Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

As diesel prices soar, Bolivian farmer turns trash into tractor fuel

In the Bolivian Altiplano, where rising fuel costs are threatening farmers' livelihoods, local resident Etson Machaca built a small plant that turns plastic bags, old tires and used oil into energy for his tractors. Though the operation is small, producing only between 80 and 150 liters of gasoline and diesel a day, the savings are a lifesaver for ​Machaca after Bolivia's centrist government last month ended state diesel subsidies in a bid to shore up public accounts.

Investigators hunt French supermarket fridge hackers, no claim of responsibility

French investigators on Tuesday were hunting the hackers who seized control of cooling units at hundreds of supermarkets in a cyberattack that underlined ​the vulnerabilities of connected systems, with no group publicly claiming responsibility. The absence of a claim of responsibility by hacktivists or a ransom demand by cybercriminals has puzzled investigators, according to a source with ‌knowledge of the probe. Typically, such ​groups tend to quickly seek to monetise their hacks or claim credit for them for political ends.

Ex-gang leader faces maximum penalty of life in prison for Tupac Shakur murder

A former gang leader was set to be sentenced on Tuesday for orchestrating the 1996 drive-by shooting death of hip-hop star Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas, capping the lone prosecution of a long-unsolved murder that shaped the golden age of rap music. Duane "Keffe D" Davis, 63, found guilty of first-degree murder in August, was scheduled to return to a Las Vegas courtroom facing a maximum penalty of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Former right-hand man of purged Chongqing chief Bo Xilai under investigation, China's graft watchdog says

Huang Qifan, a former mayor of the Chinese city of Chongqing who survived the purge of his former boss Bo Xilai, has been placed under investigation over alleged corruption, the anti-graft watchdog said in a statement on Tuesday. Huang was under investigation for suspected law and discipline violations – a euphemism for ‌corruption – the watchdog said.

Hezbollah outlines financial aid plan for Lebanese with destroyed homes

Lebanon's Hezbollah will provide up to $14,000 in financial assistance to families whose primary homes have been destroyed or rendered uninhabitable during this year's war with Israel, the chairman of the group's Executive Council said on Tuesday. Reuters reported last week that Hezbollah had received $200 million from Iran to help displaced Lebanese families, citing two people with direct knowledge of the transfer, though the US disputed Tehran's ability to provide such financial assistance.

Flight lands safely in Germany after hijack alert issued due to radio malfunction, airline says

A flight from the Greek island of Corfu to Germany landed safely as planned in Nuremberg on Tuesday after a hijack alert issued from the cockpit that the airline put down to a "malfunction in the radio communication system". Corendon Airlines said it wanted to "emphasize that no emergency situation occurred and that at no point were the passengers, flight crew or aircraft in any danger".

Egypt's Baha'i minority is running out of space to bury their dead

In a Cairo cemetery shaded by palms and tangled shrubs, pale graves are packed so tightly that in some places only narrow strips of sand and broken pavement separate one family’s plot from the next. This is the last remaining burial place of Egypt's Baha'i community, a religious minority long on the margins of official life, and it is quickly running out of ‌room.

What is the diesel deal between Putin and Trump?

US President Donald Trump has stepped up his efforts to lower US diesel prices by lifting sanctions on Russian diesel exports and announcing a ceasefire on energy infrastructure between Russia and Ukraine. Soaring US diesel prices are hurting US truckers and farmers, and are a concern for voters and political parties ahead of November 3 midterm elections.

Saudi warning system stayed silent before deadly airport attacks

Saudi Arabia stopped issuing public warnings of imminent military attacks days before a series of deadly strikes on Riyadh airport that killed at least 18 people and wounded more than 300. The government has not said ‌why there were no alerts to the public before the four Riyadh attacks in the past week.

South Korean police detain man over stabbing of eight people at shopping mall

South Korean police said they had detained a man suspected of stabbing eight people on Tuesday at a shopping mall in the city of Incheon, and the Yonhap news agency said one of the victims was in a life-threatening condition. Officers are investigating the motive and circumstances of the attack, a police spokesperson said by telephone.

Russia calls French seizure of alleged shadow fleet tanker a violation of international law, RIA reports

Russia's embassy in France said on Tuesday that France's seizure of a tanker - DF Peak - was a blatant violation of international law, the state RIA news agency reported. French President Emmanuel Macron said on X on Monday that the French Navy had intercepted and boarded the tanker 450 nautical miles south of Réunion. He said the tanker was suspected of flying a false flag and of being involved in "illicit fuel transportation activities" as part of Russia's shadow fleet.

North Korea's Kim showcases missile capable of reaching US as Trump signals possible meeting

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited a defence industry museum displaying an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States, state media KCNA showed on Tuesday. The report came a day after US President Donald Trump said he might meet Kim during a planned trip to Asia. Trump is expected to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in China in mid-November.

Germany's Merz: I will prioritise welfare reform over popularity

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Tuesday he was ready to sacrifice his popularity in opinion polls to push through long-overdue welfare system reforms that benefit ⁠younger people. "I have no intention of becoming ​the nation's darling. My intention is to set this country on the right course so that, above all, we can once again offer the younger generation decent prospects," said Merz, speaking ⁠at an employers' association conference.

Indonesia's Prabowo orders more resources to fight wildfires as haze anger grows

Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto has ordered the mobilisation of additional resources to combat wildfires, his government said on Tuesday, as criticism grew at home and abroad over Jakarta's response to fires that have blanketed the region in hazardous haze. In a meeting with Indonesian authorities, Prabowo said he was ready to provide all the necessary resources to bolster firefighting operations across the country, a statement from the government's communication body said.

Pope Leo to have surgery on lung nodule on Tuesday afternoon

Pope Leo will have surgery at Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Tuesday afternoon to remove a small growth on one of his lungs, in the first major health issue of his 17-month tenure. Leo, 71, said on Sunday that the growth, a small nodule, ⁠had been found on a recent check-up, was "well-contained" and had been spotted early.

US should become rights defender once more, Nobel peace laureate Pillay says

Nobel Peace Prize winner Navi Pillay urged the United States on Tuesday to resume its traditional role of defender of human rights and freedom for the rest of the world as Washington campaigns to undermine the International Criminal Court. "My message is: 'You have to get back to playing your serious role as a leader, playing a liberatory role for the rest of the world'," Pillay, 85, told Reuters in The Hague, where she is currently a judge at the United Nations' highest legal body, the International Court of Justice.

Taiwan warns Europe of dangers of dependence on China

Taiwan's foreign minister warned the European Union that dependence ​on Chinese suppliers poses a risk to the bloc's freedom during a speech in Poland on Tuesday ahead of a summit in Brussels where trade with Beijing will be high on the agenda.

EU leaders will discuss China as the first point of their summit starting on Thursday, as Brussels attempts to reduce the bloc's trade deficit and mitigate what many see as the risks of becoming over-dependent on Beijing in sensitive sectors.

Russia hits no energy targets in Ukraine for first time since Trump's 'truce'

Russia hit no Ukrainian energy targets on Tuesday for the first time since US President ⁠Donald Trump's weekend announcement of an "energy ceasefire", while hammering cities' transport and logistics overnight with ballistic missiles and drones. Russia's defence ministry, in its daily summary of overnight strikes, made no mention of Ukrainian energy facilities. A Kremlin spokesman, asked about the energy ceasefire, would only say that contacts were ongoing, but declined to provide any further details. However, one missile came down just over a kilometre from a plant providing heating to much of the city of Lviv, in the west.

France seizes another 'shadow fleet' tanker; Russia decries 'piracy'

France's military was taking a tanker suspected to be part of Russia's "shadow fleet" skirting Western sanctions to Reunion island on Tuesday in what Moscow called another act of "piracy".

Sanctions on Russia for invading Ukraine and aimed at cutting its oil revenue have spawned a fleet of often ageing and unregulated vessels helping Moscow keep its crude exports flowing.

Budget cuts would impair ⁠Colombia peace ​court, search for disappeared, officials say

Budget cuts proposed by allies of Colombia's new right-wing president would crimp investigations and trials of human rights abuses by the country's transitional justice court and hinder efforts to locate and identify 137,000 people who disappeared during the country's ongoing conflict, the court, the disappeared unit and advocates say. Congress has until October 20 to decide how next year's $195 billion budget will be distributed.

Iran and Russia ramping up hybrid campaigns in Britain, UK spy chief says

Iran is ramping up attempts to hit harder targets such as military sites in Britain while Russia is escalating its hybrid warfare as it lashes out against Ukraine's allies, the UK's domestic spy chief said on Tuesday. In his annual speech on wide-ranging threats to Britain, MI5's Director General Ken McCallum also said the greatest concern about the misuse of AI was terrorists being able to develop bioweapons or even create new novel pathogens.

Hungary's Orban denies ordering Ukrainian cash and gold seized when leader

Hungarian former Prime Minister Viktor Orban has denied directing authorities to seize two Ukrainian cash-in-transit vehicles carrying $82 million in cash and gold, dismissing the claims as politically motivated. Seven Ukrainians transporting the assets were briefly detained by Hungarian authorities in March on suspicion of money laundering.

Indian police detain 'cockroach' movement leaders demanding election chief's resignation

Top leaders of India's "cockroach" youth movement were detained on Tuesday after they jumped barricades to ⁠enter the grounds of a historic observatory popular for protests, chanting slogans demanding the chief election commissioner's resignation over a controversial revision of voter lists. Supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and opposition groups have held almost daily protests this month to demand commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation over the revisions critics say favour Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Eleven sailors missing after drone sinks ship off Bulgaria

Eleven sailors were missing at sea on Tuesday from a ship sunk by a drone attack off the coast of Bulgaria, possibly the second deadly sinking of a cargo vessel in the area in a week, prompting Bulgaria to ⁠summon Russia's ambassador. Two cargo ships were hit by drones overnight and one was sunk, Bulgarian officials said. Bulgaria stopped short of explicitly accusing Russia of carrying out the attacks but Prime Minister ⁠Rumen Radev said their outcome "benefits the Russian Federation".

Polish retailers remove some Halloween products after school stabbings

Polish retailers have begun removing some Halloween-themed products such as fake knives from shelves following three recent stabbing attacks at schools, company representatives said on Tuesday. Thousands of police officers have been deployed to schools since the end of last week after two stabbing incidents involving teenagers on consecutive days.

Greta Thunberg joins French teens on new day of school protests

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg joined protesters outside a high school in a working-class suburb of Paris on Tuesday as French pupils took to the streets for another day of demonstrations over poor learning conditions. Now in its fourth week, the nationwide protest movement over teacher shortages, classroom overcrowding and crumbling school buildings has involved marches, blockades of hundreds of schools and, in some cases, clashes with police.

Afghan authorities suspend BBC radio broadcasts across country, broadcaster says

Afghan authorities have suspended the BBC's FM radio broadcasts across Afghanistan, the British broadcaster said on Tuesday, adding that it was ‌working with them to resolve the situation. "Millions of people across Afghanistan rely on the BBC for accurate news and information and ‌we are working with the authorities to address the situation," a BBC spokesperson said in a statement.

Argentina seeks tribunal order against UK oil activity near Falklands

Argentina's government said on Tuesday it had filed a request for provisional measures with the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea seeking to halt British-authorized hydrocarbon activity near the Falkland ​Islands. The request aims to prevent the United Kingdom from exploiting hydrocarbon resources on the continental shelf of the Northern Falklands Basin, the government added in a statement.