday's visit, which came as ​the war in Ukraine drags on and as efforts to reach a lasting peace between the United States and Iran have stalled.

US judge refuses to force extradition of jailed ICE agent from Texas to Minnesota

A federal judge on Wednesday denied a request by Minnesota to force Texas Governor Greg Abbott to immediately extradite a jailed U.S. immigration agent facing assault charges for shooting a Venezuelan man in the leg during last winter's deportation surge in Minneapolis. The ruling clears the way for Christian Castro, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer arrested by Texas Rangers acting on a Minnesota court warrant, to be freed from custody on Thursday. That's when a 90-day detention limit for someone awaiting extradition under Texas law is due to expire.

Prominent Ukrainian commanders to lead defence of eastern region demanded by Russia

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has appointed two of Ukraine's most prominent commanders to oversee the defence of the country's eastern strongholds, as Kyiv struggles to beat back a Russian onslaught ‌on a region at the centre of stalled peace talks. Moscow's troops are grinding towards the so-called fortress belt of industrialised cities in the Donetsk region, which the Kremlin has demanded that Ukraine give up before it ends its war.

Factbox-From Australia to Europe, countries move to curb children's social media access

Australia in December became the world's first country to ban social media for children under 16, blocking them from platforms including TikTok, Alphabet's YouTube and Meta's Instagram and Facebook. Meta will pay up to $18 billion to resolve claims by U.S. states that Facebook and Instagram are designed to keep young users hooked, ending one of the highest-profile tests of allegations that social media companies harm children.

Analysis-Carney faces ticking clock on Canadian support for tough tactics with Trump

Prime Minister Mark Carney has the support of most Canadians after breaking off trade talks with the U.S., but widespread approval of his pushback against U.S. President Donald Trump could disappear within months as the consequences of the trade war sink in. Carney's negotiating position could also weaken if Republicans retain power in Congress after November U.S. midterm elections and reinforce American protectionism under Trump.

US religious freedom panel urges sanctions against India's RSS during chief's US visit

A U.S. panel on religious freedom has expressed concern about a visit to the U.S. by the chief of the Hindu nationalist group that is the ideological parent of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata ‌Party (BJP), and urged sanctions on the group's members. Mohan Bhagwat, chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), is on a U.S. visit and is scheduled to speak at a Saturday event in New York City.

US senator hopes 'sledgehammer' Russian sanctions will pass next month

A U.S. senator sponsoring a bill for wide-ranging sanctions on Russia said on Wednesday he was hopeful it would pass the House of Representatives next month, and be a "sledgehammer" to President Vladimir Putin's efforts to fund his war in Ukraine. Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut who met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and senior officials during a visit to Kyiv, said ‌the bill had strong Republican support in the House, after comfortably passing an initial Senate vote last month.

Tim Curry, actor famed for 'Rocky Horror Picture Show,' dead at 80

Tim Curry, the baritone-voiced British actor who pranced to movie fame as a singing, lingerie-clad "sweet transvestite" in the 1975 cult classic "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," has died at the age of 80, his manager said on Wednesday. A cause of death was not immediately given, but Curry had been in ill health for some time. He died peacefully on Tuesday at his home in Los Angeles, his manager said.

Hundreds missing after flood hits Nepal-Tibet border, 157 bodies recovered

A huge wall of mud and rock collapsed into a river on the Himalayan border of Nepal and China's Tibet on Wednesday, triggering catastrophic flooding on the Nepali side that killed scores of 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.

'We will always love you' - world mourns Dolly Parton

In Britain, the King's Guard band played Dolly Parton's "9 to 5" in front of Buckingham Palace. In the United States, the Empire State Building lit up in pink. In Japan, producer Seiji Kameda remembered a singer whose voice "shone like the sun". Fans across continents, from prime ministers to pop stars, sent out messages of grief and affection after the news came through that the country music legend, songwriter and actress had died on Tuesday aged 80.

Nigerian gunmen raise over $5 million from mass kidnappings, study finds

Nigerian kidnappers have collected nearly $5.8 million in ransom payments in the last year from ⁠civilian abductions, crime that is crippling education ​and eroding public trust in the government, a security consultancy said on Wednesday. Nigeria's SBM Intelligence said 7,825 people were kidnapped between July 2025 and June 2026, up 66% from ⁠the year before. At least 1,142 people were killed, and total confirmed ransom payments more than tripled to 7.78 billion naira ($5.79 million), it said.

Wildfires kill 12 people across several Algerian provinces

Twelve people were killed in wildfires that swept through several Algerian provinces, Interior Minister Said Sayoud said late on Wednesday, amid a severe heatwave gripping North Africa.

The fatalities included five people in Jijel province, four in Bejaia and three in Tizi Ouzou.

Qatar PM to visit Tehran to pursue mediation efforts

Qatar's prime minister will visit Tehran on Thursday in an effort to relaunch diplomacy after the U.S. and Iran traded recriminations over Washington's promise to increase economic pressure on Tehran by targeting its trade partners for sanctions. Qatar, a Gulf neighbour of Iran and a U.S. ally, has served as a back-channel negotiator for the ⁠warring parties and played a direct role in securing the June ceasefire that briefly led to a cessation of hostilities.

Dolly Parton leaves legacy of literacy, advocacy and charitable giving

Dolly Parton, the trailblazing country music icon, songwriter and actress who died on Tuesday at age 80, was so much more to millions around the world. She was a symbol of generosity, whose philanthropic work spanned literacy, disaster relief, medical research and support for marginalized communities and racial justice, transcending the political and cultural divides that reshaped the world around her.

US says Chinese hackers broke into Justice Department, NASA, Federal Reserve, Senate

The U.S. said on Wednesday it had disrupted a Chinese hacking operation responsible for break-ins and attempts on the Justice Department, NASA, the Federal Reserve, the Senate, ​and other sensitive government agencies. In a statement, the Justice Department said it had seized domains used by two hacking platforms, dubbed QScan and QTRouter, which it said had been used as part of the campaign.

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.

French security chief ⁠sees new threats after Leipzig drone attack

France is assessing the possibility of attacks against its essential companies and infrastructure after an apparent drone attack on Leipzig/Halle airport earlier this month, the country's top domestic intelligence official said on Wednesday. On August 4, an explosives-laden drone was discovered near a Ukrainian Antonov cargo aircraft used for military supplies at the German airport, a cargo and logistics hub used by NATO and Ukraine's Antonov Airlines.

Pentagon official to brief NATO allies as review fuels questions

Senior European diplomats will seek to reassure the Pentagon’s policy chief on Thursday that they are stepping up on defence amid uncertainty about a U.S. review of forces in Europe and concern about Russia, officials told Reuters. Washington announced a six-month review of U.S. troop deployments in Europe in June, as the U.S. administration pushes for Europe to take primary responsibility for the continent’s ⁠defence and ​after President Donald Trump vented his anger at Europeans for not doing more to assist the U.S. in the Iran war.

French far-left leader Melenchon close to presidential runoff, poll shows

French far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon is seen as the possible rival to far-right candidate Marine Le Pen in next year's presidential run-off, a second poll showed this week, stressing the electorate's growing polarisation as Emmanuel Macron's era ends. Melenchon, the leader of far-left France Unbowed (LFI), would end up second in the first round of the presidential election scheduled in April 2027, qualifying for a second round, in three out of seven scenarios tested by the IFOP pollster on August 24 and 25.

Glacier collapse may have triggered deadly Nepal flash flood, experts say

A deadly flash flood near Nepal's border with Tibet on Wednesday may have been triggered when the lower part of a glacier broke off and crashed on to the valley floor hundreds of metres below, experts said citing satellite imagery from Planet Labs. It was not clear what caused the glacier to collapse, but Nepali officials have pointed to an earthquake in the region minutes earlier as a possibility.

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.

PNG parliament to consider Bougainville region's bid for independence

Papua New Guinea's autonomous region of Bougainville moved a step closer to possible independence on Thursday as the country's parliament prepared to consider the results of a non-binding referendum in which voters overwhelmingly backed secession. Residents of Bougainville, which consists of two main islands and several smaller ones with a population of about 370,000 people, voted 97.7% in favour of independence ⁠in 2019.

Trump: 'Time to teach Canada you can't do this anymore'

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday it was "time to teach Canada you can't do this anymore," just days after trade talks ⁠between the neighboring countries broke down. "I had a deal, that was a pretty good deal, you know, quite good," Trump told Glenn Beck in an interview. "They don't have anything that we have to have, okay, we can get by. I mean, there are a couple of things that would make it a little inconvenient, but we can get them elsewhere. And it's time to teach Canada you can't do this anymore."

Iran and Oman still working on Strait of Hormuz accord, says senior Iranian source

Iran and Oman are still working on the details of an agreement on the Strait of Hormuz, a senior Iranian source said on Wednesday, after Iran's Revolutionary Guards said the two countries had agreed how to share the waterway and its revenues.

The elite force's spokesperson, echoing Tehran's official stance, also said the strait would not open unless the U.S. met Tehran's conditions under an interim ceasefire agreement that was struck in June before unravelling. Those ‌conditions include an end to the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports, compensation and removal of sanctions.

Explainer-Haiti's conflict in numbers as ‌gangs inflict another night of terror

A night of terror in Haiti's hillside town of Kenscoff - which has faced more than a dozen attacks since last year - has shocked the nation even as Haiti prepares to hold its first election in a decade and foreign nations backed by the United Nations promise to lend more effective support. Sunday's attack ​saw at least 47 killed, some close to the police station, though more have been reported kidnapped. Thousands fled their homes to avoid further attacks.