Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Taiwan says 'unpredictable' China strengthens air and sea control nearby

An increasingly unpredictable Beijing is tightening its grip on the air and sea around Taiwan, Taipei said in an annual review of the Chinese threat that also said China was learning lessons from issues faced by the United States in waging war on Iran. China views democratically governed Taiwan as its ​own territory, has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control, and sends its military into the waters and airspace around Taiwan on an almost daily basis.

Iceland to seek new security partnerships after voters reject EU accession talks

Iceland needs ​to find new ways to strengthen its security after voters rejected restarting accession talks with the EU, the country's foreign minister told Reuters on Monday, including by seeking bilateral cooperation ‌and deepening ties with ​the bloc. The comments came after Icelanders on Saturday voted to reject a government push to reopen EU membership talks.

Nepal begins mass burials of unidentified flood victims as families seek missing

Nepal's scenic Chitwan district, known for its forests and rivers, has become the site of mass burials for hundreds of unidentified victims whose bodies were swept away by the torrent that devastated the Himalayan region nL1N44R00Y days ago. In the plains, nearly 200 kilometers from the flood-ravaged valleys of Rasuwa where the disaster struck on Wednesday, authorities have dug hundreds of graves in Chitwan's Devghat forest.

Rival factions stand off in Niger capital after mutineers attack airport, presidency

Mutinous soldiers in Niger attacked the airport and the presidency in the capital, Niamey, early on Saturday, triggering hours of gunfire and explosions and briefly knocking state television and radio off air. By late morning, Niger's defence ministry said the armed forces were ‌gradually retaking sites seized in the overnight attack, but security sources said mutineers were still at the airport in the afternoon and the overall situation remained unclear Saturday night.

Swiss police arrest suspect after deadly rave shooting

Swiss police said on Monday that they had arrested a 43-year-old suspect in relation to a deadly shooting incident at a rave in the town of Aarau on the weekend. A 22-year-old Italian woman was killed and five people injured after the shooting at the event at a covered horse race track in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Italy's population to shrink by 4 million by 2050, stats agency says

Italy's population will shrink by almost 4 million by 2050, undermining the sustainability of its economy and welfare system as the proportion of elderly people increases, national statistics bureau ISTAT warned on Monday. In new demographic projections extending to 2080, ISTAT said Italy's resident population would fall to 55 million in 2050 from 58.9 million at the start of 2025, before dropping to 45.8 million by 2080.

UAE denies Al Minhad Air Base was targeted after Iran says it attacked base

The UAE denied reports that Al Minhad Air Base had been targeted by missiles, saying in a defence ministry statement that the reports were false. The ‌ministry said the armed forces remained on a high state of readiness to respond to any threats and safeguard the UAE’s sovereignty, security and stability.

China says its information releases about floods have been open, transparent

China's foreign ministry said on Monday that the country's release of information about the floods and mudslide near its border with Nepal was transparent and timely, denying reports that Beijing ignored early warning signs in infrastructure construction. "Malicious smear campaigns and hype using the disaster situation does not align with popular sentiment," ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said in response to allegations that China ‌censored videos of the disaster and understated the number of missing people.

Lula's lead narrows in potential Brazil presidential runoff, Atlas/Bloomberg poll shows

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva would win a potential second-round vote in the October presidential election against opposition Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, an AtlasIntel/Bloomberg poll showed on Monday. Lula would receive 47.1% of votes in a second-round runoff, compared with 42.6% for Flavio Bolsonaro, son of ex-President Jair Bolsonaro, the poll showed.

Russian drone barrage on Kyiv enters fifth day, disrupting life across capital

Russian drone attacks on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and the surrounding region stretched into the fifth day on Monday, with near round-the-clock air raid sirens disrupting daily life for millions. The attacks early on Monday injured four people and damaged warehouse facilities, an apartment block and a retail outlet in the Kyiv region, regional governor Tymur Tkachenko said on Telegram.

Indonesia and US launch annual military exercises

The United States and Indonesia launched their annual joint military exercises on Monday, the first since announcing a new defence partnership this year, with drills from tactical airborne jumps and missile firing to jungle training and cyber defence. "Super Garuda Shield", held annually since 2006, will run until September 11 and include more than 4,700 personnel, with 13 other countries taking part including Japan, South Korea, Australia and Canada.

Kenya airport staff strike delays thousands of passengers

Flight delays at Kenya's main international airport on Monday affected thousands of travellers as airport workers' go-slow strike action continued into its second day, with the main union ⁠saying negotiations were ongoing. The Kenya Aviation Workers' ​Union (KAWU) said the strike at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport was due to a range of grievances, including the inability to conclude a collective bargaining agreement with ⁠the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority and lack of cooperation from the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) and Kenya Airways subsidiary Jambojet.

Russia drops all charges against businessman Ilya Traber, state media report

Russian investigators have dropped murder charges against prominent businessman Ilya Traber and freed him from custody, state media reported on Monday. Traber, 75, has been a leading business figure for decades in St Petersburg, where he has held extensive investments in ports and logistics. He was detained in June in connection with the fatal shooting of a businessman and politician, Alexander Petrov, in 2020, Russian media reported at the time.

UN committee says countries must consider reparations for slave trade

A U.N. committee said countries are legally obliged to consider reparations for the transatlantic slave trade and ⁠take other measures to address the enduring legacy of racial discrimination it says persists today. Guidance published on Monday by the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination stated that the obligations arise from a legally binding 1965 convention on racial discrimination, not from the legal standards that existed when the slave trade took place.

Israeli fire kills five people in Gaza, medics say

An Israeli strike killed at least five Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Monday, health officials said. Medics said two people were killed and several others wounded when an Israeli airstrike hit a crowd of people near the municipal public park in Gaza City, an area densely populated with displaced families.

North Korea says ​hostile US policy unchanged, vows to strengthen nuclear force

North Korea said on Monday the United States' hostile policy remained unchanged and vowed to continue strengthening its nuclear force, rejecting repeated U.S. calls for its denuclearisation. In a statement carried by state media KCNA, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson accused Washington of maintaining a confrontational stance through its commitment to the "complete denuclearisation" of North Korea, criticism of the country's human rights record and planned joint military exercises with South Korea and Japan.

Mother tells how daughter slipped from her grasp in north Cyprus ferry ⁠disaster

Ayten Bicer felt her 12-year-old daughter slip from her hands and disappear as a ferry capsized off northern Cyprus on Sunday, killing at least eight people. Her daughter Miray, and 6-year-old son Mehmet Asaf, were among nearly 20 people still missing on Monday as search teams looked for survivors in waters more than 500 metres (1,640 feet) deep.

Analysis-New stability record for Italy's Meloni may prove fleeting

In a country famed for political instability, Giorgia Meloni is poised to lead Italy's longest-lasting government since World War Two, overtaking a record of 1,412 consecutive days set by Silvio Berlusconi in 2005. Meloni, who has tempered her populist instincts with pragmatism since taking power in October 2022, plans a rally on Friday, September 4 to celebrate the milestone, framing the durability of her coalition as ⁠one of ​its crowning achievements.

Another Ukrainian town lies in ruins as Russians creep closer

Burned out cars. Rubble from flattened buildings strewn along deserted streets. The rumble of artillery guns followed by the high-pitched whine of an attack drone. This is today's reality in the eastern Ukrainian town of Druzhkivka, where a handful of civilians eke out a living alongside soldiers fighting the Russians who are now just 15 km (nine miles) away and gradually moving closer.

India must uphold water-sharing treaty with Pakistan, international court says

India must uphold a water-sharing treaty with Pakistan it suspended amid bilateral tensions and must limit work on an hydroelectric plant it is building in the Kashmir region, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague said on Monday. India in April last year suspended the treaty that ensures water supply to 80% of Pakistani farms, after India identified as Pakistani two of three assailants in an attack that killed 26 people at a tourist destination in Kashmir that month.

South Korea court sentences Unification Church leader to jail in political influence case

A South Korean court on Monday sentenced Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja to a combined two years in prison over political funding and bribery offences linked to efforts to ⁠gain influence with former President Yoon Suk Yeol's administration.

The Seoul Central District Court found that Han, 83, was involved in providing money to politicians and luxury goods, including Chanel bags and a diamond necklace, to former first lady Kim Keon Hee, according to the ruling.

Israel signs $3.5 billion air defence deal with Greece

Israel and Greece signed a €3 billion ($3.5 billion) defence deal on Monday under which Israel will build a multi-layered air defence system for Greece as Athens pushes ahead with a broader military modernisation programme. Israel's defence ministry said it was Israel's largest-ever defence ⁠export deal with Greece and one of the biggest in the country's history. The agreement confirmed an earlier Reuters report.

Spanish PM blames Russia, Israel for disinformation in Ceuta migrant ⁠crisis

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Monday there were signs Russia and Israel had spread the disinformation over Spain's migration policy that triggered last month's rush of migrants into Ceuta, but no evidence of Moroccan involvement. Over 72,000 migrants irregularly crossed from Morocco into the tiny Spanish territory between July 30 and 31 in an unprecedented surge at one of the European Union's only two land borders with Africa, prompting alarm across the bloc. At least 100 people died in the attempt, according to Ceuta's local authorities.

Italy, Spain extend tit-for-tat border controls after Ceuta migrant surge

Italy said on Monday it would suspend its open-border arrangements with Spain for another 15 days, extending restrictions it imposed after a mass rush of migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta a month ago. In response, Spain said it would also keep checking passengers arriving from Italy by air and sea for ‌15 more days, prolonging tit-for-tat restrictions that have undermined the European Union's passport-free Schengen zone.

Pacific forum kicks off ‌in Palau without several leaders

At least five heads of government were absent from talks at the annual Pacific Island Forum that began on Monday, as China-Taiwan tensions weighed heavily over the meeting that was intended to demonstrate regional unity. The prime ministers of Fiji, Vanuatu, Samoa and the Solomon Islands and ​the president of Kiribati will not attend the summit in Palau, an archipelago of over 500 islands that has maintained diplomatic ties with Taiwan.