Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Nicaraguan families beg for answers as dissenters vanish into state custody

Thelma Brenes grew worried when her father in Nicaragua did not return her messages. Retired Army Colonel Carlos Brenes, 71, lived with his wife, Salvadora Martinez, 69, on a rural property south of the capital Managua. Brenes' daughter Thelma, living in the Netherlands, asked a neighbor to check on the couple. He found the house empty.

What is lung adenocarcinoma, ​the cancer diagnosed in Pope Leo?

Pope Leo was diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma after doctors removed the lower lobe of his right lung during surgery on Tuesday, the Vatican said. Here are some facts about the disease.

Bulgaria expects to join NATO anti-drone initiative this month, says minister

Bulgaria expects to join a NATO ​anti-drone initiative by the end of October, Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said on Wednesday, a day after a drone attack sank a cargo vessel off the country's Black Sea coast for the second ‌time in a week. The attacks ​have highlighted the growing threat that drone warfare linked to the Russia-Ukraine war poses to commercial shipping near NATO's southeastern flank, prompting Bulgaria to push for stronger alliance defences in the Black Sea.

Singapore pollution spikes, East Timor shuts schools as Indonesia wildfire haze intensifies

Pollution readings in Singapore reached their highest level this year on Wednesday while East Timor shut its schools for three days in response to intensifying smoke and haze from Indonesia's wildfires. Singapore's 1-hour PM2.5 reading hit a high of 284 micrograms per cubic metre in the western part of the island state, entering the National Environmental Agency's "very high" band for the first time during the current haze period.

Spain's ruling Socialists lead in state-run poll ahead of snap election

Spain's ruling Socialist Party (PSOE) would win 34% of the vote if elections were held now, well ahead of the opposition People's Party (PP) on 22.2%, according to an October survey by state-run pollster CIS published on Wednesday. The poll comes ahead of Spain's snap elections next month, called ‌by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez after parliament rejected his minority government's housing measures.

World prays for Pope Leo after lung cancer diagnosis

World leaders, Catholics across the globe and senior cardinals at the Vatican offered prayers for Pope Leo on Wednesday after doctors announced the 71-year-old pontiff had been diagnosed with lung cancer and had part of one lung removed. The cancer diagnosis for a pope known to be relatively young and energetic and who was elected only in May 2025 caused shock.

Colombia opens embassy in Jerusalem, restores free trade deal with Israel

Colombia opened its embassy in Jerusalem on Wednesday, becoming the 10th country to do so, as new President Abelardo de la Espriella reversed his predecessor's break with Israel by also restoring a free trade agreement between the two countries. Most countries maintain their embassies to Israel in Tel Aviv. Israel regards Jerusalem as its capital, while Palestinians seek East Jerusalem as the capital of a future independent state. The city's status remains one of the most contentious issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Trade conflicts cost prosperity around the world, German Finance Minister says

Trade conflicts, tariff disputes, and distortions of competition create massive instability and cost prosperity around the world, German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil said on Wednesday in Berlin. "In times of global crises and economic uncertainty, it is more important than ever to build on dialogue and reliable partnerships," said Klingbeil ahead of his trip to Bangkok for the annual ‌meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the G20 meeting of finance ministers.

Japan farm minister steps down, first for Takaichi cabinet

Japanese farm minister Kazuo Yana stepped down on Wednesday after coming under fire for remarks about cutting road funding for municipalities that did not support him, becoming the first minister in Sanae Takaichi's government to resign. Takaichi appointed Yana in a cabinet reshuffle last month, but had openly chided him in parliament for the remarks over the road funding, which local media first reported earlier this month.

Tunisian journalists fear jail again as freedoms erode

Journalists in Tunisia who enjoyed a burst of press freedom after the 2011 ‌Arab Spring are once again looking over their shoulders in the knowledge their work may land them in prison. The 2011 overthrow of autocrat Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali unshackled Tunisia's media, but a decade later President Kais Saied's seizure of sweeping powers began eroding those gains.

Saudi Aramco headquarters suffered extensive damage in Houthi attack, sources say

Oil giant Saudi Aramco's headquarters in Dhahran suffered extensive damage in an attack on Tuesday, with a fire spreading across several floors, three people with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. Operations at the complex in eastern Saudi Arabia have continued normally but some employees have been asked to work from home, according to two of the people.

South Korea police identify more victims in Incheon stabbing attack, total rises to 10, reports say

South Korean police have verified additional victims from a stabbing attack in Incheon on Tuesday, bringing the total number of people wounded to 10, media reports said on Wednesday. Police on Tuesday arrested a man who went on a stabbing rampage in the city near the capital Seoul.

Ukraine says it frees more territory in Donetsk region counteroffensive

Ukraine has freed 16 villages from Russian forces in the eastern Donetsk region in its latest counteroffensive, a senior commander said on Wednesday, part of what he called a major frontline pushback amid increased Russian air attacks elsewhere.

Kyiv's Third Army Corps has waged an operation, announced last month, to dislodge Russian troops north of the strategic city of Sloviansk, one of the two main bastions in Ukraine's so-called "fortress belt" anchoring its eastern defences.

Failure to activate Hormuz fertilizer plan could trigger food crisis, UN official says

A failure by the United States and Iran to agree within weeks on ⁠a UN-backed plan for moving fertilizer ​through the Strait of Hormuz could cause a food security crisis in parts of Asia and Africa, an official overseeing the proposed scheme said on Wednesday. The United Nations set up a ⁠taskforce in March to facilitate passage of fertilizers through the strait. It is yet to implement the mechanism it drew up, but United Nations Under-Secretary-General Jorge Moreira da Silva said this could be activated within 7-10 days of an agreement between Washington and Tehran.

Lawyers at start of Nord Stream trial argue bombing may not have been a crime

Lawyers for a Ukrainian ex-military officer accused of plotting the September 2022 bombing of Russia's biggest gas pipeline to Europe argued at the start of his trial on Wednesday that blowing up Russian infrastructure may not have been a crime. Serhii Kuznetsov is accused of leading a group of Ukrainian agents including divers and an explosives expert that blew up the Nord Stream pipeline in one of the biggest infrastructure sabotage operations of modern times.

EU regrets Palestinian decision to postpone elections

The European ⁠Union regrets the decision by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to postpone legislative and presidential elections by almost a year, the EU's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in a statement on Wednesday. The Palestinian legislative elections were originally scheduled on November 28 while the presidential election was due to take place in early 2027. Both were postponed to September 11 next year.

As Ebola spreads in eastern Congo, mothers and children shun vital care

The fear of Ebola is keeping women and children from seeking healthcare in eastern Congo, health workers and aid agencies say, contributing to soaring maternal deaths and falling childhood immunization rates that could strain the healthcare system for years to come. Health workers say that misplaced anxiety about contact with Ebola is the primary reason women are forgoing crucial ​prenatal care and opting to give birth at home, and dying more often in the event of complications.

Russian strikes kill three, damage dozens of power facilities

Russian strikes killed three people in Kyiv and plunged hundreds of thousands into darkness overnight, authorities said on Wednesday, in an attack President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called "ostentatious disrespect" to Donald Trump's peace effort. The hours-long missile and drone attack primarily targeted Kyiv and Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, and damaged 30 energy facilities, Zelenskiy said. At least 600,000 people were left without power, he added.

Iran shifting tactics to step up attacks on shipping before US vote, officials ⁠say

Iran is deploying new tactics to target ships sailing through the Strait of Hormuz as it seeks to keep oil prices high and influence the US midterm elections, two senior Iranian officials told Reuters. Tehran has tried to exert control over the Strait of Hormuz since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28. It has restricted passage through the waterway, which carried about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas trade before the war, in an effort to gain leverage over Washington.

Saudi Aramco headquarters suffered extensive damage in Houthi attack, sources say

Oil giant Saudi Aramco's headquarters in Dhahran suffered extensive damage in an attack on Tuesday, with a fire spreading across several floors, three people with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. Operations at the complex in eastern Saudi Arabia have continued normally but some employees have been asked to work ⁠from home, ​according to two of the people.

U.S.-Russia deal on diesel is 'very risky choice,' Italy PM Meloni says

The deal between the United States and Russia over diesel supply is a "very risky choice" that runs counter to efforts to force Vladimir Putin to sit at a negotiating table with Ukraine, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Wednesday. The United States and Russia agreed last week that Moscow would initially supply more than 300,000 metric tons of diesel to U.S. and global markets.

Ukraine accuses SpaceX of crippling drone missions as ties with US worsen

Ukraine accused Elon Musk's SpaceX on Wednesday of limiting Starlink services, crippling its drones, as Russian missiles knocked out power stations in attacks President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called "ostentatious disrespect" to Donald Trump. Kyiv's relationship with Washington has taken a sharp turn for the worse since US President Trump abruptly lifted sanctions on Russian diesel last week and publicly turned on Zelenskiy.

Turkey appoints trustee to run pro-opposition Halk TV amid opposition crackdown

Turkish authorities appointed a government trustee to run pro-opposition broadcaster Halk TV, prosecutors said on Wednesday as police raided its Istanbul office, extending a crackdown on the opposition and prompting fresh concerns over media freedom. The Istanbul Chief Prosecutor's Office said its financial crimes unit had conducted an investigation into Halk TV Chairman Cafer Mahiroglu over "bribery, tender-rigging, and laundering of assets derived from crime."

French navy chief sees no threat to US ⁠catapult supply for future carrier

The US has not yet decided whether to abandon the electromagnetic launch system for aircraft carriers, France's navy chief said on Wednesday, two months after President Donald Trump ordered the US Navy to drop the technology that France has chosen for its next carrier. Trump ordered the Navy in August to revert to the older steam-powered catapults, calling the electromagnetic system unreliable. The move raised doubts over the future supply of the technology, which is used for launching jet fighters from the ships.

Gazans harvest dregs of olive groves bulldozed and cut off by Israel

Haidar Abu Middain, 60, lifts a desiccated bough of ⁠a fallen olive tree and tosses it aside in the barren dirt of what was once one of the most prosperous groves in central Gaza. The family olive orchard he owned with his ⁠brothers and his uncles used to span 900 dunums — 220 acres — of trees that this time of year would be heavy with ripe fruit.

Container ship sinks near Hormuz after being hit by projectile, sources say

A container ship has sunk near the Strait of Hormuz after being hit by a projectile, while a separate dry bulk carrier damaged in an earlier attack is also reported to be sinking, maritime security sources said on Wednesday. The Singapore-flagged GFS Pride container ship, with a small 2,824 TEU (20-ft equivalent unit) capacity, had sunk, the sources said.

EU seeks to raise cash for Ukraine at IMF and G7 meetings, Dombrovskis says

Ukraine faces a funding gap for 2027 and the European Union is trying to raise extra cash for the country at the meetings of the International Monetary Fund and G7 finance ministers this week in Bangkok, European Economic Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said. Ukraine's 2026 funding is already covered, with some €31 billion from the EU waiting for disbursement as soon as Kyiv votes through the agreed ‌reforms.

India's 'cockroach' movement leaders detained in jail for five days, party and police say

An Indian court ordered that two leaders ‌of the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) be detained in jail for five days, the party and police said on Wednesday, a day after they scaled barricades to enter a historic site popular for protests and chanted slogans demanding the election chief's resignation. The detentions risk triggering fresh protests by youth supporters at a time when opposition groups and ​student bodies are holding almost daily demonstrations to demand commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation over voter list revisions that critics say favour Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).