Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Le Pen seeks to woo French business leaders at first presidential debate

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen sought to woo France's business leaders on Thursday, pledging during a first presidential debate with key rivals to put public finances back on track if she wins power next year. The debate, organised by France's main business lobby MEDEF, started with Le Pen, hard-left candidate Jean-Luc ​Melenchon and other candidates smiling and shaking hands but it soon grew more tense, with contenders accusing each other of making dangerous proposals over debt and pensions.

Hundreds killed and more than 1,000 missing after Himalayan flood

Rescuers searched Himalayan valleys and hillsides on Thursday after a ​flash flood that killed at least 359 people and left nearly 1,000 missing, as Nepal and China warned of a risk of fresh flooding from water pooling in two lakes. Both countries ‌said a glacier collapse ​on Wednesday morning sent a huge torrent of rock, ice, mud and debris cascading through Himalayan mountain river systems, sweeping through villages and key infrastructure down a route thronged by trekkers and pilgrims that links Kathmandu with Lhasa in Tibet. Of those missing, at least 540 are foreigners.

Cuba readies to kick off school year despite scant supplies

Cuba will kick off the school year next week as planned despite a severe ongoing crisis that has affected transportation and electricity and led to falling teacher numbers and a lack of supplies such as uniforms. Nearly 1.4 million children and adolescents will head back to school at the start of September, said the island's education minister on Thursday.

Eswatini receives two more third-country deportees from US, government says

Eswatini said on Thursday it had received two more third-country nationals deported from the United States under a bilateral agreement between the two countries. The government statement did not ‌give the nationalities of the individuals, but said that they were Latin American. More than 30 people have now been deported from the U.S. to the small Southern African kingdom since last year.

Tate brothers to remain in US jail pending judge's ruling

Social media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate will remain in a Miami jail for now as they contest extradition to Britain, where they are wanted on rape charges. At a hearing in Miami federal court on Thursday, Magistrate Judge Lauren Louis declined to rule immediately on the Tate brothers' request for bail, meaning they will remain in federal custody until she issues her ruling.

Reactions to death of Ratko Mladic, former general convicted of Bosnia genocide

Ratko Mladic, convicted of genocide for orchestrating the 1995 massacre of at least 8,000 Muslims in a U.N.-designated "safe area" of Bosnia, Europe's worst atrocity since World War Two, died on Thursday, his lawyer said. Here are some of the reactions to his death:

Exclusive-Pentagon's NATO review preparing troop options for Hegseth by November 6

A Pentagon review of U.S. troop deployments in Europe will create at least four sets of options for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth by November 6, well ahead of a December deadline for the review's completion, according to a document seen by Reuters. NATO allies worry ‌that the six-month review, announced in June, will lead to large-scale cuts to the roughly 80,000 U.S. forces across Europe and punish countries that President Donald Trump believes failed to support the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.

Iran's security chief denies report about a potential plot against Trump's son

Iran's Security Chief Mohsen Rezaei said a report about a potential plot to assassinate U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son is a lie, in an interview broadcast by Lebanon's Al Manar TV on Thursday. The U.S. Secret Service said on Tuesday that it was aware of a video broadcast by Iranian ‌state television discussing a potential plot to assassinate U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son Barron Trump.

Australian police arrest two men accused of widespread open-source software hacking

Australian police announced charges on Thursday against two men accused of participating in a cybercrime syndicate that targeted widely used open-source software to compromise thousands of global businesses. The Australian men face a combined 14 charges for their alleged roles in TeamPCP, a hacking collective that inserted malicious code into popular tools to compromise businesses, according to a statement from the Australian Federal Police. Some of the businesses were later extorted, according to a July FBI advisory.

Zambia opposition leader Mundubile questioned over alleged treason, police say

Zambian opposition leader Brian Mundubile and his running mate, Makebi Zulu, are in police custody after being questioned "in connection with an alleged offence of treason," the Zambia Police Service said on Thursday. The arrest came amid heightened political tensions following Zambia's August 13 election, in which Mundubile came second to President Hakainde Hichilema. Mundubile has claimed the election was fraudulent, which Hichilema denies.

Trump renames Lake Ontario as 'Lake America' amid Canada trade war

U.S. President Donald Trump renamed Lake Ontario "Lake America" on Thursday, escalating a feud with Canada that has already spawned tariffs on tens of billions of dollars in cross-border trade. Trump's executive order on Lake Ontario, one of the five Great Lakes of North America, applies to U.S. federal usage about the lake, and does not govern what Canada, international bodies or other organizations call the lake.

Pentagon policy chief tells NATO allies U.S. wants European-led defense of continent

The Pentagon’s ⁠policy chief told NATO members on ​Thursday that the alliance must adapt and that he wants to hear from allies as part of a review of U.S. forces in Europe he said was meant ⁠to enable a more European-led defence of the continent. Washington announced a six-month review of U.S. troop deployments in Europe in June and in recent weeks sent NATO members a questionnaire covering issues ranging from defense spending to strategy, procurement and support for U.S. foreign policy priorities.

Trump says Putin will not attack NATO territory, downplays Ratcliffe trip

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attack a NATO country, and he played down media reports that CIA Director John Ratcliffe warned Russian officials against such an attack earlier in the week. "He's not going to attack a NATO territory," Trump said of the Russian leader while speaking to reporters in the Oval Office.

Qatar steps in to mediate as Trump says ⁠US not talking to Iran

Qatar's prime minister visited Tehran on Thursday in an effort to revive stalled diplomacy six months into the war, as U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington was not currently talking to Iran. "We don't want to speak to them. We're not looking to meet or anything," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office after the White House said a U.S. economic campaign against Tehran would continue until Iran decides to negotiate meaningfully.

Two killed in oil tanker fire off South Korea, Yonhap reports

Two crew people were killed on Thursday after a fire broke out aboard an oil products tanker off South Korea, the Yonhap News Agency reported, citing the Coast Guard. The 7,333-ton vessel was carrying ​18 crew members, including seven foreign nationals, Yonhap said.

Trump says the U.S. is not talking with Iran as economic war in focus

President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the United States is not talking with Iran as Washington focuses on punishing Tehran economically, vowing to penalize countries that do business with the Islamic Republic. "We don't want to speak to them. We're not looking to meet or anything," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

Six consequences after six months of war in Iran

Six months after the United States and ⁠Israel launched strikes on Iran, the war that President Donald Trump has called a "little excursion" has become a deeply unpopular stalemate that threatens to derail his presidency. Iran has not surrendered, shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains severely disrupted, and there is no clear path to ending the conflict that Trump once predicted would be over in four weeks.

Norway's King Harald, 89, in 'very serious' condition, hundreds gather at palace

Norway's King Harald, 89, was in a "very serious" condition in hospital on Thursday, the royal court said, and family members gathered for several hours at his bedside. Hundreds of people gathered outside the Royal Palace in Oslo and in the centre of other major Norwegian cities, and many laid flowers as they awaited further news of the monarch's health.

Australia dispatches aid to Nepal as ⁠39 citizens ​missing

Australia will provide $3.6 million in aid for communities hit by floods along the Nepal-China border and deploy extra consular staff to the area, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Friday as the number of missing Australians rose to 39. Flash flooding triggered by a glacier collapse has killed at least 359 people and left nearly 1,000 missing in the region, half of them foreigners.

Nepal, China warn of fresh flood risks with lakes threatening to burst

Nepal and China both warned on Thursday of fresh risks of flooding in the Himalayas as two lakes that have developed on either side of their border threaten to burst in a region still grappling with this week's catastrophic flood. Search and rescue operations are still underway in the debris-strewn valleys and hillsides, with nearly 1,000 people still missing after Wednesday's flood struck the border regions of Nepal and China's Tibet, killing at least 362 people.

Analysis-After six months, the Iran war has reached its endgame - a costly stalemate

The Iran war has reached its endgame: a costly stalemate. Six months after U.S. and Israeli forces attacked Iran, killing its supreme leader and maiming his son and successor, the Iranian government is under economic siege, but it still holds power and believes it has ⁠time on its side.

Quebec to hold Oct 5 election, separatists favored to win

Quebec will hold an election on October 5, with polls showing that the next government is likely to be formed by separatists who want independence for the predominantly French-speaking Canadian province — but not while U.S. President Donald Trump is in office. Premier Christine Frechette, who leads the right-of-center Coalition Avenir Quebec government, made the announcement on Thursday at a press conference to begin her campaign for re-election. Under Quebec's fixed-date election law, October 5 is the latest day a province-wide vote can be held.

Ratko ⁠Mladic, former general convicted of Bosnia genocide, dies

Ratko Mladic, convicted of genocide for orchestrating the 1995 massacre of at least 8,000 Muslims in a U.N.-designated "safe area" of Bosnia, Europe's ⁠worst atrocity since World War Two, died on Thursday in U.N. custody. The slaughter in Srebrenica was the grisly culmination of a war that had lasted over three years, in which the general pounded the besieged capital Sarajevo daily with the artillery, tanks, mortars and heavy machineguns of his nationalist Serb army, killing 10,000.

Iran sets conditions for reopening Strait of Hormuz, top security official Rezaei says

Iran is preparing a list of conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz after mediators asked Tehran to set them out, said Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, adding that ending the regional war was among them. Rezaei said Iran had agreed with Oman on a shipping corridor through the strait, with parts of the route in Omani waters and parts in Iranian waters. Ships would use a designated central channel if the U.S. met Iran's conditions, he said through an interpreter in an ‌Al Manar TV interview.

UN rights office condemns US designation of Palestine Action as 'terrorist' group

The U.N. human rights office ‌said on Thursday the Trump administration's designation of the Palestine Action group as a terrorist organization was "a disproportionate and unnecessary restriction" on free speech rights that amounted to an expansive use of the term terrorism and will have a chilling effect. Washington designated Palestine Action on Wednesday as a terrorist group, saying ​the step was part of President Donald Trump's effort to crack down on left-wing groups in its counter-terrorism efforts. Israel's foreign ministry welcomed the designation.