Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Kremlin says military is working to resolve humanitarian crisis in Russian-controlled Oleshky

The Kremlin said on Monday that Oleshky, a town in the part of Ukraine's Kherson region that Russia controls, had critical problems with food and medicine supplies, but that Russia's military was working to resolve them. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Ukraine's delegation intended to raise before the UN General Assembly the issue of Oleshky, where he ​said 6,000 residents, including 200 children, "were dying from hunger and cold."

How Putin may exploit Russian ruling party's election win

The pro-Putin ruling United Russia party retained its decisive majority in the national parliament, near-complete election results showed on Monday nL8N45D0HS, in a tightly controlled political system that excluded nL6N4580KN most candidates ​who oppose Moscow's war in Ukraine https://www.reuters.com/world/ukraine-russia-war/.

Here are some of the reasons why the vote may be useful to President Vladimir Putin:

Not the time to soften stance over Belarus, Lithuania says

The ‌European Union has no reason ​to ease sanctions on Belarus, Lithuania's foreign minister said on Monday, arguing that President Alexander Lukashenko's government continues to repress opponents, violate human rights and back Russia's war in Ukraine. US President Donald Trump said earlier in the day that Washington was working on a deal to purchase potash from Belarus, a key sector sanctioned by the EU.

How US sanctions would undermine global war crimes court

US President Donald Trump https://www.reuters.com/world/us/donald-trump/ 's administration is preparing sanctions nL1N45C05S against the International Criminal Court https://www.reuters.com/company/international-criminal-court/ as part of a campaign to dismantle the institution created to prosecute people accused of the world's most heinous crimes. WHY IS WASHINGTON PLANNING TO DO THIS?

Moldovan leaders say will seek parliament's ok to declare energy, water emergency

Moldova's pro-European leaders said on Monday that they were asking parliament to declare a state of emergency for energy and water supply in connection with dangerously low levels on the Dniester River it shares with Ukraine. Prime Minister Vasile Tofan, writing on social media after a meeting of Moldova's Security Council, ‌said the government would present the appeal to the chamber on Tuesday to give the administration the powers needed to tackle difficulties.

Five takeaways from Germany's regional elections

Elections in two German states nL1N45C01D on Sunday resulted in severe losses for the country's leading Christian Democrats, whose Chancellor Friedrich Merz is facing pressure to keep the far-right Alternative fuer Deutschland party at bay. Here are five takeaways from regional elections in the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Germany's capital Berlin.

Exclusive-US to open two new military bases in Greenland, sources say

The US plans to reopen a former Cold War-era military base in southern Greenland and set up a military presence at an east coast base now used by the Danish dog sled patrol under an agreement to be signed by the US, Denmark and Greenland on Tuesday, according to three people familiar with the matter. Those sites are Narsarsuaq, whose population has dwindled to a few dozen people since the US closed its Bluie West One military base in the 1950s, and Mestersvig, a military outpost currently used by the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol, a Danish special forces unit, said two of the people.

World Food Programme ramps up response in Yemen as hunger fears escalate, official says

The acting chief of the World Food Programme on Monday said the agency was ramping up its response to the escalating crisis in Yemen, where Houthi fighters seized the country's ‌Red Sea coast, displacing tens of thousands of people. Nearly 700 people have been killed and thousands injured, according to the UN, as the group made their advance. More than 120,000 Yemenis have fled their homes within Yemen, and thousands more by boat across the Red Sea to Africa.

EU continues talks on deal to lift sanctions on Russia-linked billionaires Usmanov and Fridman, diplomats say

European Union envoys will try again on Tuesday to reach a deal that could lift sanctions on Russia-linked billionaires Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman in return for keeping thousands of other individuals and businesses under sanctions imposed due to the war in Ukraine, diplomats said. The proposed ‌deal emerged after France and Luxembourg each pushed for one of the men to be removed from the bloc’s sanctions list, apparently for domestic reasons, to the anger of some other EU countries and Ukraine.

UK's Burnham agrees to Saudi request for refuelling support

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on Monday he had agreed to a request from Saudi Arabia to provide defensive air-to-air refuelling for a limited time period, a move he described as helping to stabilise the wider region. Riyadh requested support after the Houthis, who control the most populous parts of Yemen, intensified their attacks on Saudi Arabia, a new front in the wider war that began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February.

Erosion of Germany's political centre exposes Merz's weakening grip on power

Germany's far right and far left both made big gains in Sunday's state elections, exposing yet again the erosion of the political centre in Europe's largest economy as well as Chancellor Friedrich Merz's weakening hold on power. The anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) confirmed its strength in the formerly communist eastern states by taking first place in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania state, building on its triumph two weeks ago in Saxony-Anhalt.

Carney condemns shooting outside Canadian synagogue on Yom Kippur

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Monday condemned a shooting outside a synagogue in Belleville, Ontario, on Sunday evening that left a police officer wounded as members of the Jewish community gathered for Yom Kippur services. "Last night, on the holiest night of the Jewish calendar, a shooting took place outside the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville," Carney posted on X. "Jewish people must be able to worship safely. To live free, open, proud Jewish."

Xi rolls into Trump summit with China's ⁠trade engine roaring

In the four months ​since the leaders of the two global superpowers last met, Xi Jinping has overseen a surge in China's trade with the world while Donald Trump has struggled with falling approval ratings ⁠at home. That shift in fortunes has tempered expectations for their summit in Washington this week, analysts say, with Xi in no rush to make concessions and Trump constrained by a costly war with Iran that has hurt both his popularity and Americans' wallets.

A carbon-credit land rush is hollowing out New Zealand farm country

At the start of lambing season, Fiona Ramsden's farm near the New Zealand village of Pongaroa is a picture of rural life: newborn lambs trailing their mothers across steep pasture, fields dotted with spiky native palm trees, and a pretty white homestead that dates back about a century. But pine trees are closing in.

Brazil's Lula meets Mamdani in New York ahead of major elections

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva met New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Monday for a first chat between two of ⁠the biggest names of the political left in the Americas ahead of key elections in both Brazil and the United States. Lula is in the US for the United Nations General Assembly and received Mamdani in an Upper East Side house that serves as the residence and office of the Brazilian representation to the UN.

Zelenskiy and US spy chief Ratcliffe meet in Ireland, sources say

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met US CIA chief John Ratcliffe at Shannon Airport in Ireland, two people familiar with the matter said. The meeting took place on Monday, one of the sources said. The other source said the pair spoke informally while their planes were being refueled without specifying a date. Both sources, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, declined to disclose details of ​their conversation.

Pakistan says it killed 28 militants, Afghan Taliban and UN report three civilian deaths

Pakistan's government said on Monday that it launched airstrikes in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region, killing at least 28 militants, with one security official saying two Afghan provinces were targeted. Hours earlier, Afghan Taliban officials accused Islamabad of killing at least three civilians in overnight airstrikes on Afghan territory.

US stresses backing for Japan, Korea and Taiwan ahead of Trump-Xi summit

The United States on Monday reiterated its commitment to the defense of key Asian allies Japan and South Korea, and the three nations expressed support for Taiwan ahead of ⁠a summit this week between US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Analysts say the US allies are anxious that Trump may offer concessions to Xi including over Taiwan and trade in return for an economic win with Beijing when he hosts Xi at the White House in Washington on Thursday.

Man convicted of attempted murder in shooting of three Palestinian students in Vermont

A man was convicted by a jury of attempted murder in the late 2023 shooting of three Palestinian American students in Vermont, two of whom were wounded and one was left paralyzed from the waist down, prosecutors said on Monday. Jason Eaton was found guilty on three counts of attempted second-degree murder for the shootings of Hisham Awartani, Tahseen Aliahmad and Kinnan Abdalhamid on November 25, 2023, in Burlington, Vermont, prosecutor Sarah George, the Chittenden County state's attorney, said in a statement.

Trump, in ⁠call with ​Yemen president, did not pledge military support against Houthis, say sources

US President Donald Trump spoke by phone with Yemeni President Rashad al-Alimi on Sunday, four people familiar with the matter said, discussing the advances of the Iran-backed Houthis around a vital global waterway. Alimi requested US support for his Saudi-backed government in its fight against the Houthis, who this month took key areas along the Bab al-Mandeb strait in a lightning offensive.

Two Republican Senate candidates call for swift end to Iran war, diverging from Trump

Two Republicans in tight US Senate races called on Monday for a swift end to the war in Iran https://www.reuters.com/world/iran/, the latest sign that vulnerable candidates are trying to put some distance between themselves and President Donald Trump over a conflict that has pushed up fuel prices, including a surge in diesel to record highs https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/global-diesel-prices-hit-record-highs-further-rises-possible-2026-09-21/.

Both Mike Rogers, locked in a competitive race against Democrat Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, and Ashley Hinson, who is facing Democrat Josh Turek https://www.reuters.com/world/us/prairie-populist-turek-wins-democratic-nomination-us-senate-iowa-2026-06-03/ in a close contest in Iowa, struck a more dovish tone on Iran on Monday, after previously backing Trump's authority to strike Tehran.

North Korea says it tests new combat weapon system, KCNA reports

North Korea said it successfully tested a new weapon on Sunday, overseen by leader Kim Jong Un, state media KCNA reported on Tuesday. Kim said the test, carried out by North Korea's Missile ⁠Administration, was a demonstration of "ultra-modern" defence technology and showed clear progress in modernization of its armed forces, according to KCNA.

EU's Kallas says Red Sea naval mission needs more than 10 ships

The European Union's naval mission in the Red Sea would need more than 10 warships, its foreign policy chief said on Monday, adding that for now there weren’t that many in the area. "When Aspides (the EU military operation) was put in place, then the indication was that it needs at least 10 ships. The situation, I think, is even more grave right now," she told reporters on the sidelines of the annual gathering ⁠of world leaders at the United Nations.

EU continues talks on renewal of Russia sanctions, diplomats say

European Union countries are continuing deliberations on a proposed deal what would lift sanctions on Russia-linked billionaires Alisher ⁠Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman but ensure thousands of other individuals and organisations remain sanctioned, diplomats said on Monday. One EU diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, said ambassadors from the EU's 27 member countries would resume talks in Brussels with the aim of reaching an agreement on Tuesday morning.

British PM Andy Burnham seeks resolution to dispute over Diego Garcia base

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on Monday he was determined to find a resolution to the disputed status of a U.S.-British military base on the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia. Britain last year agreed a deal to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius after more than two centuries of control, while retaining a 99-year lease over its biggest island, Diego Garcia, and its strategic military base.

Poland concludes military air operations, says no airspace violation

Poland's army said on Friday it ended military aviation operations that had been launched earlier in the day in response to Russian strikes on Ukraine, with no violation of Polish airspace detected. Ground-based ‌air defence systems and radar reconnaissance units have returned to normal operations, the Polish Armed Forces Operational Command said in an ‌X post.

Polo strengthens into hurricane, threatening Mexico's Pacific resort towns

Polo strengthened off Mexico's Pacific coast into a hurricane on Monday and is forecast to rapidly intensify into a major storm, threatening floods, dangerous surf and strong wind gusts in coastal states and near major beach resorts. Around mid-day locally (1800 GMT), Polo was located some 270 miles (435 km) south-southeast ​of port city Manzanillo and 190 miles (305 km) south-southwest of tourist town Zihuatanejo, packing maximum sustained winds of 80 mph (130 km/h), the US National Hurricane Center said.