Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Ukraine hits second major tech site, expanding range of targets inside Russia

Ukraine struck and partly disabled a major data centre operated by Russian technology company Yandex on Friday in the second such action in successive days, widening the scope of its attacks inside Russia after Moscow hit data hubs in Ukraine. Yandex, which is heavily involved in Russia's AI development and is ​sometimes called Russia's Google, said its data centre in the Kaluga region southwest of Moscow had been struck by Ukrainian drones and partly put out of action.

Wealthy French quit failing state schools squeezed by pensions and austerity

Clemence Remy moved to the French city of Nantes ​in 2020 and enrolled her two girls in the local state school. The teachers were good, but she grew so exasperated by rolling staff strikes that she eventually put them in ‌a private school. Those concerns about state ​schools have helped fuel some of France's most violent protests in decades. They began last month at high schools in Paris' poor northern suburbs, where anger over teacher absences and shabby facilities quickly morphed into a nationwide movement against inequality, weak public spending and falling standards.

Polish police seek to reassure schools after rumours of more attacks

Thousands of Polish police officers visited schools nationwide to try to reassure pupils after two stabbing sprees by teenagers in as many days sparked rumours of a "Bloody Friday" of more attacks stemming from a supposed online challenge. Polish Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said there was no confirmed evidence that the school attacks were part of a coordinated operation or linked to an online challenge.

Strong Panama quake shakes nation, but avoids major destruction

A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck southern Panama on Friday, damaging buildings and sending thousands into the streets, but the country appeared to escape widespread destruction or deaths.

The US Geological Survey ‌said the earthquake hit at a depth of 12.6 km (7.8 miles), with an epicenter in a sparsely populated area about 200 km (124 miles) from the capital, and that some casualties were possible.

ICC urges members to make sure it can continue despite US sanctions

The International Criminal Court on Friday strongly rejected the sanctions imposed on it by the US government and called on its member states to make sure it can continue to function. "It is an attempt to obstruct the course of justice and to prevent the Court from doing what it was created to do. It is an assault on the rule of law and on the very foundations of the international legal order," the court said in a statement.

Explainer-Is it legal for the US to livestream the Fort Hood shooter's execution?

The Pentagon said on Thursday that it would livestream the firing squad execution of the man who killed 13 people at the Fort Hood military base in 2009, raising questions about the legality of the unprecedented announcement. Here's what US law says about public executions and death by firing squad.

Lawmaker calls for US research funding curbs on more Chinese schools

A Republican lawmaker has called on the Defense Department to put US research funding restrictions on dozens more Chinese universities, including one with ties to top ‌American business leaders. Representative from Michigan John Moolenaar, who chairs the House Select Committee on China, this month asked the department to add 58 more Chinese schools and 62 Chinese technology labs to what is known as the 1286 list, according to a copy of the letter seen by Reuters.

Exclusive-Friend of suspected FBI data thief says he warned 'crazy' teen not to hack bureau

A friend of the suspected thief of a massive cache of personal data from the FBI says he begged the teenager not to do it. Adem El Adeb, 19, told Reuters that he tried to convince Saif al-Din Khader ‌last month that breaking into the FBI would bring the weight of the US government down on his shoulders but that Khader would not be swayed.

UAE says Omani flydubai co-pilot planned suicide attack on Tel Aviv flight

An Omani flydubai co-pilot had intended to seize a Dubai-Tel Aviv flight and crash it into a terminal at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport on September 30 in a suicide attack before he was thwarted by the captain, the UAE attorney general said on Friday. Attorney General Hamad Saif al Shamsi's statement did not appear to implicate flydubai in any wrongdoing, and contained the most detailed account yet from prosecutors about what they believe to have happened. Flydubai was not immediately available for comment.

US to livestream Army firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter, Pentagon says

The US will livestream the Army's upcoming firing squad execution of a gunman who killed 13 people at the Fort Hood military base in 2009, the Pentagon said, in what would be an unprecedented broadcast of a US execution. Nidal Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist, is set to become the first person to be executed by firing squad by the US military since 1945.

Mexican court finds three men guilty of 2024 killing of Australian, US surfers

A Mexican judge on Friday found three men guilty of the 2024 murders of two Australian brothers and their American friend during a surf trip to the state of Baja California, a source at the court told Reuters. Jesus Gerardo Garcia, known as "El Kekas," and the co-defendants identified simply as Irineo Francisco "N" and Angel Jesus "N," were found guilty ⁠of aggravated homicide, violent robbery and vehicle ​theft by a Baja California court.

UN human rights office welcomes Nobel Prize winner Pillay as staunch defender of human rights

The United Nations human rights office on Friday welcomed the ⁠news of Navi Pillay's Nobel Peace Prize win, acknowledging her longstanding advocacy for human rights. "It is amazing news, we need more dedication and commitment to human rights," Shabia Mantoo, spokesperson for the UN human rights office, told reporters in Geneva.

Protesters clash with police in Brussels as unions and students march

A small group of protesters clashed with police in Brussels on Friday as union members, joined by hundreds of students, marched as part of a national strike against planned government budget cuts. A few dozen masked protesters dressed in black threw rocks and other objects at police, as anti-police slogans echoed through the streets and anti-police graffiti covered nearby walls. Firefighters extinguished several fires, including on buses, while police responded with tear gas, according to Reuters witnesses.

US lifts sanctions on ⁠daughter of Myanmar military-linked businessman

The United States lifted on Friday sanctions on the daughter of a Myanmar businessman accused of supporting the country's military, according to the US Treasury Department's website, after she filed a suit seeking removal from the blacklist. The move comes after Reuters reported this week that the Trump administration had opened talks with Myanmar's military-installed government, reversing US policy that sought to isolate the generals who overthrew elected leaders in 2021.

UN calls US plans to livestream execution 'abhorrent'

The United Nations on Friday called US plans to livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan, the gunman who killed 13 people at the Fort Hood military base in 2009, "abhorrent" and said it could be a violation of prohibitions against ​torture. "These kinds of public executions we've seen in other countries, whether it's Iran or Afghanistan ... can constitute a form of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment, or punishment," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told a daily UN briefing in New York.

Hurricane Simon rapidly strengths off Mexico's Pacific coast, threatens tourist region

Hurricane Simon is rapidly intensifying off Mexico's Pacific coast, packing sustained winds of 100 mph (155 kph) as it churns toward a stretch of coastline dotted with beach resorts and fishing towns, the US National Hurricane Center said on Friday. Simon, currently a Category 1 hurricane, ⁠is forecast to become a dangerous Category 4 by Saturday as it nears Mexico's southwestern and west-central Pacific coast, one of the country's most popular tourist regions, the NHC said.

Republican opposition widens to livestreamed execution; Trump still weighing it

Republican US lawmakers joined religious leaders and international observers on Friday in opposing a Pentagon plan to livestream an execution by firing squad, while President Donald Trump said he has not yet decided whether to allow the live feed. Vice President JD Vance expressed skepticism over whether the Pentagon will proceed with livestreaming the scheduled December 3 execution of former US Army psychiatrist Nidal Hasan, who was found guilty in a US military trial of fatally shooting 13 people at Fort Hood in Texas in 2009.

Explainer-How the US plan to livestream an execution compares with global practice

The U.S. military ⁠plans to ​livestream the Dec. 3 execution by firing squad of Nidal Hasan, the former Army psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting. If carried out as planned, death penalty experts said it would mark the first known broadcast or livestream of a lawful execution.

Houthi strikes on Riyadh airport killed three Saudis as war escalates

Thursday's attacks on Riyadh airport killed three people, Saudi authorities said on Friday, as Yemen's Houthi group stepped up missile strikes on the kingdom and tried to shut down its airspace in an escalating war triggered by the US-Iran conflict. The strikes, which also injured several people, damaged a Saudia Airlines plane and sent smoke billowing over the airport, led many airlines to cancel flights to the Saudi capital days before it is due to host a major meeting of global oil chiefs.

Vance says he won't watch livestream of execution; Trump remains silent

US Vice President JD Vance said on Friday that he would not watch a livestream of the military execution of the gunman who killed 13 people at Fort Hood military base in 2009, while President Donald Trump has yet to comment on the Pentagon plan. "I don't know that that's actually going to happen," Vance told reporters while campaigning in Ohio. "If it's ⁠ultimately livestreamed, I'm not going to be watching it."

Kremlin says Putin in phone call with Trump downplays immediate Ukraine talks resumption

Russian President Vladimir Putin told US President Donald Trump on Friday that Kyiv had undermined the possibility of an immediate resumption of trilateral Ukraine peace talks after it had hit Moscow with drones during last month's election, the Kremlin said. Trump has so far unsuccessfully tried to broker a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine, which started with Russia's invasion in February 2022.

Exclusive-Erik Prince's forces suffer battlefield loss in Congo, former UFC fighter among wounded, sources say

Blackwater ⁠founder Erik Prince's forces suffered a major battlefield loss in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in mid-September when enemy forces ambushed them, killing and wounding at least 20 people, including ⁠a popular former UFC fighter, sources close to the government and his company said. The frontline clash shows how Prince, an ally and supporter of US President Donald Trump, has taken on an expanded role in Congo through his company Vectus Global. The company, which also operates in Haiti and other parts of Africa, provides consulting and security services and previously helped Congo’s army secure the city of Uvira in South Kivu against Rwanda-backed rebels who control swathes of the east.

Two men arrested at UK airbase used by US released on bail

British counter-terrorism police said on Friday that two Latvian men who were arrested on Thursday inside a Royal Air Force base in eastern England that is used by US forces had been released on bail. The police said the men, aged 32 and 36, had been freed with strict conditions, while an investigation continues.

Moroccan king says migration cooperation model with Spain hit limit

King ‌Mohammed VI said on Friday that Morocco's efforts to curb irregular migration had produced "concrete results," but that the current cooperation ‌model with Spain had reached its limits amid recurring crises. At least 70,000 people crossed from Morocco into the enclave of Ceuta in July. Most have returned but thousands, including minors, remained.

North Korea criticizes US human rights report, KCNA says

North Korea's foreign ministry criticized a US human rights report titled "2026 Trafficking in Persons ​Report," calling it "vicious and malicious intention to politicize and weaponize human rights," and said it is part of US hostile policy toward North Korea.