Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Poll finds Icelandic voters swing to narrowly opposing EU membership

A narrow majority of Icelandic voters oppose reopening negotiations to join the EU, a new Gallup opinion poll showed on Friday, a shift from earlier polls, ahead of a referendum on Saturday on whether to resume accession talks. The August 29 ballot is not a vote on membership itself and any deal would require Iceland to hold a second referendum on whether to join the 27-member bloc ​based on the terms agreed during the negotiations.

Reactions to the death of Norway's King Harald

Norway's King Harald, a reformer who emerged from the shadow of his well-loved father over more than three decades on the throne, has died aged 89, the royal palace said on Friday. Here are some of the reactions:

China resumes rescue ​work after assessing upstream lake conditions

Chinese authorities have assessed that risks from an overflowing lake formed after a glacier collapse that triggered catastrophic flooding on the China-Nepal border had become manageable by Friday afternoon, allowing suspended rescue operations ‌to resume. Nepal and China both ​warned on Thursday of fresh risks of flooding in the Himalayas, with a dam from debris leading to the formation of a lake that had been threatening to collapse.

Thousands march in Washington as leaders warn of voting and civil rights rollbacks

More than six decades after Martin Luther King Jr. stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and declared his dream for a more just America, thousands are expected to march in Washington on Friday, as a new generation of civil rights leaders warns that the very rights King fought and died for are once again under siege. Civil rights leaders will retrace his path through the capital, invoking the same demands King made from the same steps of the Lincoln Memorial two and a half generations ago: that the fight for equality remains unfinished.

Over 90,000 affected by Himalayan landslide, Red Cross says

More than 90,000 people are estimated to be directly affected by the Himalayan landslide and in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, the Red Cross said on Friday, as aid officials voiced fears of further flooding. "We believe that at least 93,000 people ‌have been affected and are in great need," David Fisher, head of delegation for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Nepal, told a Geneva press briefing.

On islands key to Taiwan's defense, troops prepare for a Chinese first strike

In the pre-dawn darkness on an island in the Taiwan Strait, Taiwanese troops earlier this month pulled long, gleaming 105mm shells from their green plastic canisters. After all the ammunition had been checked and safely loaded through hatches on four tanks, troops waited silently for the order to fire. (Read the story on Reuters.com: )

Thailand's southern insurgency leaves villagers trapped in a cycle of fear

Security guard Ni-arfan Doloh was taking a routine photograph for his nightly report on Saturday when five masked men carrying rifles emerged from inside a government office in Thailand's southern Narathiwat province. "I was shocked," said Ni-arfan, 25, recalling how they led him and another guard behind the Chang Phueak sub-district office, instructed them to sit with their hands behind their backs, and promised no harm would come to them.

Nepal monitoring two lakes, flood risk to remain until they're fully drained, official says

Nepal is monitoring two lakes upstream of the flood zone where hundreds died on Wednesday, an official with Nepal's Disaster Management Authority said. Flood risks will remain until the two lakes have fully drained, the official added, as one of the two lakes began overflowing on Friday.

Syrian president names former commander of Kurdish-led force as adviser

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa appointed the former commander of a now-dissolved Kurdish-led fighting force as a presidential adviser on Friday, ‌reflecting a rapprochement between the two long-time civil war adversaries. For over a decade, Mazloum Abdi led the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, which aligned with the U.S. to fight Islamic State and seize swathes of northern and eastern Syria during the country's war to create a semi-autonomous zone.

Families of South Koreans missing in Nepal floods seek urgent helicopter access

The families of South Korean workers missing after a catastrophic flash flood in Nepal urged authorities on Friday to secure helicopter access for a search, saying rescuers were losing critical time more than 48 hours after the disaster. The nine missing workers, employed by Doosan Enerbility and Korea South-East Power, were working on a major hydropower project hit by Wednesday's glacier-triggered flash ‌flood.

Ugandan King Oyo Nyimba, once world's youngest monarch, dies at 34

Oyo Nyimba, a Ugandan king, who became the world's youngest reigning monarch when he took the crown in 1995, has died aged 34, the prime minister of his kingdom announced. Uganda is a republic, ruled by an elected head of state, but it has several traditional monarchies that still preside over their kingdoms as they were constituted in the pre-colonial period. Their political power is largely symbolic, but they wield enormous cultural and social influence.

Dispute over cheese names causes stumbling block in US-Mexico trade negotiations

What's in a cheese name? That question has become a sticking point in U.S.-Mexico trade talks, according to two Mexican government sources who spoke on condition of anonymity because, no matter how you slice it, cheese diplomacy can be delicate.

China removes top generals from state Central Military Commission

China on Friday removed senior military officers Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli from their posts in the state Central Military Commission, state-run Xinhua said, citing the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress. Investigations into Zhang, second-in-command under President Xi Jinping as vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission and a member of China's elite Politburo, and Liu, CMC member and chief of staff of the CMC's Joint Staff Department, had been announced in January, for suspected serious violations of discipline and law.

Taiwan election commission rejects caning referendum proposal

Taiwan's election commission on Friday rejected a proposal passed by parliament for a referendum to legalise caning for serious crimes like sexual assault and fraud, saying it would go against the island's international human rights commitments. Taiwan's opposition-controlled parliament voted earlier this month to hold the caning referendum, which was opposed by the ruling party.

At least 49 people killed in armed cattle raid in South Sudan

‎At least 49 people were killed and 33 wounded in South Sudan after armed cattle raiders from Unity State in the country's ⁠north attacked a community of herders in ​neighbouring Warrap State at dawn on Thursday, officials said. • Inter-tribal and inter-communal violence is common in South Sudan, where herders compete with each other for scarce grazing lands and water for their cattle. An abundance ⁠of guns in civilian hands in the country exacerbates the violence.

Romania probes cause of Black Sea cargo ship sinking

A merchant ship caught fire and sank off the coast of Romania in the Black Sea on Thursday evening, likely after being hit, Romanian President Nicusor Dan and authorities said. The Romanian Border Police on Friday confirmed the fire on board a commercial ship sailing through Romania's exclusive economic zone, but did not provide a cause.

Nepal declines foreign rescue help, South Korea says it is 'negotiating'

Nepal does not need foreign assistance for search-and-rescue operations following the devastating flash flood that swept through several towns, its foreign ministry said on Friday, despite offers of help from several countries with nationals missing in the disaster. The flood tore through areas including Rasuwa district near the Chinese border, levelling entire towns, damaging hydropower projects and killing close to 500 people. Hundreds of foreign nationals are still missing, including ⁠from South Korea, which said it has already sent a response team to Nepal and will also dispatch a disaster relief team.

Iran war mediators focus on reopening Strait of Hormuz

Mediators in the Iran war are stepping up efforts to get the Strait of Hormuz reopened, with Tehran agreeing to draw up a list of conditions to restore normal traffic after a Qatari emissary pressed the Iranians to respect freedom of navigation. With the U.S. having disengaged from talks in favour of an economic pressure campaign, the prime minister of Qatar, a U.S. ally, met senior Iranian leaders in Tehran on Thursday, stressing the importance of returning to the pre-war status of open shipping through an international waterway.

China hands ex-Hubei party chief suspended death sentence for bribery

A Chinese court on Friday handed Jiang Chaoliang, former party boss of the central ​province of Hubei, a suspended death sentence over corruption and said he took in bribes totalling more than 746 million yuan ($111.01 million), state broadcaster CCTV said. Jiang, who had also served as chairman of the Agricultural Bank of China, president of the China Development Bank, and chairman of the Bank of Communication, was known for his removal as the leading official of Hubei at the start of the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020.

Nepal and China resume flood rescue after lake threat eases, death toll tops 500

Nepal and China resumed rescue operations that had been suspended briefly in the flood-hit Himalayas on Friday after risks from an overflowing lake were found to be ⁠manageable, easing fears of fresh devastation. Wednesday's catastrophic flood caused by a glacier collapse killed 547 people in Nepal and five in China's Tibet, with almost 1,000 more missing in the two countries.

UN refugee agency scales back posts and budget for 2027, documents show

The U.N. refugee agency has scaled back its budget by 16% and lowered its official headcount by around 3,500 as it adapts to new financial constraints at a time when global displacement is forecast to climb to an all-time high next year, according to diplomats and documents seen by Reuters. The total cuts, on paper, would amount to a near halving of the workforce and a drop in the budget of a third since 2025, laying bare the cumulative impact of cuts due to reductions in foreign aid budgets by the Trump administration and others.

Sweden to deploy fighter jets, warships to Finland

Sweden's military will participate in the surveillance and protection of Finland's territory with Gripen fighter jets and corvette ⁠warship, at ​least until the end of 2026, Finland's defence forces said on Friday. "The Swedish equipment strengthens air surveillance in particular, releasing the Finnish Defence Forces' own resources for repelling violations and incidents, if need be," Finland's military said in a statement.

Trump administration seeks to restrict internships for international students

President Donald Trump's administration has issued a memo for universities that seeks to restrict issuance of certain internship work authorizations for international students as the federal government warned that colleges not complying with the regulations may lose certification to enroll foreign students. The federal memo dated August 24 said the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, which is part of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, has "observed a rise in Curricular Practical Training (CPT) authorizations that appear to violate regulatory requirements which permit CPT only where the training is an integral part of an established curriculum."

Police detain more than 300 in Indonesia's capital after unrest following protest

Police in the Indonesian capital Jakarta have detained over 300 people for questioning and named dozens of suspects following street protests that had turned into late-night rioting, officials said on Friday. Demonstrations by various groups started on Thursday morning near parliament amid heavy security on the anniversary of deadly anti-government protests last year, which lasted two weeks and gave an early test to the administration of President Prabowo Subianto.

Russia strikes Ukraine's capital with waves of drones

Russia launched waves of drones at Ukraine's capital Kyiv and surrounding region on Friday, damaging warehouses and homes in a second consecutive day of strikes Ukrainian ⁠officials said were an attempt to derail daily life for millions of residents. At least one person was killed outside Kyiv, said Governor Tymur Tkachenko, adding that 14 warehouse premises, 16 homes and three blocks of apartment buildings had been damaged.

Baltic Sea nations plan drone defence task force, Germany says

The countries bordering the Baltic Sea plan to establish a joint task force for drone defence that will allow them to react quickly in the face of the growing threat of hybrid attacks, said German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt on Friday. Numerous incidents of possible sabotage affecting undersea cables and critical gas pipelines have taken place in the Baltic Sea, bordered by eight NATO countries and ⁠Russia, since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in Ukraine in 2022.

Iran's disfigured supreme leader remains invisible six months into an existential war

Six months after the airstrikes that began the war and propelled a badly wounded Mojtaba ⁠Khamenei into the role of Iran's supreme leader, he remains entirely unseen and unheard by Iranians — a vacuum at the heart of his country's leadership. Questions over his condition and role are growing increasingly fraught, with Iran facing critical decisions over a war that has set the Middle East aflame while trashing the country's already fragile economy.

Prosecutors say seven charged with damaging Trump Scottish golf course had 'terrorism connection'

Seven protesters accused of daubing pro-Palestinian graffiti on U.S. President Donald Trump's Turnberry golf resort in Scotland last year could face longer sentences if found guilty due to what prosecutors have described as a "terrorist connection". Activists from the now-banned group Palestine Action were charged last year with criminal damage for spray-painting walls at the course with the slogans "Free Gaza" and "Free Palestine" as well as insults against Trump.

Rwandan genocide suspect jailed for life in the Netherlands

A Dutch court on Friday sentenced a 67-year-old man to life in prison for war crimes and genocide committed in Rwanda in 1994, where it said he had been involved in the killing of around 3,000 Tutsis who had sought refuge ‌from Hutu attacks at a stadium. The defendant, identified only as Eugene N., had fled to the Netherlands in 1998 and later obtained the ‌Dutch nationality. Dutch prosecutors opened an investigation into him in 2020, which led to his arrest in the Netherlands in 2024.

Kenya police fire tear gas to disperse traders protesting import duty hike

Police fired tear gas to disperse small-scale traders protesting against an import duty hike, a Reuters witness saw on Friday, while hundreds of businesses closed in central Nairobi. The Kenya Revenue Authority ​said its decision to raise the duty with effect from August 20 aimed to curb under-declaration and undervaluation of imports, which it said disadvantages compliant businesses and local manufacturers.