Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Russian diplomats and military officials to join talks with US and Ukraine, Kremlin says

Russia's delegation to talks with the United States and Ukraine next week will include senior military officials and diplomats including Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Interfax news agency. The trilateral meeting in Abu ​Dhabi, meant to discuss ending Moscow's war against Ukraine, is scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday and will be the first such talks since February.

Heavy rain floods tents housing Gaza displaced people, aid shortages hamper response

Heavy rains have flooded ​tens of thousands of tents housing displaced Palestinians crammed into encampments across the Gaza Strip, washing away shelters and soaking blankets and mattresses, local authorities said on ‌Saturday. The Hamas-run Gaza government ​media office said at least 70,000 tents had been flooded in the past 12 hours, affecting tens of thousands of displaced people and causing injuries although no fatalities had been reported.

Italy foreign minister says he has been targeted by pro-Russian hackers over Ukraine backing

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Saturday that his personal data had been published on the dark web by what he said were pro-Russian hackers, adding that the move was linked to the Italian government's support for Ukraine. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who has been one of the strongest backers of Ukraine among Western leaders, expressed her support for Tajani and said the sale of confidential information relating to public officials was "a matter of serious concern"

Hong Kong lawmakers condemn foreign governments' criticism of Joshua Wong ‌ruling

Hong Kong's Legislative Council (Legco) on Saturday said it condemns criticism by foreign governments on the sentencing of democracy activist Joshua Wong to an additional 10 years in jail under the city's national security law. The lawmakers said in a statement that the criticism was "defaming and smearing" Hong Kong's judicial system and national security laws, and "attempting to deliberately distort" Wong's criminal acts as personal political expression

Indonesian workers rally for Prabowo as women march against president

Hundreds of workers rallied in support of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on Saturday amid allegations that police illegally wiretapped him, while hundreds of women marched against the president's policies. The pro-Prabowo demonstration marked a contrast to recent protests against his administration, part of growing public discontent over his costly populist policies, handling of raging wildfires and weakening investor confidence in Southeast Asia's biggest economy.

Who is Paraguay's new president Pedro Alliana?

Paraguay's Vice President Pedro Alliana became president after the country's Senate impeached and removed Santiago Peña amid a banking crisis that triggered major political backlash. Peña lost the support of senior figures in the governing conservative Colorado Party after lawmakers blamed him for the collapse ‌of digital lender ueno, which left millions of customers unable to access their accounts.

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.

After midterm rout, Vance tries to build his own 2028 brand

Late in his blitz to salvage Republicans' midterm fortunes, Vice President JD Vance shifted strategy. He talked less about President Donald Trump and more about the issues that define his own political identity. Vance argued the case for Republicans, who lost control of Congress in Tuesday’s vote, almost exclusively through the lens of his policy portfolio, according to a Reuters review of half a dozen speeches since the Republican convention in September.

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.

Haiti PM says gang leader Mathias Saintil is dead

Haiti authorities on Friday confirmed gang ⁠leader Mathias Saintil was dead, after Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime said on X there was "one less gang leader." "The fight to free the country from the grip of bandits continues with determination," Fils-Aime added.

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 Zealand election ⁠first count ends with two main parties nearly deadlocked

New Zealand's ruling centre-right National Party and main opposition Labour were nearly deadlocked in the popular vote after initial counting in the nationwide general election on Saturday. Results from the Electoral Commission show that with more than 95% of the ballots counted, both parties were polling just short of 30% of the popular vote, with just a few thousand votes separating the two.

Malaysia's king warns against challenging his order allowing house arrest for ex-PM Najib

Malaysia's king warned on Saturday that any attempt to challenge his order letting former Prime Minister Najib Razak move ​from jail to house arrest could amount to defying his decree, a day after authorities delayed Najib's transfer. Najib has been in jail since 2022 after being found guilty of corruption and money laundering in a case linked to a multibillion-dollar scandal at state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). He has consistently denied wrongdoing.

Russia pounds power facilities around Kyiv, damages major bridge

Russian forces hammered energy infrastructure around Ukraine's capital with missiles and drones overnight, straining Kyiv's power supply and heating ⁠systems as temperatures headed towards zero, officials said on Saturday. Explosions rocked the city as Russia fired multiple waves of ballistic missiles, several of which hit and damaged the Northern Bridge across the Dnipro River, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko.

Exclusive-Rubio seeks to impose order at State as Republicans look ahead to 2028

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has moved to tighten control over the State Department, telling senior officials in a recent meeting that staff must stay in their lanes and avoid efforts that present conflicts of interest, four people familiar with the matter said. Rubio's message, delivered last week before the Republican Party's electoral losses this Tuesday, comes as the party's leading figures attempt to ⁠put ​distance between themselves and an increasingly unpopular Trump administration.

Iran executes Baluch militant over armed attack on police station

Iran executed a Baluch man for involvement in an armed attack on a police station in the southeast of the country in which several officers were killed or wounded, Iranian media reported on Saturday. Mohammad Aref Shahbakhsh, identified by the semi-official media as a member of the Sunni militant group Jaish al-Adl, was convicted of armed rebellion and "waging war against God" in connection with the attack on the Qaleh Bid police station in Khash, in Sistan-Baluchestan province.

As COP31 comes to Turkey, satellites reveal a landfill methane problem

In the countryside west of Istanbul, trucks line up to empty mixed household waste from the city of 16 million people onto a vast landscape of decomposing rubbish, where landfill gas is captured to generate electricity at a nearby plant. But far above the seagulls circling the waste, satellites detect what the plant has failed to capture: methane escaping at a rate that ranks it among the world’s largest recorded landfill emitters.

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 swears in new president as Peña is put under house arrest

Pedro Alliana was sworn in as ⁠Paraguay's new president on Friday just as authorities put his impeached predecessor Santiago Peña under house arrest, the latest developments in a fast-moving political and financial ⁠crisis triggered by the collapse of a digital bank. Prosecutors speaking outside Peña's house in Asunción said charges were still being determined but could include influence peddling. Peña was ordered to appear at the prosecutor's office on Saturday morning.

Delhi world's most polluted major city on eve of Diwali, Swiss group says

Delhi was the world's most polluted major city on Saturday morning, according to Swiss group IQAir's live ranking, as the Indian capital faced severe pollution forecasts a day before Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. India has ordered schools in and around Delhi to offer online classes, and encouraged people to work from home ahead of Diwali on Sunday, which is usually marked by the widespread use of firecrackers that further worsen the air quality.

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.