Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

FAA bars unauthorized drones along US-Mexico border, citing security concerns

The Federal Aviation Administration said on Friday it is barring unauthorized drones along the US border with Mexico as the government steps up efforts to address concerns about illegal cross-border drug shipments. The temporary flight restriction bars any unauthorized drone activity up to 400 feet (122 m) above ground level and extends one nautical mile north of the US-Mexico border. In April, the FAA and Pentagon signed an agreement allowing ​the government's use of a high-energy laser counter-drone system along the southern US border with Mexico to address drone threats.

Exclusive-US strikes one-year deal to fund maternal and newborn health donations in poorest countries

The US government has struck a deal to continue supplying some of the world's poorest nations with free life-saving medication and equipment for ​mothers, infants and young children, after months of uncertainty and challenges with supply. The UN children's agency UNICEF will now procure these items, a State department spokesperson told Reuters by email, without giving details of the arrangement. UNICEF said the ‌agreement is worth $25 million and ​will last for one year.

Israeli settlers burn olive trees, injure journalist in West Bank attack

Clad in black and their faces masked, dozens of militant Israeli settlers burned olive trees and threw rocks at Palestinians in a coordinated attack on Friday on a village's harvest in the Israeli-occupied West Bank that injured at least two people, including a journalist. Some 80 settlers, some of them carrying gas canisters, descended from a hill above a terraced olive grove where villagers from Abu Falah had gathered to pick ripe fruit, a cherished annual tradition in Palestinian life, Reuters witnesses said.

UK police assess Palestine Action post by national security adviser's wife

British police said on Friday they were assessing a social media post after the wife of National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell appeared to express support for Palestine Action, a pro-Palestinian group banned as a terrorist organisation. Journalist and author Sarah Helm, who is married to Powell, responded on X to a post about the Irish novelist Sally Rooney, who this week announced her books would no longer be sold in Britain over her plans to use her royalties to support Palestine Action.

Zelenskiy ‌blasts Trump's diesel deal and calls Russian peace moves a 'parody'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy took aim on Friday at US President Donald Trump's diesel deal with Russia and welcomed the prospect of European allies stepping up their role in talks, calling Moscow's stance a "parody" of peace negotiations. At a European Union summit in Brussels, Zelenskiy said Russia did not want peace. He added that Ukraine was still experiencing disruptions to the SpaceX Starshield satellite system used for battlefield operations and to down Russian drones attacking cities far from the frontline.

Exclusive-Iran ships some LPG, jet fuel despite US blockade, data shows

Iran has managed to export some liquefied petroleum gas and jet fuel since July, despite a US naval blockade, shipping intelligence showed and people involved in security said. Tehran has in recent weeks been concealing such cargoes among a growing volume of ship-to-ship transfers by other Gulf producers off Oman, four people in maritime security who track Gulf oil movements told Reuters.

Russian attacks kill eight in Ukraine, cut power to over a million

Russian attacks killed at least eight people and injured 60 across Ukraine on Friday, hit two shopping centres and cut power to more than 1 million people after strikes on the energy grid, officials said. A 71-year-old woman and a 58-year-old man died and 12 more people were wounded in attacks on three districts of the eastern city of Kharkiv, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said. He had earlier put the death toll at three.

Hurricane Trudy weakens but may regain strength off Mexican coast

Hurricane Trudy weakened on Friday but could regain strength in the coming hours, meteorologists warned, ‌as the storm approached Mexico's western coast, packing winds of up to 140 km per hour (85 mph). Further strengthening is forecast before Trudy nears Jalisco and Colima states in central-western Mexico late on Saturday as a life-threatening major hurricane, Mexican authorities and the US-based National Hurricane Center said.

Kremlin says Putin told Pope Leo he backs Vatican idea to help civilians in Oleshky

Russian President Vladimir Putin told Pope Leo in a phone call on Friday that he supported a Vatican initiative to help deliver supplies to civilians in the Russian-controlled town of Oleshky in southern Ukraine and was ready to cooperate on the matter. The Vatican said earlier on Friday that Leo had urged Putin to agree to a truce to allow the ‌entry of first aid and food supplies into the town and to permit a voluntary evacuation of the civilian population.

Grynspan holds lead for next UN chief as race enters decisive stage

An informal poll by the United Nations Security Council on Friday placed former Costa Rican Vice President Rebeca Grynspan as the narrow frontrunner in the race to become the 10th UN secretary-general, two people close to the process said. But there was no clear winner as all candidates received two or more opposing votes from the ultimately decisive five permanent members of the council — Russia, China, the US, France and Britain — opening the door for new candidates to join the race, diplomats and observers said.

Analysis-Brazil's incoming right-wing Congress takes aim at judge who jailed Bolsonaro

Brazil's next Congress is spoiling for a fight with the Supreme Court, including plans for an unprecedented impeachment of one of its justices that could dramatically expand the reach of a right-wing agenda, more than a dozen experts and officials at both the Senate and court told Reuters. Driving the effort are allies of far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro who dominated legislative elections this month and plan to take aim at Alexandre de Moraes, the Supreme Court justice responsible for the ex-president's arrest and conviction on coup-plotting charges.

Police seek answers after children killed in Oregon school shooting

US police were investigating on Friday why a 16-year-old boy shot dead three children and a teacher at an elementary school in Bend, Oregon, and how he got hold of the long gun used in his attack. The latest deadly school shooting in the United States unfolded on Thursday afternoon when the teenager, who has not been publicly identified, shot through a locked door at Silver Rail Elementary School in central Oregon, according to the Bend Police Department.

Moldova condemns Russia after five drones crash on its territory

Moldova condemned Russia on Friday after five drones identified by its authorities ⁠as Russian crashed in the country in less ​than 24 hours. Moldova's pro-European government, which hopes to join the European Union by 2030, has denounced Russia's invasion of Ukraine and repeatedly criticised the incursions into its airspace. Moldova shares a border with Ukraine.

Trump says US ⁠may need to strike Iran's Pickaxe Mountain

President Donald Trump said the US may have to target Pickaxe Mountain, a site linked to Iran's nuclear program, as he aims to ensure Tehran does not get a nuclear weapon. In an interview with Newsmax on Thursday night, Trump also said he would not use a nuclear weapon in the war on Iran, which began in February with US-Israeli strikes. * Trump said the US wanted to make sure Iran will never have a nuclear weapon "because if they had it, they would use it."

Trump says neither he nor Musk responsible for Ukraine loss of Starlink access

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he did not think either he or Elon Musk was responsible for Ukraine losing Starlink access in a way that affected its military operations against Russia. The reduction in services provided by the satellite company interrupted communications with headquarters and caused internet speeds to ⁠drop.

Putin agrees to cooperate with Pope Leo's plea for aid for Ukrainian town

President Vladimir Putin told Pope Leo he had agreed to cooperate after the pontiff asked him on Friday to help get vital supplies into the Russian-controlled Ukrainian town of Oleshky, the Kremlin said. Leo phoned Putin and asked him to arrange a ceasefire to let aid and food into the town, taken by Russian forces in February 2022, the Vatican said. Residents have reported a deepening food crisis.

Top global climate science body suspends meeting without deal on major review timeline

A meeting of the members of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was suspended without an agreement on a timeline to publish its next review of the latest science on the warming planet, the IPCC said on Friday. The impasse over the timeline, which has lasted nearly three years, could leave countries to decide ​the next phase of climate action without consensus on critical issues, including the extent to which some global warming might be reversible.

Putin says Russia is building non-negotiable 'security zone' in Ukraine along border

Russia is establishing a "security zone" inside Ukraine along their border, which will be non-negotiable in any future talks with Kyiv, President Vladimir Putin said on Friday. Putin, wearing military uniform and speaking during a visit to a command post, said the operation was in response to Ukraine's 2024-25 incursion into Russia's western Kursk region.

Teacher tackled and fought Oregon school shooter

A teacher in the Oregon classroom where a shooter killed three children and an adult threw her cellphone at the ⁠shooter, tackled him and fought him in an act that saved lives, police said on Friday. A day into their investigation of the latest U.S. school shooting, authorities released new details of the scene inside a special needs classroom of Silver Rail Elementary School where three school children aged 5, 8 and 11 and a teacher were killed by a 16-year-old former student.

North Korea tests new AI-equipped torpedo, KCNA says

North Korea conducted an underwater test of a new torpedo weapon system on Thursday to verify technological upgrades, state news agency KCNA reported on Saturday, describing the test as a success and a significant step in the country's naval development. The test verified propulsion technology developed through more than 180 tests over the past five years, KCNA said, adding that artificial intelligence was used for target detection and guidance in the new high-speed precision-guided torpedo.

Exclusive-Trump move to restart direct US flights with Lebanon hits roadblock

The United Nations aviation agency has found Lebanon's main airport lacks valid certification, ⁠according to ​a report summary seen by Reuters, in a setback to US President Donald Trump's move to revive direct US-Beirut flights. Trump made the announcement in July and signed an order last month for the US government to allow direct flights from the US to Lebanon, reversing a four-decade-long suspension after TWA Flight 847 was hijacked and forced to land in Beirut in 1985.

Starlink disruptions are being felt on the front lines of Ukraine

For one artillery unit fighting in eastern Ukraine, the US decision this week to reduce services provided by satellite company Starlink to the military had an immediate impact. Communications with headquarters were interrupted and internet speeds dropped, posing risks in a war where drones present a constant danger and up-to-date information on targets and threats can make the difference between life and death.

Hegseth's TV instincts backfire as Trump rejects execution livestream

As he took to the stage this week at an Army event, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth remarked how much it looked like a TV set. The former Fox News host said that put him at ease, even as the first in a series of anti-war protesters shouted at him. But Hegseth's TV instincts, while perhaps one of the tools he relies on most in his Pentagon role, appear to have failed him on Thursday when President Donald Trump pulled the plug on his plans, announced last week, to livestream the Army's firing-squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan.

Meta employees said Lula's accounts were hindered during Brazil election, Folha reports

Meta employees acknowledged ⁠in internal communications that the Instagram accounts of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva were hindered by restrictions during the country's election, newspaper Folha de S.Paulo reported on Friday, citing messages it reviewed. The messages also acknowledged the platform recommended the profile of challenger Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, as well as his WhatsApp channel, according to the report.

Thousands march in Albanian capital as anti-government protests spread

Thousands of young Albanians marched through Tirana on Friday, breaking some windows and traffic lights on the fourth day of an increasingly violent student-led campaign to force Prime Minister Edi Rama to resign. The demonstrations, which are spreading through the country, turned into a riot in the capital on Thursday, with protesters smashing windows, raiding a bank ⁠and clashing with police. They follow months of mostly peaceful demonstrations that the students say the government ignored.

Ukraine's Zelenskiy blasts US-Russian diesel deal, welcomes bigger European role in peace process

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday condemned US ⁠President Donald Trump's diesel deal with Russia, called Moscow's stance a "parody" of peace negotiations and welcomed the prospect of a greater role in talks for European allies he called "real leaders". Zelenskiy told a European Union summit in Brussels that Russia did not want peace.

Missiles hit Aden airport as Saudi-led coalition intercepts missile headed for Yanbu

Missiles struck Aden International Airport in southern Yemen on Friday, while a Saudi-led military coalition said it had intercepted a ballistic missile headed for the Red Sea city of Yanbu, a key Saudi oil hub that allows exports to avoid the Strait of Hormuz. The coalition said it had also destroyed two cruise missiles over the Red Sea and three drones in Saudi Arabia's Southern and Riyadh regions. It did not identify those behind the attacks.

Families wait for answers after Nigerian military plane crash

More than a week after a Nigerian Air Force plane crash killed all 25 people on board, families say they are still waiting for answers as military teams search for wreckage and human remains in swampy terrain. President Bola Tinubu has ordered an investigation into the October 5 crash, but relatives say ‌they have received little information about what caused it, whether remains have been identified or how recovery efforts are progressing.

Worsening water crisis ‌sparks protests in Mexico's Guadalajara

Residents in Guadalajara, one of Mexico's biggest cities, are demanding answers over a worsening water-quality crisis that has left many households reporting foul-smelling, sediment-filled tap water and sparked police clashes as protesters urge government action. A major protest last weekend put the issue in the national spotlight after police deployed water cannons and tear gas, dozens of people were injured, and officials said ​nearly 40 people were arrested. The incident prompted President Claudia Sheinbaum to rebuke the police for their tough response and pledge to review two water infrastructure projects for the area.