Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Democrats in tight Midwest US races split on trans rights strategy

After being caught flat-footed on transgender issues in the last US election, Democrats in tight midterm races are pursuing different strategies, with some adopting more conservative stances and others trying to deflect, according to a Reuters review of campaign messaging and interviews with nine party strategists ​and insiders. Ahead of the November 3 election, vulnerable Republican candidates have renewed their attacks over transgender rights, a message that political strategists say helped Donald Trump and his party win unified control of Washington in 2024.

Rubio says US committed to Mediterranean undersea ​power cable

The US supports an EU-backed undersea power cable scheme in the eastern Mediterranean and will use diplomacy to try to remove any possible hurdles, Secretary of State Marco ‌Rubio told a Greek ​newspaper. Greece's power grid operator IPTO is developing the €1.9 billion scheme, which aims to link the European mainland to Cyprus and later Israel, but progress has been slow amid a dispute between Greece and Turkey over the maritime area that will be designated for laying down the cable.

French teens march for decent schools despite government's pledge to act

French teenagers blockaded some high schools and marched through cities on Thursday as the government promised to address their grievances about teacher shortages and dilapidated school buildings but gave few specific details. The protest movement, now into its third week, has exposed deep tensions in France between popular demands for investments in deteriorating public services and a cash-strapped government under pressure from bond markets to reduce its debt and deficit.

Airline chiefs say can't fully guard against rogue pilots after flydubai attack

Airline executives said safety standards remained ‌high after a flydubai co-pilot attacked the captain with an axe last week in an alleged attempt to crash the plane, but acknowledged it was hard to guard against a rogue pilot. The comments, among the first by airline chiefs since the attack, highlight the industry's struggle to address safety and security concerns after an incident that caused the jet to plunge 16,000 feet in 30 seconds.

Cilia Flores, wife of Venezuela's Maduro, to press for release from US jail

Cilia Flores, the wife of ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, is expected to appear in a US court on Thursday to urge a federal judge to release her from jail for health reasons while she awaits her drug trafficking trial next year. At a hearing set to start at 10:30 a.m. EDT (1430 GMT) in Manhattan federal court, Flores' lawyers are expected to ask US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein to grant bail so their client can undergo a cardiac procedure and recover in a more comfortable environment.

What's happening with Britain's Jerusalem consulate?

Britain said on Thursday its nearly 200-year-old consulate in Jerusalem would continue operating on a smaller scale and be renamed as the "UK Mission" in the city, after Israel ordered it shut ‌in a dispute over sanctions on settlements. Here's what to know about the dispute and diplomatic missions in the Holy City.

Most Republicans in tight midterm races distance themselves from Trump, Reuters review finds

Two-thirds of Republican candidates in competitive US House and Senate races have broken with President Donald Trump on policy or played down ties to him, a Reuters review found, revealing a widespread effort to distance themselves from the president as his unpopularity threatens the party's hold on Congress. The review of voting records, public statements and campaign materials found candidates in ‌41 of 62 competitive congressional races seeking some distance from Trump ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.

Poland's second school knife attack in two days kills one, raises copycat fears

A 15-year-old former pupil killed one employee and injured two others at a Polish primary school on Thursday wearing a helmet-mounted camera, the second school stabbing in two days, possibly in response to an internet challenge, authorities said.

A 37-year-old woman who worked as a caretaker had died in the latest attack, which took place at around 9 a.m. (0700 GMT) in Leszczydol-Nowiny, northeast of Warsaw, officials said.

Naval Group steps up Europe push as defence spending rises

French warship builder Naval Group is stepping up efforts to capitalise on Europe's higher defence spending, betting its ability to deliver frigates quickly will give it an edge over European rivals, executives said. The state-controlled company, which competes with Britain's BAE Systems and Germany's TKMS, said European clients outside France now account for 20% to 25% of its €4.7 billion ($5.3 billion) annual turnover, up from zero in 2019, thanks to contracts in the Netherlands, Belgium, Greece and Sweden.

Genre-defying Canadian poet Anne Carson wins 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature

Canadian poet and writer Anne Carson won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature "for her bold and inventive oeuvre that, in playful dialogue with the classical tradition, has created new forms for contemporary literature", the Swedish Academy said on Thursday. "She was very taken by surprise," said Ingrid Carlberg, permanent ⁠secretary of the academy, which ​awards the prize worth 12 million Swedish crowns ($1.2 million).

Turkey's foreign minister says Ankara weighing Saudi defence support, rules out offensive role

Turkey is assessing how it can ⁠help Saudi Arabia defend against attacks by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi militants under a joint defence pact with Pakistan, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Thursday, ruling out Turkish participation in offensive operations. Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement in August, under which an armed attack on one member is considered an attack on all. The three countries have since held political and military meetings in response to the Houthi attacks.

New Italy election law puts fragile opposition unity to the test

A new electoral law approved by Italy's parliament on Thursday was conceived by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's coalition as a way to cement its grip on power after the next election, opposition politicians ⁠say. Yet analysts say the reform, which rewards broad alliances rather than individual parties, could ultimately benefit Meloni's centre-left foes if they can overcome their internal divisions and rally behind a single leader.

Drones hit Yandex site in first major attack on Russian data hub

Drones hit a data centre owned by Russia's Yandex, the country's leading AI and technology company said on Thursday, in the first major attack on a Russian data hub since the start of the war with Ukraine. Mutual drone attacks by Russia and Ukraine this year have gradually spread across the economy, from energy facilities and refineries to ports and vessels carrying oil and grain, e-commerce warehouses and, ​most recently, data centres.

Russia says reports of second case linked to Siberian plague lab are false

Russia's health regulator denied on Thursday that someone had fallen ill after coming into contact with a worker at a plague research laboratory in Siberia who died last week. In a statement published by Russian news agencies, the regulator denied what it called "fake information circulating on social media regarding a second case of illness".

UK PM Burnham says he is open to Germany joining GCAP fighter programme

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham ⁠said the UK was open to Germany joining the GCAP programme, a partnership between Britain, Italy and Japan to build a new fighter jet, after he met Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin on Thursday. "I've indicated to the Chancellor ... our openness to Germany joining GCAP," Burnham told a press conference.

People in Russian-occupied Ukrainian town risk 'road of death' to get food

Trapped and facing starvation, residents of the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky in southern Ukraine risk their lives to travel for hours by foot and bicycle along mine-strewn roads to get food and water. The main route out of the town, lying near the front line east of the Dnipro River, heads deeper into Russian-controlled areas. It is littered with burned-out cars and charred by blasts, ⁠according to ​witnesses, relatives, humanitarian groups and video footage verified by Reuters. Attack drones prowl overhead.

Indian opposition protest police action against lawmakers, push for poll chief's resignation

Indian opposition groups demonstrated for a third day on Thursday, protesting police action against Congress party leaders and demanding the resignation of the chief election commissioner over a controversial revision of voter lists. Opposition parties, their student units, and the "Cockroach" youth movement have been holding almost daily demonstrations seeking Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation. They have accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of using a revision of voter lists to fix them in its favour, in collusion with its appointees, including Kumar.

Italy's Meloni forces through new electoral law ahead of vote, opposition cries foul

Italy's lower house of parliament gave final approval on Thursday to a fiercely contested electoral reform championed by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni which provides the framework for a national election due next year. Meloni says the new rules are intended to increase the prospect of stable government. The centre-left opposition says the goal is to boost her chances of retaining power.

Factbox-Key points in Italy's new electoral law

Italy's lower house of parliament on ⁠Thursday gave final approval to new voting rules ahead of a general election due next year, completing a reform championed by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Meloni, whose government last month became the longest-serving since World War Two, says the new rules are intended to increase the prospect of stable government. The opposition says the goal is to favour her ruling coalition at the election.

Drones, explosions and soldiers in bulldozers: surrounded by Israelis in Lebanon's 'model town'

Dodging the broken glass carpeting her home in southern Lebanon, Mariam al-Yaghi exited onto her upper ⁠balcony and pointed. A few hundred metres away was a sight the 67-year-old had grown accustomed to: military vehicles moving through the adjacent Lebanese village, still occupied by ⁠Israeli troops. At night, Israeli soldiers patrol so close to Yaghi's home in West Zawtar that she can hear their voices. By day, she is often trailed by a small Israeli surveillance drone as she toils in her garden. Booms echo throughout the morning as Israel's military destroys homes in the surrounding occupied towns with controlled detonations and bulldozers.

Analysis-As Munir's military takes on Gulf role, Pakistan's parliament is not involved

Eleven years after Pakistan's parliament voted to keep the country out of a Saudi-led intervention in Yemen in 2015, Islamabad has agreed to rapidly deploy more forces to Saudi Arabia without a parliamentary vote, highlighting the military's grip on foreign policy under Field Marshal Asim Munir. On Monday, a defence pact Pakistan signed with Saudi Arabia and Turkey in August was invoked for the first time, as the kingdom faces escalating attacks ‌from Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis.

Latest suspect in RAF Fairford airbase plot released on bail

British police said ‌on Thursday a 22-year-old British man, the seventh person to be arrested on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts as part of an investigation into a suspected plot targeting an airbase, has also been released on bail. The United States said on Monday that a threat linked to Iran had prompted ​the removal of American bomber planes from the British airbase, RAF Fairford. The US had used the base to strike Iran.