Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Gone in 20 minutes: How the biggest heist in crypto history unfolded

Hackers stole $6.3 billion from Binance, the world's biggest cryptocurrency exchange, in a record digital asset theft. Here's what we know so far:

Seven governor races to watch as voters weigh Trump, economy

Three dozen governors' races will be decided in the November 3 elections, with President Donald Trump's unpopularity and the cost of living at the top of voters' minds, ​alongside local concerns ranging from water rights and data centers to cancer rates. Some races have turned ugly, including an Ohio contest between Republican Vivek Ramaswamy and Democrat Amy Acton that features the Democrat's estranged mother in an attack ad. Others could be history-making, such as Georgia Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms' bid to become ​the country's first Black woman elected governor.

The family thought he was a priest. Mexico’s Catholic Church says he was an impostor

When Rev. Jesús Romero arrived at the funeral of Dahina Loaiza in Mexico City ‌in December 2024, her sister ​Roberta Loaiza sensed something was off.

Trump escalates legal challenges against states as Election Day nears

Donald Trump's administration is intensifying legal action against US states with just days to go until a midterm election that will decide the balance of power in Washington during his final two years in office. In Alaska, the Justice Department filed an amended lawsuit on Thursday seeking to block the certification of results in the event of a narrow Republican loss in a hugely consequential Senate race, citing a New York Times report that Democratic operatives recruited a spoiler candidate to siphon votes from the Republican incumbent.

China's Xi, Swiss president praise trade deal that boosts access

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Swiss President Guy Parmelin hailed an upgraded trade agreement between the two countries on Friday, which bucks a broader global shift towards protectionism. The accord, due to be signed on Friday, will give Switzerland unusually free access to Chinese markets and contrasts with barriers to trade put in place by the US administration and the European Union.

Rifts over wars in Ukraine, ‌Middle East loom over G20 meeting in US

Deep rifts over the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East are likely to derail unified actions or statements at a two-day meeting of foreign ministers from the world's 20 largest economies in Atlanta, experts and diplomats said. The US, which holds the rotating presidency of the G20 this year, has sought to focus its allies on trade imbalances while building a coalition to counter China's control of critical minerals, but the wars — and their economic impact — remain the top concern for many G20 members.

Le Pen and Melenchon gain momentum ahead of French 2027 election, poll shows

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen and hard-left rival Jean-Luc Melenchon are gaining momentum ahead of next year's presidential election, a poll showed on Wednesday, with political polarisation widening as Emmanuel Macron's era draws to a close. Le Pen would top the first-round vote with either 37% or 38% depending on the scenarios tested by pollster Odoxa in a survey carried out among 12,000 people between September 24 and October 7.

Six feared dead in helicopter crash in Indian Himalayan state, media report

Six people were feared dead in a helicopter crash in the Indian Himalayan state of Uttarakhand on Friday, television channels reported, adding that bad weather was suspected to be the cause. The helicopter was flying from Badrinath, a prominent pilgrimage destination for Hindus located in the mountains, to Dehradun city, carrying five passengers and a pilot, news agency ANI reported.

Oleshky aid mission and ‌evacuations begin as local Russia-Ukraine truce holds

Starving residents of a Russian-held town in southern Ukraine began evacuating on Friday as part of a joint relief operation by the opposing sides, the first of its kind in four years and eight months of war. Under a local ceasefire brokered by US first lady Melania Trump, an aid convoy arrived in the town of Oleshky and people were given the opportunity to leave.

Oman navy evacuates 25 crew from vessel off Musandam

Oman's Royal Navy evacuated 25 crew members from a Panama-flagged commercial vessel after it was targeted and caught fire 1.6 nautical miles off the coast of Musandam, the Maritime Security Centre said on Friday. The ‌navy, in coordination with the Maritime Security Centre, carried out the evacuation and provided the crew with the necessary medical care, the centre said. It gave no further details.

Hong Kong fire exposes entrenched triad networks in building renovation industry

A deadly fire at a Hong Kong housing estate has exposed how bid-rigging networks linked to criminal gangs exploited weaknesses in the city's lucrative building renovation industry to influence contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Organised crime groups known as triads were mentioned more than 40 times in the report on the government-subsidised Wang Fuk Court inferno, which killed 168 people and displaced thousands of residents.

US plans to ban Chinese telecom firms from direct access to US phone numbers

The United States plans to soon ban Chinese telecom firms from direct access to US phone numbers on national security grounds — a measure designed to prevent scam-related robocalls.

The US Federal Communications Commission said on Thursday that it will vote on November 19 on a proposal to ban China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom and other IP-enabled service providers from direct access.

Swiss foreign minister discusses security issues with North Korea

Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis said on Friday that he had discussed security challenges affecting European and Asian nations with North Korea's Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui during a visit to Pyongyang for the formal reopening of Switzerland's diplomatic office there. The two discussed regularising political relations and re-establishing political dialogue between the countries, Cassis wrote on X

King Charles' sorrow over slavery faces test as reparations movement gains ground

King Charles has since 2022 expressed sorrow for the suffering caused by slavery without crossing a line that Britain has long resisted: an apology. That balancing act is likely to be tested at next week's Commonwealth summit in Antigua and Barbuda, where ⁠Caribbean leaders who back a reparations ​campaign through the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) are expected to press their case.

Irish government to scope out possibility of unity with Northern Ireland for first time

Ireland will set up a government body that would ⁠for the first time undertake research and preparations for the possibility of future unity with British-run Northern Ireland, Prime Minister Micheal Martin was quoted as saying on Friday. Martin told the Irish Times that the new body would be tasked with scoping out the models and challenges for different potential outcomes, including Northern Ireland remaining part of the United Kingdom or maintaining its devolved entity but as part of a united Ireland.

Greece arrests three over explosion that killed six people in Athens

Greece has arrested two Greek men and an Albanian national suspected of stealing copper gas pipes from a building, causing a leak that led to a deadly explosion in central Athens last month, authorities said. Six people were killed during the September 25 blast in the tourist district of Plaka, four Americans among them.

Nigerian families and survivors seek justice over miners' deaths

Families of 37 ⁠artisinal miners who died in custody in Nigeria want swift justice and the return of property seized during their arrest, saying no financial compensation will make up for their loss. A presidential panel on Tuesday found that the detainees, who were suspected of being illegal miners, had died from overcrowding, extreme heat, dehydration and neglect while being held by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger state last month.

China's Xi calls on EU to work with China, says Beijing handles ties with sincerity, goodwill

China hopes Germany can adhere to a "rational, pragmatic and friendly" China policy and that the European Union can work with China in the same direction, Chinese President Xi Jinping told German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Beijing on Friday. China has always viewed the EU as a partner and ​has developed ties with the bloc "in a spirit of sincerity and goodwill," Xi said, adding that cooperation outweighs competition and consensus outweighs differences in China-EU relations.

Trump on Iran war: It's going to get wrapped up soon

US President Donald Trump, speaking ahead of November 3 midterm congressional elections, said on Friday he believed the war with Iran will end soon, but did not say how that would happen. "It's going to get wrapped up soon," Trump said in an interview with Kansas City radio station KCMO. "We need a guarantee there'll never be a nuclear weapon."

Trump not planning to back Bolsonaro's claim to be Brazil's leader, ⁠sources say

The Trump administration does not plan to back Flavio Bolsonaro's claim to be Brazil's rightful leader, despite helping the defeated candidate reach the US after years of supporting him and his father, a US official and another person familiar with the matter said on Thursday. President Donald Trump has said Brazil's election on Sunday looked "rigged" but has pointed out that he offered no endorsement in the hotly contested race. Trump has also said he gets along well with incumbent leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the 81-year-old former union leader who beat the odds to clinch reelection by 3.5 percentage points.

Slovak prosecutor reopens probe into fighter jet donation to Ukraine

Slovakia's top prosecutor ordered on Friday a new probe into the donation of MiG-29 fighter jets and air defence systems to Ukraine by the country's previous government, restarting an investigation ended earlier this year. The current government of Prime Minister Robert Fico, which ⁠pursues a ​more pro-Russian foreign policy and ended military aid for Ukraine, has repeatedly attacked the donation made in 2023.

Spanish train crash death toll rises to 69 in grim search for victims

Rescuers picked through mangled carriages on Thursday in a search for victims of Spain's second fatal high-speed train crash this year, with the death toll rising to 69 and the public demanding explanations for the latest accident. Cranes had worked through the night to lift parts of the wreckage of Wednesday's crash, while emergency workers removed what appeared to be a body wrapped in a blanket from one of the trains in the central Spanish province of Toledo.

Britain bars entry to Swedish academic ahead of appearance with Palestine Action founder

Swedish climate academic Andreas Malm said on Friday he had been denied entry to Britain, where he was due to speak alongside the co-founder of Palestine Action, a group banned as a terrorist organisation. Malm, an academic at Sweden's Lund University, has been a vocal critic of Israel and expressed strong support for the Palestinian movement.

Yemen's Houthis deny launching drone after coalition reports interception in Mecca region

Yemen's Houthis denied launching any attack towards Saudi Arabia on Friday, after the Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted and destroyed a drone launched by the group over the Mecca region. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree dismissed the coalition's account as false in a post on X, saying the group had not carried ⁠out any operation towards Saudi territory. He said its operations target Saudi oil facilities and military bases.

Exclusive-Pentagon tells Europeans to cool their rhetoric on Russia, sources say

Pentagon officials have in recent weeks asked several NATO countries to tone down their rhetoric regarding the threat posed by Russia, arguing that some statements by European leaders and officials have undermined continental security, four people familiar with the matter said. Among the nations that have received messages urging them to keep public statements in check are Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity. It was not clear if the messages, which were delivered in bilateral meetings, were conveyed ⁠to other European governments.

Iran's IRGC navy says two tankers stopped south of Hormuz after incidents

Iran's Revolutionary Guards Navy said on Friday that two oil tankers were involved in incidents and stopped in waters ⁠south of the Strait of Hormuz, after ignoring radio warnings and attempting to use what it described as an unauthorized route through the strategic waterway. Iran also said on Friday that it destroyed a US unmanned vessel in the eastern Strait of Hormuz. There was no immediate confirmation from the US military.

Democrats have long known heartbreak in Texas. Could this finally be their year?

Texas has been the Democratic Party’s great, unrealized hope for three decades: a vast and fast-changing state that often seems within reach, only to slip away. On the eve of a midterm election that could decide control of the US Senate, Democrats are dreaming again about breaking the Republican stranglehold on the Lone Star State, even as they brace for heartbreak.

Exclusive-Japan pushes to remove Myanmar from global financial watchdog's blacklist

Japan is pushing a global financial crimes watchdog to remove Myanmar from its blacklist to make it easier to do business there, the latest sign that some major countries are looking to bring the pariah state's military-backed government in from the cold. Japan wants ‌the Financial Action Task Force to drop requirements that its members apply enhanced screening to financial transactions with Myanmar to avoid money laundering ‌and terrorist financing, said a senior Japanese government official and another person familiar with the matter.

Aliyev's snub of Turkic summit brings Azerbaijan-Turkey tensions to fore

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev skipped a summit of Turkic states on Friday despite a personal invitation from his Turkish counterpart, highlighting growing tensions between the historic allies over domestic and regional policies. Ties between Turkey and Azerbaijan ​have become strained in recent weeks over some Turkish officials' criticism of Baku's decision to impose restrictions on the use of headscarves under new secular school uniform regulations.