Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Israeli police arrest suspects over settler attacks on US journalist, European diplomats

Israeli police said on Monday they had arrested 10 suspects as part of an investigation into violent incidents in the occupied-West Bank over the weekend, including separate attacks on a Washington Post photojournalist and European diplomats. The United States, Israel's closest ally, had urged a crackdown on settler violence and ​the arrest of the perpetrators of the attack on the Washington Post photojournalist. France, Belgium and Poland, whose diplomats were attacked, also called on Israel to take action.

Italian police detain hundreds as stores looted in weekend unrest in Milan

Italian police detained 271 young people ​during unrest in Milan on Sunday, authorities said, after a second day of protests over poor public services and rising costs that saw demonstrators clash with officers, loot stores and ‌vandalise property. Police in riot gear ​fired tear gas and water cannon as several hundred hooded protesters set bins ablaze and looted stores including sports retailers Decathlon and Arc'teryx and phone store Vodafone in the city centre, according to TV footage.

Residents trapped as torrential rain floods towns in eastern Spain

Helicopters rescued people stranded on their rooftops as torrential rains swept across eastern Spain on Monday, causing floods that have killed at least two people and prompted authorities to issue shelter-in-place orders for more than 800,000 residents. The downpour from Storm Adam cut off several towns along the Mediterranean coast as rivers burst their banks and streets turned into torrents, leaving scenes reminiscent of the catastrophic flooding that killed more than 230 people in the Valencia region two years ago.

Helen Haines: Who is the Australian lawmaker targeted in vehicle attack?

Helen Haines, the Australian lawmaker left critically injured after being struck by a vehicle late on Monday, is an independent politician ‌who had an unconventional path to parliament. The 65-year-old former nurse and midwife has represented Indi, a rural electorate north of Melbourne, since 2019.

Alberta votes on leaving Canada; separatist movement likely to outlast expected defeat

Oil-rich Alberta holds a nonbinding referendum on Monday on whether the western province should secede from Canada, a debate many believe will not be settled by what is widely expected to be a defeat for the separatist cause. Polls have consistently shown that a majority of Alberta voters oppose splitting from Canada. Economic grievances have fueled the independence campaign in the province, which is home to 5 million people and slightly smaller than Texas despite having one-sixth the population.

French Prime Minister calls for partial curfews after weekend riots

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said on Monday he had asked local authorities to impose partial curfews this evening following violent protests across the nation during the weekend. Lecornu told reporters he was "fully resolved to restoring public order" and that if declaring a state of emergency was deemed necessary "we could do so", but added that at this stage partial curfews seemed "more appropriate".

Helen Haines: Who is the Australian lawmaker targeted in vehicle attack?

Helen Haines, the Australian lawmaker left critically injured after being struck by a vehicle late on Monday, is an independent politician who had ‌an unconventional path to parliament. The 65-year-old former nurse and midwife has represented Indi, a rural electorate north of Melbourne, since 2019.

Zelenskiy says Ukraine got no warning as Russia launches major attack

Ukraine received no advance warning from its partners of a Russian ballistic missile strike overnight, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said, after Moscow launched one of its broadest air assaults in months, cutting power to more than half a million households. Russia fired 16 ballistic missiles at Kyiv and the surrounding region and more than 200 drones across the country in attacks stretching from Kharkiv and Dnipro in the east to ‌Odesa in the south and Volyn and Rivne in the west. More than 10 energy facilities were damaged, Zelenskiy said.

US resumes intelligence-sharing with Ukraine after pause, Zelenskiy says

The United States has resumed providing Ukraine critical intelligence to help it defend against Russian missile strikes, after a brief pause, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in comments published on Sunday. Ukraine has relied on US intelligence to spot the fast-moving ballistic missiles that Russia has fired in waves at its cities. US President Donald Trump had said earlier this week that Washington was still sharing intelligence, although Ukrainian officials said some Russian strikes had occurred without warning.

Nine security agency members killed in blast west of Libyan capital Tripoli

At least nine members of a security agency were killed and several others wounded by a mortar blast during a training exercise in a city west of Libya's capital Tripoli late on Sunday, a local TV channel said. The blast, from an 82mm mortar round, caused casualties among members of the Anti-Threat Security Agency, according to Libya Alahrar TV channel broadcasting from Istanbul.

Pope Leo to hold Wednesday audience for first time since cancer surgery

Pope Leo will hold a general audience with pilgrims at the Vatican on Wednesday for the first time since undergoing surgery for lung cancer, the Vatican said. The 71-year-old pontiff had an operation on October 13 to remove the lower lobe of his right lung, fuelling speculation about how his illness might change his 17-month papacy.

Trump endorses Netanyahu in close Israeli election

US President Donald Trump ⁠on Sunday endorsed his ally Benjamin Netanyahu ​as the longtime Israeli prime minister struggles for an edge in next week's parliamentary election. Trump praised Netanyahu as a "great warrior prime minister" and peace partner, crediting him ⁠with joining the United States in launching strikes on Iran in February. The conflict, in its seventh month, has disrupted energy markets globally and wreaked havoc across the Middle East, damaging critical infrastructure and destabilizing regional economies.

Twelve migrants, including infant, drown as boats capsize off Greek islands

Twelve migrants drowned in two separate incidents off the Greek islands of Lesbos and Samos in the northeastern Aegean Sea on Monday, after their boats capsized as the coast guard chased them, authorities said. Five men and one woman died after a speedboat carrying migrants from Turkey made a sudden manoeuvre and overturned roughly four nautical miles north of Samos, the Greek coast guard said.

North Korea's Kim Yo Jong says loudspeaker broadcasts toward Seoul being considered, KCNA ⁠reports

North Korea's Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong Un, said in a statement on state media KCNA on Monday that her country was considering deploying additional tactical weapons and restarting loudspeaker broadcasts near the border with South Korea. "Now the situation of the southern border is very unstable," she said.

Spain's rush to clear Ceuta migrant backlog raises rights concerns

When heavily pregnant Fatna and her disabled son arrived in Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta during a chaotic mass border crossing on July 30, she hoped to be high on authorities' list for help. Nearly three months later, with her newborn baby girl suffering from kidney problems, Fatna, 21, and her family urgently need ​to reach mainland Spain for specialist hospital treatment.

At least 18 killed in Houthi attack on Yemeni government training camp in Shabwa, sources say

At least 18 people were killed in an attack on Monday by the Iran-aligned Houthis on a government security forces training camp in Yemen's Shabwa province, four government and medical sources told Reuters, as fighting in the impoverished country intensifies. The Houthis and the internationally recognised government, which is backed by a Saudi-led coalition, have been trading attacks since the group advanced in September towards territory near the Bab ⁠el-Mandeb Strait, a shipping chokepoint at the mouth of the Red Sea.

Arab voter turnout could make or break Netanyahu in Israeli election

Israel's Palestinian leaders are urging people in the minority Arab community to vote in big numbers in next week's election as they seek to unseat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and topple the most right-wing government in the country's history. High turnout by the 21% Arab minority, who are Palestinian by heritage but Israeli by citizenship, could nudge Israel's complex coalition arithmetic in favour of an anti-Netanyahu bloc led by a former military chief, Gadi Eisenkot.

Sweden's Centre Party leader to explore forming government

Sweden's parliament speaker said on Monday he has asked Centre Party leader Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist to explore the grounds for the formation of a new government, giving her ⁠one week to ​meet with other parties. Last month's election gave the centre-left a narrow majority in parliament, but while all four opposition parties favour Social Democrats leader Magdalena Andersson as prime minister, they do not agree on who should be part of a new government.

World Food Programme cuts aid to 500,000 Palestinians in Gaza, cites funding shortages

The UN World Food Programme has said funding shortages are forcing major cuts to its aid programme in Gaza, leaving about 500,000 people without monthly food support in a territory where two-thirds of the population struggle to get enough to eat. The WFP said it was reducing the number of recipients of its monthly assistance to 1.1 million people from 1.6 million.

Explainer-What's behind Egypt's move towards possible military involvement in Saudi-Yemen conflict?

Egypt's parliament is expected to vote this week on whether to authorise the armed forces to help defend Saudi Arabia against attacks by Yemen's Houthis if Riyadh requests its support. The move would bring the Arab world's most populous country closer to direct military involvement in the widening conflicts unleashed by the US-Israeli air assault on Iran in February.

European governments warn citizens over security in France after riots

European governments on Monday advised citizens travelling to France to avoid large ⁠crowds and exercise caution, warning of a deterioration in security conditions after thousands were arrested and shops looted in protests over the weekend. Demonstrations across France over high prices and declining public services erupted into riots on Saturday, with a town hall torched as violent groups clashed with police.

Two Serbian opposition figures targeted with spyware, research group says

Two Serbian opposition figures were recently targeted with powerful cyberespionage tools, according to one of the men and a report issued on Monday by the Canadian cyber watchdog group Citizen Lab. The incident was the latest of several ⁠in which researchers say surveillance technology was used against students, opposition politicians and others in Serbia, which will hold a parliamentary election on Sunday.

Bolsonaro's lead over Lula narrows ahead ⁠of Brazil runoff, polls show

Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro's lead over President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has narrowed ahead of an October 25 runoff, two polls showed on Monday, pointing to a close race between the right-wing lawmaker and the leftist incumbent. The eldest son of former President Jair Bolsonaro unexpectedly led the first-round vote earlier this month, finishing nearly two points ahead of Lula, who is seeking a fourth non-consecutive term.

Rubio seeks to expand Central Asia ties with pomp-filled Uzbekistan visit

Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with counterparts from five Central Asian nations in Uzbekistan on Monday, a trip that has resulted in few public deliverables, but which US officials have presented as a key opportunity to expand American soft power. Rubio, who arrived in the historic Silk Road city of Samarkand on Sunday night, met in the morning with the foreign ministers of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. ‌In the evening, he will dine with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and participate in a US-Uzbekistan business council ‌event.

Swedish appeals court fines ex-national security adviser for gross negligence

A Swedish appeals court on Monday found former national security adviser Henrik Landerholm, a friend of the prime minister, guilty of mishandling secret information, overturning a lower court ruling. The case, involving documents left at a hotel in 2023, has embarrassed Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson ​as it unfolded against the backdrop of a deepening security crisis in the Baltic Sea region following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.