Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Trump welcomes Xi to Washington looking for a trade win

US President Donald Trump welcomes Chinese President Xi Jinping to the White House on Thursday for a lavish state summit expected to be heavy on symbolism but light on substance, with both leaders keen to showcase stable ties despite a deep underlying rivalry. It will be the year's second meeting of the leaders of the two biggest economies, but ​Xi's first visit to Washington in more than a decade.

Russia's Krasnodar region declares state of emergency as drone attacks slow grain exports

The governor of Russia's southern Krasnodar region, a major agricultural producer, has declared a state of emergency over Ukrainian drone attacks that have inhibited the export of grain, a ​move which allows those affected to receive compensation. Both Russia and Ukraine have stepped up attacks on the other side's grain vessels in the Black Sea in recent months, sending global prices higher.

For ‌Pope Leo, the risk of ​an AI apocalypse is a major concern

The Vatican warned about the risk of an apocalypse spurred by artificial intelligence years before major American firms sounded the alarm at the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday - a concern that Pope Leo is placing at the heart of his papacy. Leo, who in May called on world leaders for global rules to oversee the industry, renewed his warnings about AI at a Vatican meeting on Thursday and is expected to do so again on Friday in a speech at the Paris headquarters of the UN's culture and education body, UNESCO.

Greek-operated air defence system shoots down ballistic missile, drone over Saudi

An air defence system operated by Greek military personnel in Saudi Arabia intercepted a ballistic missile and a drone on Thursday in the wider Yanbu region, home to major oil refining facilities, Greek security sources told Reuters. Earlier on Thursday, Saudi civil defence issued alerts warning of potential danger in the holy city of Mecca, the northwestern area of Tabuk, the Red ‌Sea areas of Jeddah and Yanbu, and the southern area of Taif.

Poland's Tusk says inviting Putin to G20 may encourage Russian aggression

Inviting Russian President Vladimir Putin to a December G20 meeting in Miami, Florida may encourage Moscow to continue its aggression towards Ukraine, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Thursday. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that he hoped Putin would accept the invitation and that it would give him the chance to engage with President Donald Trump and other world leaders.

Turkey's Erdogan tells Ukraine's Zelenskiy that Black Sea attacks are inexplicable

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy that attacks by Russia and Ukraine on commercial vessels in the Black Sea were inexplicable and steps must be taken to stop these, according to a readout from his office on Thursday. NATO member Turkey, which has maintained cordial ties with both Moscow and Kyiv since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, has repeatedly urged the warring sides to stop attacks in the Black Sea.

US Democrats tee up pre-election war powers vote as some Republicans break with Trump on Iran

The US Senate could vote as soon as Thursday to tell President Donald Trump to end the war in Iran or get Congress' authorization to continue it, as Democrats tee up a vote on the unpopular conflict before November's midterm elections. With polls showing Trump's Republicans struggling to keep their slim congressional majorities on November ‌3, more of them have been edging away from the war, which has pushed up fuel prices. Democrats are pushing for a vote to put Republicans on the record. Only 34% of respondents in a Reuters/Ipsos poll this week said they approved of the strikes on Iran.

US and Indian top diplomats discuss Russia sanctions bill signed by Trump

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar discussed on Wednesday US measures that could be leveled against countries that engage economically with Russia and Iran, with New Delhi reiterating concerns over a sanctions bill recently signed into law by President Donald Trump. Last week, Trump signed ‌the bill called "Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026," named after deceased South Carolina Republican US Senator Lindsey Graham.

Yemen says government forces repel Houthi push on key Taiz-Aden route

Yemen's Saudi-backed government forces repelled overnight attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis on a key supply route to the southern port city of Aden where the internationally recognised administration is based, government sources said on Thursday. The steep, winding mountain pass, known as Hejat al-Abd, is a lifeline for forces fighting on behalf of Yemen's government, which has been hemmed in by a lightning Houthi advance this month linked to the Iran war.

Poverty rate tests Argentina's Milei ahead of election

Overflowing soup kitchens, a resurgence of cash-free barter clubs and families taking out short-term loans for groceries are highlighting growing social strains in Argentina, as economists expect official data on Thursday to show the first increase in poverty since President Javier Milei brought inflation under control. Argentina's statistics agency, INDEC, is due to release poverty data for the first half of 2026 on Thursday.

Netanyahu's fleeting visit to New York mirrors strained US ties

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's unusually brief trip to the United States to address the UN stands in stark contrast to his week-long visit last year that included a meeting with President Donald Trump, reflecting rocky times in US-Israeli ties. Netanyahu is expected to be in New York for less than eight hours before returning to Israel, two Israeli officials said.

Venezuela's Rodriguez promises elections in transition to 'full democracy'

Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodriguez told the UN General Assembly on Wednesday that the country would hold elections as part of a transition to "full democracy," but did not give a specific date for the vote. "I want ⁠to make this very clear at this ​General Assembly: there will be elections in Venezuela," said Rodriguez, who came to power after American forces captured then-President Nicolas Maduro in a January raid.

Polish minister says Starlink station fire ⁠was sabotage

A blaze at a Starlink station in Poland that engulfed its power system and backup generator on Wednesday evening was an act of sabotage aimed at disrupting internet services, including for Ukraine's military, a government minister said. Poland has been on heightened alert for acts of sabotage since Russia's invasion of neighbouring Ukraine in 2022. Russia has repeatedly denied involvement in such incidents.

Analysis-A diplomatic split screen as Trump and Xi meet

While world leaders gather at the United Nations for their annual diplomatic ritual, the two biggest power brokers in global politics will sit down in a different venue on Thursday: the White House. US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping will meet for the second time this year, hoping to keep the world's most consequential bilateral relationship steady as both leaders grapple with a host of domestic ⁠and global issues.

Nine Kazakh military personnel dead after being washed out to sea during exercises

Nine Kazakh military personnel were killed after being swept out to sea during a naval training exercise, the country's Defence Ministry said on Thursday. In a statement, the ministry said the incident happened in Kazakhstan's western Mangistau region, which adjoins the Caspian Sea.

Judge blocks Trump's White House media ban, orders access to be restored

A federal judge ordered US President Donald Trump on Thursday to restore White House access for journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico, saying his ban on the three media outlets was likely unconstitutional. In a major setback for Trump in one of his biggest battles with the media, US District Judge Tim Kelly issued his order in a lawsuit that the ​news organizations filed contesting the ban that the Republican president announced on September 18.

Exclusive-US drafted a memo condemning UK over West Bank sanctions. It was never released

In early September, US officials in Jerusalem and Washington prepared a draft statement attributed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemning plans by the UK, France and Canada to block imports from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The September 8 dated document, previously unreported and which two sources said was driven by David Milstein, an influential aide to US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, proposed that Rubio describe the countries' actions as a series of ⁠hostile measures against Israel that contribute to antisemitism.

Iran, US still far apart in peace talks, Iranian official says; Pezeshkian vows no surrender

Iran and the United States remain far apart on how to end their war but diplomacy must continue, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Wednesday, after Iran's president told the UN General Assembly that Tehran would never surrender to US pressure. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in his speech in New York, condemned what he called "signs of a bullying mentality" from US President Donald Trump, who had used the same forum on Tuesday to threaten to "annihilate" Iran.

White House pushes for speedy review of voter rolls in hunt for noncitizen voters

The White House has pushed federal agencies to accelerate their review of at least 47 state voter rolls obtained by the Department of Homeland Security, according to an internal email seen by Reuters, part of an ⁠unprecedented effort ​to find noncitizens among registered voters as midterm elections near. DHS has surged hundreds of officers from across the US security and immigration apparatuses in recent months to comb the rolls for evidence of voter fraud under its Unlawful Voter Initiative, current and former officials said.

India's 'cockroach' movement says it will launch protest if poll panel chief doesn't quit in 48 hours

The leaders of India's "cockroach" youth movement said on Thursday that they would launch nationwide protests if India's chief election officer does not resign within 48 hours, after a newspaper report said he had been questioned by his deputies over changes to voter lists. Opposition parties have said the lists have been manipulated to benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Russia says no decision yet on possible Putin-Trump summit in December

The Kremlin said on Thursday that no decision had been taken yet on a possible summit in December between Russian and US Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, and that it was too early to talk about the agenda for such a meeting. The United States invited Putin to a December G20 meeting in Miami, Florida where he could hold a summit with Trump, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday.

Politico, MS NOW denied access to White House after judge's order

Politico and MS NOW reporters were barred from the White House on Thursday despite a judge's order calling ⁠for access to be restored immediately for journalists from Politico, CNN and MS NOW after President Donald Trump banned the news outlets. The Politico reporter's credentials were also confiscated, Politico said, hours after a federal judge temporarily blocked Trump's ban and said it was likely unconstitutional. MS NOW also said its reporter was blocked from the White House.

Residents in Ethiopia's Tigray region stock up in fear of return to full-scale war

Residents in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region stocked up on food, cash and basics on Thursday, fearing that renewed fighting could trigger another major war. Tigrayan forces seized three local airports and launched attacks in Afar and ⁠Amhara regions with allies there this week, in the most serious escalation since a devastating 2020-22 war against Ethiopian government troops.

Russian strikes kill eight in Ukraine, damage maternity clinic

Russian drone and missile strikes ⁠on Ukraine's capital Kyiv and its northeast killed eight people on Thursday in attacks that included a maternity hospital and a farm, officials said. Moscow has stepped up its air war in recent months, deploying more of its faster and harder-to-stop drones while Ukraine is short of interceptors to down ballistic missiles.

Denmark expects Russia to escalate hybrid warfare in coming months, intelligence service says

Russia is likely to intensify its hybrid war against the West in the coming months, Denmark's defence intelligence service said in a new threat assessment on Thursday. Hybrid warfare and sabotage on European soil gained renewed attention after Germany recently blamed Russia for an attempted drone attack at the Leipzig/Halle Airport, prompting European Union members to call for new sanctions against Russia.

Sudan's RSF steps up deadly drone attacks on frontline cities

Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have intensified deadly drone attacks in government-held towns in the frontline state of North Kordofan, disrupting normal life and causing a deep sense of insecurity, residents say. Reuters filmed the aftermath of ‌major attacks that took place this month in two frontline cities, which residents described as part of an apparent new ‌campaign of such strikes after several weeks when the RSF appeared to have scaled them back under international pressure.

One dead, four injured in Polish abbey knife attack, local media report

A knife attack on the grounds of a Benedictine abbey in southern Poland left one person dead and at least four injured, local media reported on Thursday. A 31-year-old ​Ukrainian citizen was detained after the attack at the Benedictine Abbey in Jaroslaw, police said in a statement. The motives behind the attack were not immediately clear.