Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Turkey sending technical, defensive support to Saudi Arabia to help fight Houthis, officials say

Turkey is sending mainly defensive and technical support to Saudi Arabia to help it fight Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis, two officials said on Wednesday, after the NATO member and Pakistan pledged to act on the collective defence commitment of their newly formed alliance. Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement in August, ​under which an armed attack on one member constituted an attack on all. They have been working to set the parameters of the new alliance and have held political and military meetings in response to the Houthi attacks.

Pressure mounting on Cornell administration, president over handling of alleged gang rape

Cornell University’s ​administration and president are facing mounting pressure over the school’s handling of an alleged 2024 gang rape that has thrust it into the national spotlight and set off a wave of outrage over ‌sexual violence on college campuses. Since ​Monday, the administration has faced student protests, a no-confidence resolution from faculty, and criticism by alumni. A seven-hour sit-in in support of the alleged victim is planned for Wednesday.

FBI arrests man for plotting mass shooting at Mall of America

The FBI has arrested an 18-year-old man who had been plotting to carry out a mass shooting at the Mall of America near Minneapolis in the name of ISIS, according to court filings. He was arrested on Tuesday after an FBI undercover agent sold the Minnesota man, Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud, an AK-47, ammunition and magazines for $600, according to the complaint. Mohamud told the informant he planned to use the items to kill 30 to 60 people at an event at the mall in late October.

At least 28 killed in Ukraine, Zelenskiy condemns one of Russia's most 'vile strikes'

Russia pounded Ukraine with waves of missiles and drones in one of its most "vile strikes" on Wednesday, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said, killing at least 28 people, including children, and damaging industrial facilities and energy ‌infrastructure. Interior Minister Ivan Vyhivskyi put the country-wide death toll at 28.

Brazil's Bolsonaro pledges broad review of Lula-era taxes

Brazil presidential candidate Senator Flavio Bolsonaro said on Wednesday his team was studying constitutional amendments to revise parts of a planned consumption-tax reform — alongside other fiscal measures — arguing the current design would leave the country with an excessively high tax burden. "There are several constitutional amendments that are possible," Bolsonaro told reporters, citing "aspects of the tax reform" among measures he would pursue if elected, alongside lowering the age of criminal responsibility, ending presidential reelection and implementing a political reform.

Russia says plague institute worker's death does not risk an epidemic

Russia's health regulator said on Wednesday there were no risks of an epidemic breaking out in Siberia after a plague institute worker there died, as the World Health Organization pressed Moscow for more information about her cause of death. Russian authorities say the 28-year-old laboratory worker died last Friday from pneumonia of an as-yet unestablished origin, in a case that has prompted international concern, including from US President Donald Trump. Around 200 people were initially placed in quarantine.

Hegseth praises sailors' resilience after record-breaking carrier deployment

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth flew to the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln on Wednesday and praised the resilience of sailors who endured an extended, wartime deployment that drew scrutiny over suicide attempts on board. The Lincoln, which is due to dock on Thursday in San Diego, ‌is the flagship of a carrier strike group that had eight suicide attempts among US sailors during its time at sea, according to the Navy. Its deployment included more than 260 continuous days without a port call, a record, according to the Pentagon.

French mayor caught in viral video clash says student protesters 'could be my children'

In a video that has gone viral on social media, Bally Bagayoko, the mayor of the French town of Saint-Denis, stands facing police at a march in Paris on Tuesday, shielding young protesters and shouting "stop." Bagayoko said he has been supporting the students in his working-class Parisian suburb and on Tuesday was asking the ‌police not to charge.

UK, Germany to launch new partnership to counter sabotage, cyberattacks

Britain and Germany will launch a joint partnership to counter sabotage and cyberattacks as Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Chancellor Friedrich Merz meet in Berlin on Thursday, shortly after both leaders warned of the hybrid threat from Russia. New joint partnership will involve sharing information, and coordinating action to monitor, deter and disrupt threats to critical infrastructure or via cyber attacks and sabotage, Downing Street said

Rubio, in Athens, ties ancient values to 'America First'

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday urged Western nations to embrace the ancient Greek values of "heroism, honor, and duty", tying the ideals to President Donald Trump's "America First" agenda. "It's become fashionable today to believe that enlightened foreign policy means prioritizing the global community over one's own people," Rubio told Greek officials, diplomats and other invitees.

Denmark says Russia has conducted sabotage attacks against its defense firms

Russia has begun sabotage operations against Danish companies supplying Ukraine after concluding that broader disruption efforts failed to curb Western military support for the country, a Danish intelligence official said on Wednesday. The shift reflects a significant escalation in Moscow's hybrid warfare campaign, the official, from the Danish national security and intelligence service (PET), told a homeland security conference in Copenhagen.

Belgian student protests against education costs echo France

Hundreds of students, inspired in part by student unrest in neighbouring France, have taken to the streets of the eastern Belgian city of Liège, with local media reporting 107 arrests in recent days. Authorities have advised shopkeepers to close their businesses early, warning of riots.

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

An informal poll by the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday placed former ⁠Costa Rican Vice President Rebeca Grynspan as ​the frontrunner in the race to become the 10th UN secretary-general, two sources close to the process said. The fifth secret poll by the 15-member Security Council followed days of intense ⁠negotiations among diplomats in New York after four previous ballots did not result in the emergence of one candidate with overwhelming backing.

Nobel chemistry prize goes to pair who solved mystery of 'mirror image' molecules

Scientists Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry on Wednesday for solving a long-standing riddle of asymmetric "mirror image" molecules, a discovery hugely important for pharmaceutical manufacturing. Soai, 76, is Japanese, and Kagan, 95, is French, and their work built on a discovery by the 19th-century French chemist Louis Pasteur.

Trump says he may ask FBI to look into Nolan Wells death

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he was considering asking the FBI to look into the death of an 18-year-old Black man whose body was found on a Mississippi barrier island following a Fourth of July trip with ⁠friends. Asked by reporters at the White House whether he planned to push the FBI to launch an independent investigation into the death of Nolan Wells, Trump said: "Well, we're looking at that. Yes, we are."

French mayor caught in viral video clash says student protesters 'could be my children'

In a video that has gone viral on social media, Bally Bagayoko, the mayor of the French town of Saint-Denis, stands facing police at a march in Paris on Tuesday, shielding young protesters and shouting "stop." Bagayoko said he has been supporting the students in his working-class Parisian suburb and on Tuesday was asking the police not to charge.

Award-winning Kashmiri filmmaker Arfat Sheikh detained by US immigration authorities

An award-winning filmmaker whose work has explored conflict in his native Kashmir has been detained by US ​immigration officials after legally coming to the United States to study and later claiming asylum, his family and friends said on Wednesday.

The Department of Homeland Security separately confirmed on Wednesday that Arfat Sheikh was arrested on September 24. The department said that Sheikh "legally entered the US on a temporary basis and illegally overstayed his lawful admittance."

Exclusive-Lebanon's Hezbollah gets $200 million from Iran to help displaced, sources say

Hezbollah has received $200 million from Iran to help Lebanese displaced by this year’s war with Israel, two people with direct knowledge of the transfer said, in what would be the first significant aid from ⁠the group to supporters who bore the brunt of the conflict. The US disputed the claim. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement that the money "is not there," accusing Hezbollah of "trying to save face with fake stories about cash influxes from Iran."

Spanish woman whose eviction ignited housing protests dies at 87

Maricarmen Abascal, the 87-year-old Spanish woman whose dramatic eviction last month sparked mass housing protests that led to an early election, has died, the Madrid tenants' union said on Wednesday, as thousands demonstrated over her death. Abascal had been in hospital for severe anxiety and exhaustion since her eviction on September 23 from her home of more than 70 years, when police and social workers removed her by stretcher.

Syria weighs military aid for Saudi Arabia amid Yemen war, sources say

Syria is carefully considering providing military assistance to key ally Saudi Arabia amid an escalating ⁠war against ​the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, a US official and a Syrian military official briefed on the matter said. Options being considered include defensive aid to protect the kingdom from attacks, or deployment of forces in an offensive capacity to help Saudi-backed Yemeni troops fight the Houthis, the sources said.

Ten injured in knife attack at Polish school

Ten people were injured in a knife attack at a school in Ostroleka in northeastern Poland on Wednesday, a regional governor said, with police detaining the 19-year-old suspect, who was among those hurt, shortly after the incident. Masovian Regional Governor Mariusz Frankowski told reporters that nine people had been taken to hospital but that none of them was in a life-threatening condition.

Trump administration plans to charge international students $70,000 for work authorization

The US Department of Homeland Security has proposed that international students pay at least $70,000 in training fees if they want to work in the country, according to a government notice posted online on Wednesday, part of the Trump administration's wider crackdown on foreign visa holders. Under the proposal, nonimmigrant students with F-1 visas would be required to pay $70,000 to a certified institution for on-the-job training, known as Optional Practical Training (OPT), and $30,000 for any additional work training.

Exclusive-In interview, US Vice President Vance says Iran must cut enrichment to end war

US Vice President JD Vance said in an exclusive interview with Reuters that Iran must ⁠make a “meaningful” reduction in its nuclear enrichment capacity to satisfy US demands and end the countries’ seven-month war, even as Washington was unsure how Tehran makes decisions in negotiations. Vance, a longtime skeptic of US involvement in foreign wars, has taken a leading role in negotiating a settlement to the conflict and brokered a provisional peace agreement in June that quickly fell apart. The war has jolted global energy markets and become a political liability for US President Donald Trump and fellow Republicans ahead of November midterm elections.

Exclusive-Saudi Arabia launches air safety probe into flydubai incident, sources say

Saudi Arabia has launched an air accident probe following last ⁠week's cockpit stabbing on a flydubai jet, as experts examine any fallout for aviation safety alongside a separate UAE-led criminal investigation, three people close to the matter said. Safety probes designed to keep ⁠flights safe are normal after accidents but are not mandatory when a deliberate act is involved, such as the suspected attempt by a co-pilot to bring down the Israel-bound flydubai jet on September 30.

Venezuela's Maduro to face new US charges over alleged torture of Americans, official says

Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores are expected to face new criminal charges in the United States over allegations that Americans detained in Venezuela were tortured, a US official said on Wednesday. The new charges could come as soon as Thursday, according to the official, who was briefed on the investigation.

Dozens of soldiers, militants and miners killed in Nigeria attacks

Nigerian troops killed more than 25 Islamic State-aligned militants as they fought off an assault on a military position in northeastern Borno State, suffering an unknown number of casualties of their own, military sources and a member of the civilian defence force said on Wednesday. In a separate, earlier incident, gunmen on motorbikes killed more than 25 soldiers ‌and over 100 small-scale gold miners in Zamfara State, in the northwest, a military source, government official, and three residents ‌said.

Trump says he deserves Nobel Peace Prize but has doubts he will get it

US President Donald Trump, who waged war with Iran and has yet to broker peace in Ukraine, said on Wednesday that he should win the Nobel Peace Prize but acknowledged doubt about his chances. "I don't know what their decision is going to be," Trump ​said of the 2026 award, which the Norwegian Nobel Committee will announce on Friday. "They have a reputation for maybe not giving it to people like me."