Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Iran's Araqchi says now up to US to accept 7-day plan

Iran has given the United States a "concrete" seven-day plan to open the strategic Strait of Hormuz and the choice now rests with the US, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told reporters at the United Nations on Friday. "If the necessary conditions are met, the strait can be reopened, a normal maritime passage restored within seven days. The choice now rests with ​the United States," he said.

Trump, Xi discuss Middle East war as Iran presses 7-day plan to end fighting

US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping turned to the Middle East war at their summit on Friday, as Iran pressed Washington to accept a seven-day plan to reopen the Strait ​of Hormuz and halt regional fighting. China is highly dependent on the flow of Middle Eastern oil, which has been disrupted by Iranian threats on tankers leaving the Strait of Hormuz and the advance of ‌Iranian-allied Houthis along chokepoints in the ​Red Sea.

Former far-right group member found guilty of murdering Argentina rugby star

A former member of a violent far-right group was found guilty on Friday of murdering former Argentina rugby international Federico Aramburu four years ago in Paris, following an altercation near the Boulevard Saint-Germain. Loik Le Priol, 32, whom the court said was "animated by the will to kill", was sentenced to 26 years in prison.

TV networks resume covering White House as press access fight continues

US television networks resumed coverage of President Donald Trump’s White House events on Friday, providing the first live pool access for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit, as a legal battle continues over restrictions on CNN, MS NOW and Politico. Trump last week banned the three outlets from the White House, before a judge ordered the administration to restore their access.

Exclusive-Trump administration to meet Ukraine assistance deadline

The Trump administration has made legally binding commitments to spend almost all of the $400 million Congress approved for military aid to Ukraine late last year, ensuring that the money will not expire on ‌September 30, according to three sources familiar with the plan. As of early this week, $307 million of the $400 million of the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) funding had been obligated, said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, and the administration plans to lock in the remaining $93 million before the fiscal year ends on September 30.

Details on US, China trade talks to come on Monday, says Greer

The United States is expected to release details on the outcome of trade negotiations with China on Monday, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on Friday. US President Donald Trump welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping to the White House on Thursday but there was little sign of a breakthrough on a host of sensitive issues.

Man pleads not guilty to attempted murder of two Jewish men in London

A 45-year-old man pleaded not guilty on Friday to attempting to murder two Jewish men who were stabbed in a knife attack in north London in April, an offence prosecutors said they were no longer treating as terrorism. Essa Suleiman, a British national who was born in Somalia, is alleged to have attacked the men in Golders Green on April 29, one of a spate of incidents targeting Jewish premises in the same area of London which is home to a large Jewish population.

Telecoms networks disrupted in Tigray as Ethiopia's military cites major losses by rebels

Internet and phone networks were disrupted in the northern Ethiopian region of Tigray on Friday, as Ethiopia's ‌military said it had inflicted major losses on Tigrayan forces in the most serious escalation of violence since a 2020-2022 war. Clashes since Wednesday in Tigray and the neighbouring regions of Amhara and Afar have shattered a four-year-old peace deal that ended one of the century's deadliest wars. The African Union estimated that conflict resulted in around 600,000 deaths from combat, famine and the collapse of healthcare.

Trump says he will meet Xi in China in November

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he would meet with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping again in November in China and in December at the G20 in Florida, adding that Xi's visit ‌to Washington this week was a success and that much has been accomplished.

Pope Leo warns in France that UN risks becoming 'charade'

Pope Leo said on Friday that the United Nations and other multilateral groups were in crisis, warning in a speech at the Paris headquarters of the UN culture and education body, UNESCO, that international dialogue risked becoming a "charade". The first US pope, speaking on a visit to France as a tense UN General Assembly unfolded in New York, also decried world leaders who disrespected the rule of law, without naming individuals.

Magnitude 6.6 quake strikes near New Caledonia in the Pacific, USGS reports

A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck the waters near France's Pacific island of New Caledonia on Saturday, the United States Geological Survey said. The quake was recorded at a depth of 10 km (6.21 miles), USGS said. The agency had earlier registered the quake at magnitude 7 at a depth of 17.1 km.

Russian strikes shut Ukraine's biggest steelmaker, kill seven in Kyiv

Steelmaker ArcelorMittal said it was shutting production at Ukraine's largest steel plant, underscoring the growing economic toll of Russia's airstrikes that on Friday killed seven people in Kyiv including a 14-year-old boy and injured 58. ArcelorMittal said on Friday it had informed the Ukrainian government that "safe and sustainable" operations were not possible after four strikes in five weeks caused extensive damage and killed five workers at the southeastern plant.

25 sailors rescued from burning Russian fishing ship

Twenty-five sailors were rescued from a burning Russian fishing ship off the coast of Russia's far eastern Kamchatka peninsula and brought ashore aboard a second ship, local emergency officials were quoted as saying on Saturday. The officials, quoted by Russian news agencies, said seven people were injured aboard the stricken vessel, the Triumf. Those rescued were brought ⁠to the port of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

Trump sees ​no urgency for Canada deal as trade dispute deepens, USTR says

President Donald Trump's administration is comfortable maintaining its trade standoff with Canada even as new US import bans on Canadian products take ⁠effect next week and Washington threatens 50% tariffs on Canadian autos, parts and steel from January, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on Friday.

His comments to CNBC signal Washington sees little need to compromise despite a deepening dispute that has strained relations between the longtime allies, triggered retaliation on both sides of the border and raised fresh questions about the future of the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement.

Subway, soccer and spats: New York's Mamdani a UN week attraction

The United Nations wasn't the only New York attraction for visiting world leaders this week – Mayor Zohran Mamdani emerged as a popular draw for like-minded politicians and a target for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The 34-year-old former state lawmaker, who took office on January 1 in New York City, rode the subway with Ireland's Prime Minister Micheal Martin, exchanged soccer jerseys with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio ⁠Lula da Silva, and talked to students with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store about artificial intelligence.

Congo Ebola contact tracing falls far short as outbreak spreads, Africa CDC chief says

Health authorities battling the Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo have identified only about 30,000 people who may have been exposed to the virus, a fraction of the more than 400,000 expected through contact tracing, a senior African health official told Reuters. Dr. Jean Kaseya, director-general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, said the shortfall showed the outbreak remained entrenched in communities despite signs of progress.

Chile seizes more than 200 fossils of extinct mollusks

Customs officials in Chile discovered and seized more than 200 fossils of ammonites in a shipping container from Madagascar that had been declared as containing household ​ornaments, the customs authority of the South American country said on Friday.

Ammonites are mollusks closely related to octopuses and squids that became extinct during the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, a major mass extinction that wiped out all of the non-avian dinosaurs around 66 million years ago.

Venezuela's promised elections face long delays, sources say

Venezuela's long-awaited vote may not happen for a year or more due to planned overhauls of the courts and electoral authorities, according to five political sources and analysts, despite Acting President Delcy Rodriguez's promise of a transition to "full democracy". Rodriguez, who took power after a US raid captured then-President Nicolas Maduro ⁠in January, told the UN General Assembly on Wednesday that state institutions were preparing for elections. She said her government had opened talks with the opposition and would guarantee full participation, but gave no timetable.

Brazil's Lula bans online betting, unveils debt relief plan as reelection race tightens

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Friday announced a ban on online betting operations in Latin America's largest economy and unveiled a new debt relief program aimed at households, the latest in a series of measures introduced ahead of next month's election. Opinion polls have shown Lula locked in a tight race with right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, eldest son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, ahead of the October 4 first-round vote.

Exclusive-ShinyHunters hackers say they stole psychiatric and medical records of FBI staff

FBI personnel data recently stolen by the ShinyHunters hackers includes sensitive psychiatric and medical evaluation records, according to the hackers and documents reviewed ⁠by Reuters. ShinyHunters, one ​of the world's most notorious and attention-seeking hacking crews, first said it had breached the FBI on Tuesday. In the hack, the group obtained granular details about bureau employees and their assignments, Reuters previously reported, including sensitive work against Chinese spies, Russian intelligence, drug cartels and others.

Imran Khan's party postpones planned Islamabad march to October 4

Jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party has postponed a planned long march from Peshawar to Islamabad until October 4, the chief minister of the PTI-ruled Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Sohail Afridi, told reporters on Friday. PTI had planned to begin the march on September 27 to press for the release of Khan, who has been in jail since 2023. The PTI's last large-scale protest two years ago ended in deadly clashes with security forces.

Pakistani, Saudi, Turkish chiefs discuss closer military ties

The military chiefs of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey discussed enhancing intelligence sharing, military coordination and capability integration at a meeting in Riyadh on Friday, according to statements from Saudi Arabia's Defence Ministry and Pakistan's military. The chiefs of defence forces and chiefs of general staff reviewed the security situation and threats facing Saudi Arabia and condemned attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis targeting the holy city of Makkah as well as the kingdom's civilian and economic infrastructure, the statements said.

UN expands list of companies linked to Israeli settlements

The United Nations human rights office issued a list on Friday ⁠adding 61 more companies operating in Israeli West Bank settlements, which the global body considers illegal. The database is highly sensitive as firms could be targeted for boycotts or divestment to pressure Israel over settler expansion in the territory that is home to over 3 million Palestinians.

Jay-Z accuser recants rape allegation against the rapper

A woman who accused musician Jay-Z of rape in a 2024 lawsuit has recanted her claim and said she never met the billionaire rapper. The woman, who was identified as Jane Doe in court papers, had accused Jay-Z and musician Sean "Diddy" Combs of raping her in 2000, when she was 13 years old. She ⁠later dropped that civil lawsuit, and Jay-Z sued her and her law firm for defamation and malicious prosecution.

EU officials dismiss fears French, German elections could derail Ukraine support

Senior European officials sought to play down ⁠fears that potential election victories by Ukraine-sceptic parties in France and Germany could undermine support for Kyiv, arguing the EU remains resilient enough to weather shifts in member states. Speaking to Reuters on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, officials acknowledged risks posed by shifting electoral tides but said support for Kyiv would endure as Ukraine heads into a difficult winter facing military and funding shortfalls.

Colombia extradites top rebel commander to US in first under new president

Colombia has extradited an alleged drug-trafficking leader from a dissident faction of the former FARC rebel group to the US, President Abelardo De La Espriella said on Friday. It will be the first extradition of a senior commander from an illegal armed group under De La Espriella, who took office in August.

Iran will make no nuclear concessions, Iranian official says

Iran will show no flexibility over its nuclear program even if the United States accepts its proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which calls for steps including the lifting of a US naval blockade ‌on Iranian ports, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Friday. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the waterway would ‌remain closed until “all of Iran’s conditions are met” by the United States.

Putin says all Ukraine peace proposals on table, but Russia must weigh its interests

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that all proposals for a settlement in the 4-1/2-year-old war with Ukraine remained on the table, but Moscow still needed to assess what was in its best ​interests. Putin also said Moscow had been ready to resume negotiations with Kyiv after last week's Russian parliamentary elections, but Ukraine launched attacks on Moscow and hit polling stations.