Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Pope Leo begins South America 'homecoming' tour with appeal for regional unity

Pope Leo urged South American countries on Friday to tackle regional issues together as he began a three-country, 12-day trip expected to draw millions across a Catholic stronghold facing sharp political divisions. The pontiff arrived in Uruguay, one of Latin America's more stable democracies, for the first stop of a ​tour that will also take him to Argentina and Peru, in one of the most demanding overseas trips by a Catholic leader in decades.

Paraguay's Alliana sworn in as president after Peña impeachment

Paraguayan lawmakers swore in former Vice President Pedro Alliana to lead the country ​on Friday, quickly replacing President Santiago Peña after his impeachment for alleged involvement in a bank scandal.

Bomb threats warning 'the clock is ticking' disrupt TV channels across Europe

Bomb threats warning "the clock ‌is ticking" were sent ​to TV stations across Europe on Friday, prompting evacuations and programming to be suspended. Warnings were sent to Irish broadcaster RTE, Britain's Sky, Bulgarian private station Nova TV and others, the companies said. No bombs were found at any affected site. RTE programmes were replaced by music and a pre-recorded message, some for as long as three hours.

Analysis-Pakistan's leaders dread US Democrats' win but its households are praying for it

Pakistan's leaders spent two years courting US President Donald Trump, but after the Democrats' win in Tuesday's congressional vote, they are preparing for scrutiny of their access to the White House. Ordinary Pakistanis see the result differently. Many hope the shift in Washington will ease a cost-of-living crisis intensified by the US-Israel war on Iran.

US Treasury sanctions Canadian money services firms over Iran-related transactions

The US Treasury said on Friday that it had imposed financial sanctions on eight money services firms based ‌in Canada that it alleges have facilitated transactions with sanctioned Iranian entities. The sanctions effectively cut the firms off from the dollar-based financial system, blocking any assets that the firms may have in the United States and prohibiting any transactions with US persons or entities.

Russia has seized dozens of Ukrainian hotels. One owner is fighting back

In a sparsely furnished court room in western Ukraine, a clerk called up the defendant. They were met with silence.

Paraguay Senate votes to impeach President Peña

Paraguay's Senate on Friday voted to remove President Santiago Peña from office over his connection to the collapse of local bank ueno, which sparked a political and financial crisis and froze access to millions of accounts. Lawmakers voted in favor of Peña's dismissal in rapid impeachment proceedings despite his resignation a day earlier.

Macklemore says US venues rejected his Free Palestine tour

American rapper Macklemore, an outspoken critic of Israel's war in Gaza, said on Friday that major US concert venues including New York's Madison Square Garden refused to book his Free Palestine tour that just concluded three dates in Europe. The "Thrift Shop" performer launched the effort after he was removed as the opening act on musician Ed Sheeran's concert tour in August. Macklemore said at the time that stadium owners ‌had objected to him saying "Free Palestine" on stage.

Factbox-Before his promotion, Stephen Miller designed Trump's immigration crackdown

US President Donald Trump on Friday promoted Stephen Miller, the architect of some of his toughest policies on immigration and other domestic issues, to run his White House after Republicans lost control of Congress in this week's midterm elections. Here are some facts about Trump's next White House chief of staff:

Paraguay ex-president Peña placed under house arrest after impeachment

Paraguayan officials put former President Santiago Peña under house arrest on Friday, shortly after lawmakers impeached him amid a political and financial crisis ‌triggered by the collapse of digital bank ueno. Authorities said Peña would remain under house arrest while the public prosecutor's office determines the final charges against him.

Kenyan cult leader sentenced to 200 years in prison for mass starvation murders of children

A Kenyan court sentenced cult leader Paul Mackenzie on Friday to 200 years in prison for the murders of 190 children starved to death on his orders and buried in a forest, among 500 suspected victims of one of the deadliest cult-related mass killings of modern times. The sentence comprised 100 years for murder by starvation and 100 years for direct homicide, Justice Diana Kavedza said, reading out the judgement.

Four-story building collapses in Sao Paulo, four injured

The roof of a four-story commercial building collapsed in the central region of Brazilian metropolis Sao Paulo on Friday, authorities said, and four people were injured. A fire department spokesperson said there had been 35 people inside the building and all of them were rescued. The four people who were injured were transported to hospitals and all are in stable condition, the spokesperson added.

Trump makes hardliner Stephen Miller his chief of staff after midterm defeat

US President Donald Trump named longtime aide Stephen Miller as his chief of staff on Friday, giving the architect of some of his toughest domestic policies one of the most powerful jobs in Washington after Republicans lost control of Congress. Miller, who will replace Susie Wiles, assumes the role as the president prepares to confront a Democratic-led House of Representatives and ⁠Senate and a wave of congressional investigations ​into his administration.

Trump says he met Putin envoy, sees Ukraine deal soon

US President Donald Trump said he met privately on Thursday with Russian President Vladimir ⁠Putin's envoy after the Russian official appeared with representatives from Ukraine at a White House event organized by US first lady Melania Trump. Trump would not disclose what he discussed with Putin envoy Kirill Dmitriev but predicted a deal could emerge soon aimed at resolving the Russian war in Ukraine.

New Zealanders vote in general election

New Zealand votes in a general election on Saturday, with polls closing at 7 p.m. (0600 GMT). New Zealand’s Electoral Commission will begin releasing numbers shortly after, and expects to report preliminary results from 50% of voting places by 10 p.m.

Rubio to travel to Paris to meet G7 foreign ministers next week

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Paris from November 8 to 10 for a meeting of ⁠Group of Seven foreign ministers, the State Department said on Friday. The meeting will be US top diplomat's first trip since the Republican party's sweeping losses in Tuesday's midterm elections that are likely to put constraints on the Trump administration's foreign policy.

Cornell faculty senate declares no confidence in university leadership

Cornell University's faculty senate approved a resolution of no confidence on Friday in the administration's ability to handle what it has called a sexual assault crisis, after a former student sued the university for not protecting her from an alleged 2024 gang rape. The resolution, which 55.6% of elected faculty senators who cast votes supported, is a condemnation of Cornell's leadership from its major legislative and advisory body, ​but has no concrete consequences. The tally showed 37% voted against it and 7.4% abstained, Cornell University spokesperson Rebecca Valli said.

Merz's party backs former minister Ilse Aigner for German president, media reports say

Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democrats (CDU) have agreed to back Ilse Aigner from the Bavarian Christian Social Union for the office of German president, German media said on Friday, after weeks of tension between the two sister parties. Aigner, currently speaker of the Bavarian state parliament, would become Germany's first female head of state if she is elected ⁠by the Federal Convention, made up of the lower house of parliament, or Bundestag, and representatives from the 16 federal states.

'We have nothing': Displaced mothers in Yemen's Taiz collect plastic to survive

Two single mothers who fled their village three weeks ago are struggling to keep their children fed and warm in the besieged Yemeni city of Taiz, where they live in a damaged building and sell plastic bottles to get by. Taiz hosts about half of the 300,000 people displaced across Yemen by the latest fighting, according to the UN. The city has been largely isolated since October 3, following an escalation in clashes between the Saudi-backed government and the Iran-aligned Houthis. The fighting has prevented humanitarian supplies from entering and civilians from leaving.

US approves potential $1.08 billion Black Hawk ⁠helicopter sale to ​Mexico

The US State Department said on Friday it had approved a potential sale of UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters to Mexico for an estimated $1.08 billion. The principal contractor for the sale is Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, the State Department said.

Pope Leo voted in US midterms because 'I'm proud to be an American'

Pope Leo said on Friday he had decided to cast a ballot by mail in the US midterm elections in an historic first for a Catholic leader because he feels pride in being a US citizen and wanted to do his civic duty. "I'm proud to be an American and to exercise the right," Leo, the first US-born pope, told a journalist aboard his flight from Rome to Uruguay, where he is opening an ambitious 12-day trip across South America.

Ukraine's Zelenskiy: Russian forces plan new strikes on energy targets, bridges, infrastructure

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday that intelligence showed that Russian forces were planning new strikes against key targets and the Ukrainian military was braced for a tough mission. "We have intelligence at this time that Russia is preparing new strikes on energy, on bridges across the Dnipro, on civilian infrastructure," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address.

Zelenskiy, Kyiv mayor trade blame ⁠as Russian strikes plunge city into darkness

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko traded fresh accusations on Friday of failing to prepare the Ukrainian capital for new Russian strikes that have plunged the city into unprecedented power and water outages. The city of more than 3 million is entering another winter of attacks on energy facilities that are sparking long periods of emergency power cuts, as Ukraine struggles amid a shortage of air-defence weapons to down fast-moving missiles and drones.

White House recasts Trump arch as military tribute

Hours after a US judge ⁠paused construction on President Donald Trump's proposed 250-foot (76.2-meter) arch in Washington, the White House on Friday shared new depictions portraying the project as a tribute to the nation's military heritage, ⁠the latest attempt to rebrand it amid mounting opposition. The site unveiled on Friday calls the project, which would stand near the entrance of Arlington National Cemetery, the Military Triumphal Arch.

Paraguay leadership in limbo as impeachment trial starts against president

Paraguay's Senate launched impeachment proceedings against President Santiago Peña on Friday, as a political and financial crisis triggered by the collapse of a digital bank deepened. Peña submitted his resignation on Thursday following the collapse of the bank, called ueno, to which he had former business links. His resignation has not been formally accepted by the Senate and he remains the president while impeachment proceedings continue.

Two missiles strike Iran's Qeshm Island, Tasnim news agency says

Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency said on Saturday initial reports indicated that two missiles had struck Qeshm Island, adding there was no official information on possible damage. Tasnim said further details would be released once relevant authorities ‌confirmed the incident.

Thomas Markle, father of Meghan, charged with possession of child sexual abuse photos

Thomas Markle, the ‌estranged father of Britain's Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, was arrested on Friday on a charge of possessing child sexual abuse material, including photographs of himself with naked underage girls, found in rented storage units in California. FBI Director Kash Patel said the 82-year-old father-in-law of Prince Harry was taken into custody ​by federal agents in Florida, where according to the Daily Mail the elder Markle, who uses a wheelchair, was a nursing home patient.