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.

Syria denies plans to send troops to Yemen as Saudi military ties deepen

Syria has no plans to send troops to Yemen, a Syrian diplomatic source told state news agency SANA, dismissing reports of a possible deployment while adding that military cooperation with Saudi Arabia could eventually expand. Saudi Arabia has been locked in worsening hostilities with the Iran-allied Houthis since July, when the wider conflict in the Middle East reignited the Yemen war, and Riyadh has since sought both defensive and offensive support from a range of allies.

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

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.

Explainer-What happens ‌next after New Zealand's vote?

New Zealand's governing coalition hoped to hang on to power based on an initial vote count in the general election on Saturday, but the shape of the next government will not become clear until official results are announced on November 27. WHERE DO RESULTS STAND?

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.

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.

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.

Expanding on naval blockade, US military looks to restrict Iranian land commerce

Building on a months-long naval blockade on Iran, the US military said on Saturday it is launching a task force to help crack down on Tehran's movement of advanced weapons and other sanctioned ⁠material over its land borders and ​through the Caspian Sea. Task Force Iron Gate, which was first reported by Reuters, will be based in Tampa, Florida, and will coordinate with other US government ⁠agencies. Beyond movement of weapons, it will also focus on halting the flow of dual-use technologies used by Iran and stemming what Washington calls illegal revenue streams.

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.

Judge orders Paraguay's ex-president Peña held ⁠before trial

A Paraguayan judge on Saturday ordered former President Santiago Peña held in pretrial detention at a military facility while prosecutors investigate his ties to digital lender ueno, whose collapse has left millions of customers struggling to access their accounts. Judge Humberto Otazú ordered Peña, who has been charged with breach of trust and administration for personal gain, held at the facility, saying detention was necessary to ensure he remained in the country while the case proceeded.

Guatemalan lawmaker, three police officers killed in armed attack

A Guatemalan lawmaker and three police officers were killed in an armed attack in the eastern department of Zacapa, President Bernardo Arévalo said, condemning the ​violence and ordering security forces to help identify those responsible. Lawmaker Julio César Portillo Paz was attacked on Friday in Río Hondo, Zacapa, and initially taken to a hospital with serious injuries. His death was later confirmed by the National Unity of Hope party, or UNE, to which he belonged.

Israeli president picks Gadi Eisenkot, Netanyahu rival, to try to form government

Israel's president on Saturday chose Gadi Eisenkot, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's strongest rival, to try to form a new government following a deadlocked election ⁠that left neither man with a clear path to power. Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving leader, is fighting to stay in office after his religious-nationalist coalition lost its majority in an October 27 election but still emerged as the largest bloc in parliament.

Exclusive-Rubio warns top staff against conflicts of interest as Republicans look to 2028

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

Poland in ​shock after six die in Krakow mass shooting

A Polish gunman likely influenced by far-right ideology killed six people in the main square of the southern city of Krakow before police shot and arrested him, officials said on Saturday, adding that three more bodies were found in his home. The scenes of blood and bodies strewn across the historic heart of one of Poland's main tourist attractions shocked a nation that has long viewed itself as safer than western European neighbours that have witnessed such attacks in the past.

French presidential hopeful Melenchon pledges economic stimulus, renews NATO exit call

Jean-Luc Melenchon criticised NATO and "American wars" while pledging an economic stimulus-led revival on Saturday as he unveiled his 2027 presidential programme at a rally in the northern Paris suburb of Le Bourget. Setting out his economic programme, Melenchon said his anti-capitalist France Unbowed (LFI) party would do the opposite to President Emmanuel Macron.

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.

Pope Leo urges South America to bridge divides on Uruguay stop of 12-day tour

Pope Leo on Saturday urged an estimated 40,000 people, many of whom waited overnight in the rain on the Uruguay-Argentina border for his visit, to bridge their differences as he toured a region marked by sharp ⁠political divisions. Leo, on an ambitious 12-day, three-country tour through November 17, travelled some 750 km (466 miles) back and forth from Montevideo to Paysandu, a riverside economic hub ⁠in Uruguay's northwest, where crowds gathered in heavy rain that eased shortly before his arrival.

US military says it disabled cargo vessel in Gulf of Oman

An American military aircraft fired on and disabled a commercial vessel that tried to break the US blockade of Iran on Saturday, US Central Command said. The St. Kitts-flagged cargo vessel tried to depart regional waters after visiting an Iranian port, and a US plane fired precision munitions at its stern after US forces directed the crew to abandon targeted spaces, Central Command said.

Zelenskiy criticises Ukraine's SBU security service over corruption scandal

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy promised more "personnel decisions" at Ukraine's domestic security service on Saturday following a corruption scandal that has fuelled public anger over official impunity. Anti-corruption authorities unveiled charges this week against several senior security and law enforcement officials over their alleged role in shielding a vast criminal ‌ring.

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.