Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Italy distances Egypt from verdict over Giulio Regeni as opposition attacks

Italy signalled on Tuesday it wanted to avoid a diplomatic rupture with Egypt after three Egyptian security officials were found guilty in absentia of the 2016 kidnapping of student Giulio Regeni, who was killed after his abduction. "There has been a conviction. Egypt has not been convicted, three people have been ​convicted," Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said, appearing keen to separate the verdict from Italy's broader relationship with Egypt.

In final election fight, Brazil's Lula carries hopes of Latin America's receding left

When Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New ​York this month, he used one of the world's biggest diplomatic stages to deliver a message that has come to define what is likely the final presidential campaign of his ‌decades-long career. "Brazil does not fit into ​anyone's backyard," he said to applause, seeming to portray Sunday's vote in the largest Latin American country as part of a wider battle against undemocratic forces as he warned of "foreign interference" in this year's race.

South Korea says North Korean mines behind DMZ blast violated armistice

South Korea's defence minister said on Tuesday North Korean mines caused a blast last week that injured two South Korean personnel in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), adding that the incident violated the Korean War armistice agreement and warranted a response from Seoul. Defence Minister Kang Shin-chul told a parliamentary committee that the mines appeared to have been planted in the area as part of North Korea's border fortification work near the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) that bisects the DMZ separating the two Koreas.

Myanmar arrests 21 over alleged donations to opposition-linked fundraising platform

Myanmar's military-backed government has arrested 21 people it said had transferred money to an online fundraising platform linked to ‌the opposition National Unity Government (NUG), the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported. Here are some details:

Vietnam arrests three on terrorism charges, including Norwegian and Australian citizens

Vietnam police have arrested three people, including a Norwegian citizen and an Australian national of Vietnamese origin, accusing them of terrorism, in an operation that a pro-democracy group says was conducted in Cambodia. The three men were identified by Vietnam's Ministry of Public Security late on Monday as Nguyen Duc Thuan, Ho Pham Hiep Huy and Thai Cong Truong Son. It said they were arrested on September 18 trying to cross illegally from Cambodia into Vietnam.

French presidential candidate Philippe pitches later retirement, mandatory savings

French centre-right presidential candidate Edouard Philippe proposed on Tuesday raising the retirement age to 65 and making private pension savings compulsory, tackling one of France's most politically explosive issues. Pension reform is highly sensitive in France, where workers rely on a public, pay-as-you-go system funded by current contributions, and private retirement savings remain voluntary and limited.

Death toll from Myanmar airstrike in Rakhine state rises to 50

The death toll from a Myanmar military airstrike in Rakhine state, which lies on the border with Bangladesh, rose to 50 after rescuers found more bodies on Tuesday, according to a rebel group that controls the area and a local aid ‌worker. Monday's airstrike in Rakhine state's Kyauktaw town killed 50 people and wounded at least 58, said the Arakan Army, which is battling the military. The numbers were confirmed by aid worker Wai Hun Aung.

Spain proposes ban on evictions as ousted 87-year-old considers offer to return home

Spain's coalition government said it had agreed proposals including banning evictions until 2030 to address the country's housing crisis, as the 87-year-old woman whose forced removal last week triggered protests was considering an offer to return home. Hundreds of people remained camped in one of Madrid's main squares on Tuesday to protest ‌Maricarmen Abascal's removal from her home on a stretcher last Wednesday. They are demanding legal reforms including a rent freeze and the automatic renewal of leases without abusive rent hikes.

Brazil's Lula, Flavio Bolsonaro still tied in presidential runoff scenario, Atlas poll shows

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro remain statistically tied in a simulated runoff ahead of next month's election, an AtlasIntel/Bloomberg poll showed on Tuesday, with the right-wing challenger now 0.1 percentage point ahead of the incumbent — within the survey's margin of error. If a runoff were held, Bolsonaro would receive 47.7% of voter support, compared with 47.6% for Lula, the poll said.

Cocaine evidence missing from Fiji court was swapped out for flour, media say

Several kilograms of cocaine held as evidence in a major Fiji drug case have gone missing from a court, police said on Tuesday, with media saying the drug, valued at about $31 million, was swapped out for flour. The drug exhibits stolen from the High Court in Suva, the capital of the Pacific island nation, amounted to nearly 40 kg (88 lb), media said.

Soldiers and mercenaries killed at least 34 civilians in Mali, Amnesty report says

At least 34 civilians were killed in seven incidents during military joint operations in Mali by the army and Russia's Wagner mercenary group between June 2023 and December 2025, Amnesty International said in a report on Tuesday. The human rights organization documented the deaths of 34 people, who it said were not participating in hostilities, in incidents across Mali's Segou, Mopti and Timbuktu ⁠regions along the Mauritanian border.

Swiss archaeologists redraw ​Roman maps after drought discoveries

Archaeologists are redrawing Roman maps of Switzerland after traces of long-buried ruins emerged as the country endured the hottest summer on record. Drought can reveal ⁠hidden archaeological sites through "parch marks" created when vegetation above them withers, one of several effects of this year's heatwaves, which also exposed World War Two wrecks on river beds.

Cuba's top trade official says US impeding reforms, denies talks with Trump associates

Cuba's top trade official dismissed reports that companies linked to US President Donald Trump had come to Cuba this year to talk business, while calling the US trade embargo the biggest impediment to the roll-out of historic free-market reforms. Cuban foreign trade and deputy prime minister Oscar Perez-Oliva Fraga said neither he nor any other Cuban official had met with representatives from Trump-tied businesses.

UK examines foreign state involvement in suspected airbase plot, releases suspects

British police said on Monday they were investigating whether individuals acting for ⁠a foreign state were involved in an apparent plot to attack an airbase used by the United States but said five suspects they had arrested would be released on bail. The five men, all British nationals from London in their early 20s, were detained early on Sunday after police were alerted by a local farmer about three white vans driving towards RAF Fairford, a British base that houses US bombers that fly missions against Iran nL1N43P14J.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards woo US voters with open letter

Iran's Revolutionary Guards, whose power and influence have expanded since the US and Israel pursued war against Iran, have appealed to US midterm voters to reject President Donald Trump's policies and accept an ​offer of peaceful coexistence. The assertions were made on Tuesday in a 25-page open letter addressed to the American people, urging them to oppose US support for Israel and foreign wars and arguing that Iran and the US could coexist if US policy changed.

Trump denies offering Iran sanctions relief, Tehran says ready for talks

US President Donald Trump said he has offered Iran nothing to end the war, rejecting media reports that cited US officials saying he was willing to ease sanctions and release frozen funds for "concrete" steps regarding Iran's nuclear ⁠programme. "This is untrue. I offered them NOTHING," Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday.

Iraq War film 'Atonement' tells story of US Marine seeking Iraqi family's forgiveness

Three generations of an Armenian-Christian family were driving home in Baghdad in April 2003 when US Marines in a firefight with Iraqi forces fired on their cars, killing three men. Almost a decade later, two women who survived the attack sat down in their Glendale, California, living room with one of the Marines who pulled the trigger.

Malaysia begins sending home Myanmar refugees, including children, despite safety concerns

Malaysia deported around 1,500 Myanmar nationals, including children, on Tuesday as part of a refugee repatriation programme, defying objections from the United Nations and dozens of human rights groups. The deportation is the first phase of a broader plan agreed with Myanmar that could ⁠see as ​many as 5,000 people returned.

US forces exit Iraq after two decades, leaving opening for Iran

US forces are set to pull out from their last bases in Iraq by Wednesday, a departure celebrated as a victory by Iran and its allies who now have deep influence in the country where 4,500 Americans died during more than two decades of war. Iraqi security experts say the withdrawal — agreed in 2024 under President Joe Biden and carried out by Donald Trump's administration even as it wages war against Iran — could give Tehran and its powerful allies free rein, while also allowing other US enemies to stage a comeback, including Islamic State.

Ugandan kingdom enthrones ex-TV anchor after succession fight

A former television news anchor was being crowned king of Uganda's Tooro Kingdom on Tuesday, becoming the 13th monarch of the Batooro people in a ritual-laden ceremony marking the end of a succession dispute. Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma succeeded King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, whose death last month from cancer at age 34 triggered a feud, with his mother saying a previously undisclosed son was entitled to the throne.

At least 23 dead in Thailand floods, Bangkok airport in chaos

The death toll from rains and flooding in Thailand has ⁠risen to 23, authorities said on Tuesday, as waters receded from the hard-hit capital Bangkok, where its main airport operated in chaos, and the government approved a multi-million aid package. Bangkok was swamped by around 320 mm (12.6 inches) of rain within three days last week, nearly as much as the sprawling low-lying metropolis usually gets in the whole of September.

Using old election playbook, Netanyahu projects image as Israel's protector despite Hamas attack

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is using the same campaign playbook that has served him for decades as he tries to retain power in ⁠an election next month, presenting himself as the only person who can keep Israelis safe in a hostile region. But four weeks before the election, he is struggling to salvage ⁠his security credentials, shattered by Hamas' surprise attack on southern Israel on his watch on October 7, 2023 — one of the country's worst security breaches.

Student protests and French public sector strike heap pressure on Macron

French civil servants went on strike on Tuesday and high school students blocked the entrances to schools in a show of discontent with planned budget cuts ahead of next year's presidential election. Seven months before the election, and just two days before the government unveils its 2027 budget draft, opinion polls consistently show the deep unpopularity of France's centre-right government and of President Emmanuel Macron.

Brussels seeks to strengthen EU border controls after Ceuta crisis

European Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner unveiled a broad plan on Tuesday to strengthen controls on the European Union's external borders in the wake of a chaotic surge of migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. The plan, which requires the approval of member states, would strengthen ‌the mandate of Frontex, the EU border protection agency, and give it a standing corps ready for immediate deployment.

Israel ‌kills senior Hamas commander in Gaza strike

An Israeli airstrike killed the head of Hamas' armed wing in north Gaza on Tuesday, officials on both sides said, with the militant group describing him as a leader of the October 7, 2023 attack that precipitated war in the Palestinian enclave. Israel's government ​said its military had targeted and killed Izz al-Din Al-Beik, who they said was involved in planning attacks and recruiting. Hamas confirmed his death.