Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Two dead in flooding in Spain's Catalonia region

Two people have died and another was missing after heavy rains and flooding in Spain's Catalonia region, authorities said on ​Sunday. Catalan leader Salvador Illa confirmed the death of a man after a wall collapsed in Tordera, a town to the north of Barcelona, ​in a message on his social media account on Sunday.

Brazil election headed to runoff, projection shows, ‌as Bolsonaro lead ​narrows

Senator Flavio Bolsonaro held a narrowing lead in the first round of Brazil's presidential election on Sunday, after more than half the votes were counted, with pollster Datafolha projecting that the election would proceed to a second vote. Flavio, the 45-year-old son of former President Jair Bolsonaro who hopes to return his father's right-wing movement to power, was leading leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, 80, who is seeking a fourth term, following a campaign dominated by corruption ‌scandals, economic anxiety and accusations of US meddling.

Nicaragua announces withdrawal from Central American Parliament

Nicaragua is withdrawing from the Central American Parliament, furthering its isolation on the international stage as the country is accused of rampant human rights abuses. In a statement on Saturday, the foreign ministry said that it had decided to denounce the 1987 treaty establishing the six-country parliament "in the full exercise of its sovereignty". It said the move would take immediate effect.

Leftist and nationalists lead in election for Bosnia's tripartite presidency

A Bosniak left-leaning moderate, a pro-Russian Serb nationalist and a Croatian nationalist are leading Sunday's election for Bosnia's inter-ethnic tripartite presidency, the election commission said, based on ballots from more than 90% ‌of polling stations. The results were largely in line with expectations and with projections by the Poliwave tracking platform, although voter turnout was low at a combined 42.2% in Bosnia's two entities, the Bosniak-Croat Federation and the Serb Republika Srpska. Voters also cast ballots for the national parliament, alongside regional races in the ‌two entities.

Japan's Takaichi protests to US after Marine accused of murder in Okinawa

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi registered a protest with the United States on Sunday after a US Marine was arrested on suspicion of robbing and murdering a Japanese woman in Okinawa. Lance Corporal Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, is suspected of killing Anna Yagi, 39, in a hotel in Naha, the capital of the southernmost prefecture, on Saturday and taking her wallet and backpack, police said. Ballard denied the allegations, police said.

Ukraine believes Russia shared jet-drone technology with North Korea, says Zelenskiy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday he believed Russia may have shared jet-drone technology with its longstanding ally North Korea. In recent weeks, Russia has sharply increased its use of jet-drones against Ukraine, which so far has no effective means of countering ⁠them other than using combat ​aircraft.

Iran's oil minister resigns for personal reasons, state media reports

Iran's Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad ⁠has resigned for personal reasons, and Hamid Bovard, chief executive of the government-owned National Iranian Oil Company, will be acting minister, state media said on Sunday. Mohsen Paknejad, oil minister of the OPEC member country since August 2024, resigned as the seven-month-old war between Iran and the US has put pressure on the country's economy.

Yemeni government launches offensive to seize all areas from Iran-backed Houthis

Yemen’s Saudi-backed, internationally ⁠recognised government said on Sunday it was launching a major military campaign to recapture all areas of the country controlled by the . The government’s armed forces would press the offensive “until the country is liberated from the grip of the terrorist militia,” Yemeni President Rashad al-Alimi said in a televised address. A military spokesman later called on the Houthis to lay down ​their weapons.

Latvian PM on track to lead pro-Ukraine coalition after election win

Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs was set to retain power and form a pro-Ukrainian coalition after his centrist United List secured the biggest parliamentary election victory since Latvia regained independence in 1991. With 97% of ballots counted after Saturday's election ⁠in the NATO and European Union country bordering Russia, United List was on 35.3%, enough for 42 seats in the 100-seat parliament.

Merz unveils fresh military aid in Kyiv, says Germany won't be intimidated

Germany will not be intimidated into dropping its support for Ukraine, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Sunday as he announced a further €1 billion ($1.1 billion) in military aid during a visit to Kyiv marked by Russian drone ⁠attacks. Air-raid ​sirens and explosions rang out repeatedly across the Ukrainian capital as Merz and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited a memorial to soldiers killed during the four-year-old war, as well as the Academy of Sciences, where at least two people died in a drone strike last week.

Woman at center of Cornell rape allegations targeted with threats, lawyer says

The woman who has alleged that she was drugged and raped by Cornell University students has been the target of threats, her lawyer said on Sunday. Thomas Giuffra, who represents the woman identified as "Jane Doe," told CNN that people have threatened to silence or harm her if she does not ⁠withdraw her civil lawsuit alleging that several members of a Cornell fraternity drugged and raped her in 2024.

Haunted by grief, Gaza's displaced still wait overseas for return

Omar al-Hassayna fled Gaza for Cairo after an Israeli airstrike wiped out much of his large family. Three years on, he remains there waiting for ⁠enough stability, security and reconstruction in his still devastated homeland to return. Hassayna is one of ⁠more than 100,000 Gazans who left the enclave during the war that was triggered by the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and who remain stranded overseas, according to Palestinian Authority figures. They still mourn dead relatives and their destroyed homes and neighbourhoods.

Exclusive-Ukraine will hit Russian refineries in response to Moscow's 'new doctrine' of airstrikes, Zelenskiy says

Ukraine will double down on attacking Russian oil refineries in response to a new policy of airstrikes by Moscow designed ‌to force people to abandon Kyiv and other cities, but ‌will not target civilians, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said. Ukraine's intelligence services has obtained documents showing that Russian leader Vladimir Putin had issued a "new doctrine" of military attacks on ​a much broader range of civilian targets ahead of this winter, Zelenskiy said.