Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Costa Rica's Grynspan narrowly ahead in race to be next UN chief, sources say

An informal poll by the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday placed former Costa Rican Vice President Rebeca Grynspan as the frontrunner in the race to become the 10th UN secretary-general, sources close to the process said. The fourth secret poll by the 15-member Security Council followed the gathering of world leaders at the General Assembly in ​New York last week.

Romanian court rules to detain pro-Russian former presidential candidate pending fraud probe

A Romanian court ordered the detention on Tuesday of Calin Georgescu, the pro-Russian former frontrunner in a cancelled 2024 presidential election, for 30 days pending a criminal investigation for fraud. Prosecutors said Georgescu and two other suspects had persuaded ​a Romanian businessman to give them €1.1 million by making him believe they could help him get a credit line of up to €15 million from a foreign financial institution. He has denied wrongdoing.

Somali pirates ‌killed 5 crew members ​of hijacked tanker before rescue mission, Puntland says

Somali pirates killed five crew members of the hijacked MT Honour 25 petroleum products tanker before it was rescued by security forces, the information ministry of Somalia's semi-autonomous state of Puntland said on Tuesday.

Ceuta mass migrant crossing handling 'responsibility of all EU,' Spanish king says

European countries should have shown more solidarity and offered more support to Spain after the mass arrival in Ceuta of tens of thousands of migrants, Spanish King Felipe VI said on Tuesday during a gala dinner to mark a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron. In an unusually outspoken address reflecting the depth of the crisis facing Spain following the Ceuta border rush that took place two months ago on Wednesday, the king said what happened in the enclave on the North African coast was "unacceptable" and generated an enormous security, public order and humanitarian challenge.

Justice Department charges Venezuelan man shot by ICE officer in Austin

A Venezuelan man shot by a federal immigration agent on September 20 in Austin, Texas, appeared in federal ‌court on Tuesday after being charged with assaulting, resisting, interfering, and impeding a federal officer, the Justice Department said in a press release. The complaint against Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, 28, citing footage from a camera worn by one of the ICE officers who pulled him over that day, says that when they asked him to step out of his car, Garces Perez drove away, striking one officer in the torso with his car’s side mirror. The video has not been released publicly.

UK's Burnham risks reopening Brexit debate with bid to find consensus on EU ties

Prime Minister Andy Burnham risked reopening the bitter division over Britain's departure from the European Union on Tuesday by vowing to seek a consensus on closer ties with the bloc. The promise comes 10 years after Britain voted to leave the EU — a decade marked by political instability, weak economic growth and a divisive debate about how closely the country should tie its fortunes to those of its nearest and largest trading partner.

'Let them be scared': Moscow sends EU message with widening corporate crackdown

Russia has singled out European firms in its latest drive to strip foreign owners of the right to manage their Russian assets, government and company sources said, with the Kremlin accusing the European Union of involvement in the war in Ukraine. Russia placed the assets of Swiss food giant Nestle, German wholesaler Metro AG and French retailer Auchan under temporary management this month.

Trump says he ‌does not know if Iran is going to 'give up yet'

President Donald Trump https://www.reuters.com/world/us/donald-trump/ said on Tuesday he does not know if Iran is going to "give up yet" but cast the country as doing "very poorly" in its war with the US https://www.reuters.com/world/iran/. DETAILS AND QUOTES:

Trump says he does not know if Iran is going to 'give up yet'

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he does not know if Iran is going to "give up yet" but cast the country as doing "very poorly" in its war with the US. DETAILS AND QUOTES:

Iranians stagger under soaring costs of seven months of war

Iran's leaders may radiate bullishness in their war with the United States, but ‌life is becoming ever tougher for ordinary citizens unable to afford basic necessities or rent as a US blockade cuts the state's financial lifeline - oil exports. From an engineer forced out of Tehran by high rent to a woman forced to stop smoking because of the price of cigarettes and carers struggling to buy medicines, all areas of daily life are affected.

Spain plans stricter rules on asylum seekers in Ceuta, draft decree shows

Spain is planning to override standard migration procedures and tighten rules on asylum seeking for migrants who arrived in its North African enclave of Ceuta in July's mass crossing, a draft decree seen by Reuters showed, prompting outcry from legal experts and NGOs. The decree, designed to speed up applications and deportations for the over 10,000 migrants who remain in the tiny territory, would mark a major strategic shift for Spain's leftist, pro-immigration government, a staunch advocate of multilateral rules and institutions, as it struggles to contain the political fallout from the border crisis.

Supreme Court lets Trump resume deporting migrants to countries not their own

The US Supreme Court on Tuesday let President Donald Trump's administration resume deporting migrants to countries other than their own without offering them the chance to show the harms they may face, bolstering a tool his administration has used for rapid expulsions as part of his immigration crackdown. The court granted the Justice Department's emergency request to put on hold Boston-based US District Judge Brian Murphy's ruling that the Department of Homeland Security's policy to remove migrants to so-called third countries is unlawful. The court also agreed to hear arguments in the dispute in December, with a formal ruling on the policy to follow.

Antisemitism at UK universities is increasing, security charity says

Antisemitism at British ⁠universities is on the rise, with incidents up ​nearly 80% from before the October 2023 attacks by Hamas on Israel, a report by a charity which provides security advice to Britain's Jewish community said on Wednesday. The Community Security ⁠Trust (CST) said it had recorded 178 university-related antisemitic incidents between the 2024 to 2026 academic years, with a 14% increase during 2025/26.

Belgium to transfer three F-16s to Ukraine this year, Zelenskiy says

Belgium will transfer three F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine by the end of the year to help in its war with Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday. "There is an important agreement with Belgium on the transfer of three F-16 fighter jets by the end of this year," he wrote on X. "We will work to receive these aircraft through an accelerated procedure."

At UN, developing nations call for bigger say in shaping AI future

Developing nations are demanding a greater role in shaping the rules governing artificial intelligence, warning that a technology poised to transform economies could instead deepen global inequalities if its development and regulation remain concentrated in wealthy countries. The ⁠debate at last week's UN festival of diplomacy in New York highlighted mounting concern among leaders from Africa, Asia and Latin America around the increasingly powerful technology after several safety breaches, and as top researchers have warned it could destroy humanity.

UK police say no explosive devices found in airbase probe

Britain's counter-terrorism police said on Tuesday that no improvised explosive devices had been found as part of an investigation into a suspected plot targeting a British airbase used by US forces to strike Iran. Police said a quantity of petrol had been recovered during searches of vehicles at the scene. They added that searches of properties in London had been carried out, and investigative scenes around RAF Fairford were being scaled back and were expected to close completely by Wednesday.

Russia to cut welfare, education ​funding in 2027 as war spending soars

Russia will cut funding for welfare, education and healthcare in next year's state budget, in addition to previously announced tax hikes, to help cover soaring military spending, fiscal documents obtained by Reuters showed. Russia plans to spend 17.1 trillion roubles ($202.58 billion) on defence in 2027, around 27% more than the 13.5 trillion roubles originally budgeted and the highest figure since the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022.

UN alarmed by reports that Myanmar air strike killed 50

The United Nations expressed alarm on Tuesday at reports that an airstrike by the Myanmar military near the ⁠country's border with Bangladesh had killed 50 people and wounded dozens more, many of them critically. A UN spokesperson said continuing violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state underscored that conditions did not currently exist for the safe return of refugees and other displaced people to Myanmar.

Israeli settlers attack West Bank village, blocking family's return home

More than 100 Israeli settlers have attacked a village in the occupied West Bank, preventing a Palestinian family from returning home and clashing with troops, witnesses said. Two houses belonging to the Tubasi family in Jalud village were seized by settlers weeks ago, amid a surge of settler violence and land seizures that have drawn international condemnation.

US imposes sanctions on 13 tied to Iran weapons procurement

The US government announced fresh sanctions on Tuesday against 13 individuals and entities, including some based in Russia, China, Hong Kong and Pakistan, saying they helped Iran procure weapons and components. The sanctions ⁠announced by the ​Treasury and State departments are part of the Trump administration's effort to isolate Iran economically and force it to negotiate an end to the war that began with a US-Israeli strike on Iran on February 28.

Argentina's Kirchner challenges fraud conviction at UN, seeking political return

Former Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who is under house arrest, has asked the United Nations Human Rights Committee to review her corruption conviction and suspend the lifetime ban on holding public office that currently prevents her from running for election in 2027, her lawyer said on Tuesday. Fernández was sentenced in 2025 to six years in prison and a permanent ban from public office following a fraud conviction, a ruling her defense team argues violated her fundamental rights during legal proceedings.

Trapped in inferno after Russian strike, Ukrainian scientist climbed to safety

Ihor Malchevsky focused solely on his family as he peered over the edge of his third-floor office window, thick black smoke billowing behind him after a Russian drone smashed into the historic building setting it ablaze. "My thoughts were about just one thing: how to rescue myself from this situation," said the 69-year-old, a deputy department head at Ukraine's National Academy of Sciences in central Kyiv which was hit on Monday.

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.

Morocco's king appoints first woman prime minister following election

King Mohammed VI appointed Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri on Tuesday as Morocco's first woman prime minister after her liberal-centrist party came out on top ⁠in a September 23 parliamentary election, the royal palace said. The king asked El Mansouri to form a new government, the palace said in a statement.

North Korea says South Korea to pay a price ⁠for shifting blame for mine blast, KCNA says

North Korea said on Wednesday that South Korea will pay a price for shifting the blame to Pyongyang for a mine blast that wounded two South Koreans at the Demilitarized Zone border and warned it will retaliate if the South opens fire on its troops. South Korea's defence minister said on Tuesday that North Korean mines caused a blast last week and that it would take "corresponding" action. Kang Shin-chul also said North Korea likely planted mines as part of fortifying the border.

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.

UAE vice president visits Saudi Arabia in first visit since rift

UAE Vice ‌President Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited Saudi Arabia on Tuesday and met with the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the kingdom's defence minister, the first visit by a senior UAE official to the kingdom since a deep rift emerged between the two Gulf powers last year. The visit, following an invitation by Saudi Defence ​Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, occurred as Riyadh faces increasing pressure from the Iran-backed Houthis, who have for weeks fired salvos of missiles and drones at the kingdom.