Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Author-psychiatrist Augusto Cury gains ground in Brazil presidential race polls

Augusto Cury, a psychiatrist and best-selling author with no previous elected office experience, has emerged as a surprise contender in Brazil's presidential race, unsettling a contest dominated by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro. Recent television appearances and strong social media reach have lifted Cury's standing in opinion polls ahead of the October vote.

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.

Trump ally ‌Laura Loomer faces fresh criticism ​over racist comments

Multiple lawmakers and rights advocates on Monday condemned Laura Loomer, a far-right activist and ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, over racist comments attacking Democratic socialist Angie Nixon and other prominent Black U.S. politicians. "Angie Nixon is a ghetto, black, communist," Loomer said on X on Monday. Nixon recently scored an upset victory in Florida's Democratic primary race for the U.S. Senate, one of a number of winning candidates that have stirred enthusiasm on the party's left flank but been characterized by Republicans as extremists.

Trump says it's 'very early' to talk about a Hegseth 2028 presidential campaign

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday told reporters it was too soon to discuss his potential successor, sidestepping talk of a 2028 campaign by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Asked about an NBC News report that the Pentagon chief has discussed a potential White House run, Trump said Hegseth is doing a "fantastic job, but it's very early to talk about that."

US irks G20 ministers by inviting Russia, barring some journalists

The United States' move to welcome Russia back ‌to a meeting of G20 countries on Monday while denying some journalists access to the gathering dismayed some finance leaders present, deflecting from its bid to focus talks on global economic growth. The two-day meeting in Asheville, North Carolina, comes as the global economy is being buffeted by an energy shock triggered by the Iran war, faces rising tensions over China's huge goods trade surplus and is braced for how an investment surge in AI will ultimately play out.

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.

Former French Prime Minister Edouard Balladur, technocrat who feuded with Chirac, dies at 97

After losing the 1995 presidential election against his ally-turned-rival Jacques Chirac, former French Prime Minister Edouard Balladur wrote: "Moved? No." He added: "I would not have been any more so had I won." A stiff technocrat, Balladur was often portrayed by his critics as aloof and disconnected from his contemporaries' preoccupations. Plantu, a press cartoonist, sketched him as an aristocrat wearing a wig and seated in a sedan chair. The satirical weekly Le Canard enchaîné renamed him "His Courteous Smugness".

North Carolina girl, 17, charged in role in California mosque attack

A grand jury ‌in North Carolina on Monday indicted a 17-year-old girl on suspicion of aiding and abetting the May 18 shooting that killed three people at a mosque in San Diego by recording and disseminating a live video of the attack. Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O’Neill told a press conference that officials decided to bring state charges because in North Carolina the girl can be tried as an adult. She faces a potential sentence of life in prison without parole if convicted in North Carolina, while federal charges could result in a three- or four-year sentence.

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.

Former French PM Balladur dies at 97

Edouard Balladur, who was France's prime minister from 1993 to 1995, has died at 97, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said on X on Monday. A leading figure of France's centre-right, Balladur was the architect of a sweeping privatisation drive that saw the sale of some of France's most prominent companies, including banks Société Générale and Paribas — later part of BNP Paribas — as well as broadcaster TF1. He also pushed through a reform of France's politically sensitive pension system in 1993.

Trump administration plans $4 million for right-wing media in Europe, sources say

President Donald Trump's administration is planning to spend $4 million to bolster right-wing media in Europe, part of a package of at least $25 million for civil society groups working on conservative causes in the region, according to four people familiar with the funding. The grants risk deepening tensions between the Trump administration and European governments, some of which have already accused Washington of interfering in their domestic politics.

Zelenskiy, Trump's envoys discuss Ukraine visit and peace efforts

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday he held a "detailed and constructive" call with U.S. President Donald Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, and that the sides were working to finalize dates for their visit to Ukraine aimed at advancing peace efforts. "I also informed them about the situation on the battlefield, where Russia's gains have been sparse and at the cost of huge ⁠losses, and about the strikes," he said in ​a post on Telegram.

Sweden signs French warship order to boost its defence

Sweden signed an order for four Naval Group frigates during a ceremony in Stockholm on Monday attended by ⁠French President Emmanuel Macron and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. Sweden, NATO's newest member, is racing to build up its military strength after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 prompted the country to abandon its long-held policy of neutrality.

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 at a rave in the town of Aarau at the weekend. A 22-year-old Italian woman was killed and five people were injured in the early hours of Sunday morning at the event, held at a covered horse racing track.

Trump says he is reviewing US position on Falkland Islands

U.S. President Donald Trump said he was reviewing the United States' position on the Falkland Islands, the remote British-ruled archipelago in the South Atlantic. "I always review every position. That's just one ⁠of many," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked about the islands' sovereignty.

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.

Last-minute flood warning saved over 900 Nepal students, school head says

Headmaster Rajendra Dawadi was in his school in Nepal's Bidur last Wednesday when his accountant entered, shouting: "The flood is coming, the flood is coming!", giving an early warning that helped save the lives of 900 students and 16 faculty members. As teachers at the Tribhuvan Trishuli ​Secondary School began receiving panicked phone calls from relatives and friends, a roaring wave of mud water was already making its way through the valley upstream, flattening entire towns.

Researchers defend older age of key archaeological site in Chile

Two groups of researchers are defending the view that the Monte Verde archaeological site in Chile was occupied by ancient hunter-gatherers about 14,500 years ago after another study indicated it was much younger — a debate with major implications for understanding the initial peopling of the Americas. This creek valley site, located in southern Chile about 36 miles (58 km) from the Pacific coast, was discovered in the ⁠1970s. The scientific testing announced in 1997 that concluded that people were present at this locale deep in South America about 14,500 years ago suggested a much earlier arrival for humans in the New World than had been believed at the time.

Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan agree to establish secretariat under joint defence pact

Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan agreed to establish a secretariat in Saudi Arabia under their Mecca joint defence agreement, which will initially be headed by a Pakistani secretary-general for three years, the three countries said in a joint statement on Monday. The three countries' representatives met in Istanbul on Monday.

With US bill's fate in balance, Ukraine to lobby US on Russia sanctions

Ukraine's top sanctions official will visit Washington this week to urge members of the U.S. House of Representatives to back sweeping Russia sanctions legislation that sailed through the Senate but faces stiff opposition from some powerful Democrats. Vladyslav ⁠Vlasiuk, President ​Volodymyr Zelenskiy's sanctions commissioner, told Reuters on Monday he is due to be in the U.S. capital on Tuesday on a trip that will include meetings with lawmakers.

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 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.

Trump was sending message to Iran with Kharg Island post, says Vance

U.S. President Donald Trump was sending a message to Iran with his social media post about Iran's energy hub of Kharg Island being blown to smithereens, Vice President JD Vance said on Monday. "The president likes to switch it up on social media a little bit. He would be the first to say he doesn't make announcements about military actions on social media, but I think that he's sending a message to the Iranians," Vance said when asked about Trump's post.

'No plans' to deploy troops to midterm elections polling sites, top US general says

The ⁠top U.S. general said the military has no plans to send federal military personnel or National Guard troops to polling places during this year's midterm elections. In a letter to U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin, ⁠a Democrat from Michigan, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine said election administration and security remain the responsibility of state and local officials.

Verdict expected this week for suspected mastermind of Caruana Galizia murder

The jury trial of a Maltese businessman accused of masterminding the car bomb murder of prominent anti-corruption journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia entered its final phase on Monday, as the presiding judge started her summing up. Yorgen Fenech, 44, is accused of complicity to murder Caruana Galizia in October 2017, a killing that shocked Europe and set off a political firestorm in Malta as well as focusing international attention on its police and judiciary.

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.

At least 2 dead in Grand Canyon flooding; Park ‌Service says 20-plus may be missing

At least two people were killed and as many as 20 or more others were unaccounted for after flash flooding struck the Grand Canyon in Arizona over the weekend, forcing the evacuation of dozens of hikers by helicopter, the National Park Service said. Heavy rains on Saturday sent a cascade of mud, boulders and debris ​rushing through Bright Angel Creek, a major side canyon that runs from the park's North Rim to the Colorado River, sweeping away trails, foot bridges and other infrastructure.