Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Kremlin accuses Ukraine of flouting spirit of US peace efforts with strikes on Russian oil refineries

The Kremlin on Thursday said that Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries ran counter to US peace efforts, after a Ukrainian drone struck a refinery in Russia's Ryazan region overnight. US President Trump declared an energy ceasefire on Sunday, something Ukraine said it had first learnt about ​from media reports and which Russia did not publicly commit itself to.

Pope Leo recovering as planned after lung cancer surgery, doctors say

Pope Leo's recovery from surgery for lung cancer was going as planned and the 71-year-old pontiff has started to do a little work again, the ​Vatican said on Thursday. Leo has been diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma, the most common form of lung cancer, and doctors removed the lower lobe of his right lung in an operation on ‌Tuesday afternoon.

This Chinese export ​boom really has legs – and wings

In an office reeking of cigarettes, Dang Yangyang slouches on a black leather sofa in exhaustion. The general manager at Wintop Food has spent recent days chaperoning clients from Ghana, Iraq, Jordan, Russia and Senegal. They all want the same thing: Chinese chicken. Wintop processes 60 million chickens annually, selling breasts, nuggets, meatballs and dumplings to more than 20 countries. Exports accounted for half of its profits last year and are underwriting 33 acres of expansion.

Russian investigators question Novaya Gazeta editor after raiding his home

The editor-in-chief of Russian independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta was taken in for questioning by investigators in Moscow on Thursday, the outlet said, after authorities searched his home. The TASS state news agency, citing law enforcement sources, said Sergei Sokolov was being questioned in a case regarding the "unlawful use of personal data" following a search at his home.

Ukraine says it damaged six Russian military jets in ‌missile strike on airfield

Ukraine's military said on Thursday it had damaged six Russian Su-34M military aircraft in an overnight strike on the Borisoglebsk airfield in Russia's Voronezh region. In a statement on Telegram, Ukraine's military general staff said it had confirmed damage of varying degrees to all six aircraft.

Venezuela's Maduro due in court over new US torture charge

Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores are due in US court on Thursday to respond to a new indictment accusing them of conspiring to torture political opponents. The additional charges, brought last Thursday, significantly expanded the US criminal case against Maduro, 63, and Flores, 70. They previously pleaded not guilty to charges that they abused their power to help drug traffickers ship cocaine. Their lawyers have said they deny the torture charges as well.

EU and Gulf states postpone summit due in Saudi Arabia

The European Union and Gulf states on Thursday postponed a joint summit due to be held in Saudi Arabia next week, as sustained attacks by the Iran-aligned Houthis fuel concerns about air travel to and from the kingdom. The Gulf Cooperation Council cited continued Houthi threats against Saudi Arabia and an extended suspension of operations at King Khalid International Airport when announcing the postponement of the summit scheduled for October 24 in Riyadh.

UK comedian Russell ‌Brand's accuser told police she blamed herself for alleged rape

One of six women who allege British actor and comedian Russell Brand sexually assaulted them over a decade broke down in tears as she told police she blamed herself for being raped by him more than 25 years ago, his trial heard on Thursday. Brand, once one of Britain's most high-profile broadcasters and the former husband of US singer Katy Perry, is on trial accused of three counts of rape, three of sexual assault and one of indecent assault between 1999 and 2009.

Hezbollah says it owned confiscated explosives, ‌meant to attack Israel

A Hezbollah lawmaker said on Thursday that hundreds of kilograms of explosives seized last week by Lebanese security forces belonged to his group, as tensions persist over the government's push to disarm the Iran-backed movement. Lebanese authorities stopped the explosives-laden vehicle at a checkpoint in the eastern Bekaa region last week and arrested two people in the car.

Israeli firm used online ads to run vast spy operation, researchers say

Israeli digital advertising agency Discover-Tech spied on internet users through a sprawling network of online ads that it used to track targets and help hack their devices, two research groups said on Thursday. Its services gave Israel's Candiru — a spyware company blacklisted by the US government — as well as other Israeli surveillance firms access to advertising platforms run by Google, Comcast, Russia's Yandex and others, according to separate reports from Canadian cyber watchdog group Citizen Lab and New York advertising security firm Confiant.

Merz says frozen Russian assets must stay in Europe amid reported US proposal

Billions of euros' worth of Russian assets frozen in Europe after the invasion of Ukraine should stay under the region's control, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Thursday, after a report that the United States may seek supervision over some. "Those are assets that are frozen in Europe and they should remain frozen in Europe. This is our business and we are deciding over it," Merz said in Brussels ahead of an EU summit.

Explainer-What is the 'hospital of the popes' where Leo is recovering from surgery?

Rome's Gemelli Hospital, where Pope Leo is recovering after surgery for lung ⁠cancer, is known as the "hospital of ​the popes". The hospital, with a suite especially for popes, has become the preferred medical facility for modern pontiffs since the time of Pope John Paul II.

Ukraine passes key ⁠laws to help unlock billions in aid from EU, IMF

Ukraine's parliament passed a package of legislation on Thursday to advance the implementation of key demands from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund to unlock billions in foreign aid. As the war with Russia is in its fifth year, Ukraine faces a budget crisis driven by a huge military funding deficit, stalled economic growth, and domestic revenue shortfalls due to intensified Russian strikes on businesses and infrastructure.

Northern Ireland's Donaldson jailed for 15 years for child sex offences

The former leader of Northern Ireland's largest unionist party, Jeffrey Donaldson, was jailed for 15 years on Thursday for historic child sex offences that were described by the judge as representing "a catastrophic descent into disgrace". Donaldson, 63, was convicted in June ⁠of one count of rape, 13 counts of indecent assault and four counts of gross indecency against two women at dates between 1985 and 2008 in one of the highest-profile cases in the British-run region in recent times.

Two ships ablaze off Romanian Black Sea coast, 7 sailors missing

Rescuers were searching for seven missing crew on Thursday from one of two chemical tankers that caught fire overnight just outside Romanian territorial waters in the Black Sea, after Russian drones strayed into national airspace, Romanian officials said. Romanian President Nicusor Dan said the two ships had been struck by drones, but declined to say whether they were Russian.

EU leaders kick off summit with wrangles over high energy prices and spending

The European ​Union began a packed summit on Thursday that quickly underscored wrangles over how to tame soaring energy prices, design a budget to keep the bloc competitive and curb surging exports from China that are blamed for job losses. The leaders from the EU's 27 members met in Brussels on the back of securing an agreement with Beijing to limit imports of hybrid cars from China, a first step towards cutting a goods trade deficit that hit €360 billion ($400 billion) in 2025.

Prince Harry and wife Meghan make first joint appearance since UK return

Prince ⁠Harry and his wife Meghan appeared together in public on Thursday for the first time since they made a surprise return to Britain, returning to the city where they made their maiden joint official engagement nine years ago. Harry, the younger son of King Charles, and Meghan shocked the monarch and other members of the royal family when they relocated from California to England two months ago with their children Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5.

Thirty two children and a teacher killed in Pakistan school roof collapse

At least 32 schoolchildren and a female teacher were killed on Thursday when the roof of a school collapsed during morning classes in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar, police and rescue officials said. As panicked parents and relatives thronged the school site to search for their ⁠loved ones, ​rescue workers spent hours pulling children from the rubble of the privately run Al-Khair Education Center.

Explainer-Why is the haze so bad in Southeast Asia this year?

Months of sustained wildfires in Indonesia have caused a spike in respiratory illnesses and blanketed several Southeast Asian countries in hazardous haze, with Singapore and Malaysia also hit badly over the last week. The pollution has stoked political tensions across the region, with officials questioning Jakarta's handling of the fires as well as its reluctance to accept help from its neighbours.

Russia builds major new drone attack base in six weeks, satellite images show

Russia has nearly finished building a major new base for launching jet-powered drones in just six weeks, according to defence experts and a Reuters analysis of satellite imagery, in the latest expansion of its attack capability close to Ukraine. The site in what was an empty field in Russia's southwestern Rostov region on August 31 had become a complex facility the size of around 126 soccer pitches by Wednesday, commercial imagery provided by Planet Labs and Airbus showed.

Swedish parliament votes against Social Democrats leader as PM, as expected

Sweden's parliament on Thursday rejected Social Democrats leader Magdalena Andersson's bid to form a minority government, as widely expected, extending a period of uncertainty over ⁠who will become prime minister after last month's general election. Four centre-left opposition parties, which have all said they favour Andersson as prime minister, on September 13 won a majority of seats in Sweden's parliament, the Riksdag, but do not agree on who should be part of a new government.

Albania's leader defies calls to resign as student protesters rampage in capital

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama on Thursday rejected calls to resign as thousands of student-led protesters smashed windows and fought running battles with riot police firing water cannon and tear gas in the capital. Protesters voiced anger ⁠about perceived corruption, the cost and quality of education and a deal to sell off parts of its pristine southern coastline to a luxury resort development backed by US President ⁠Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Two ships sink near Hormuz after being hit by projectiles amid surge in attacks

A container ship and a dry bulk carrier have both sunk near the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours after being hit by projectiles in separate incidents, maritime officials said on Wednesday. Attacks around the waterway have surged over the past 10 days, with Iran saying it is stepping up strikes in response to the US blockade of its ports and tougher sanctions introduced last month.

Can Europe step in as Ukraine struggles with Starlink and US satellite data?

As Ukraine reported problems with Starlink satellite internet terminals and US data that warns of Russian ballistic missile attacks, Kyiv also faced the harsh reality that its European allies cannot offer any ready-made alternatives. Ukrainian officials said on Wednesday the functioning of Starlink’s military-grade service Starshield had been interrupted when terminals were moving at high speed, hampering Ukrainian drones ‌for attack missions and air defence.

Brazil's Bolsonaro racks up endorsements, shaping potential governing bloc

Brazilian presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro ‌has secured the new backing of multiple parties ahead of an election runoff later this month, suggesting his campaign is building momentum and offering an early glimpse of what a governing coalition could look like if he wins. The right-wing lawmaker, the eldest son of ex-President Jair Bolsonaro, will face leftist President Luiz Inacio ​Lula da Silva in the runoff on October 25, after he exceeded expectations in the first-round vote with a slight lead over the incumbent.