Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

French officials blame Iran for refrigerator hacks, vow retaliation

French officials on Monday accused Iran's Revolutionary Guards of responsibility for the cyberattacks that knocked out commercial refrigerators and freezers across France last month, saying there would be consequences for Iran. The hacks that struck hundreds of French supermarkets in early October were among the most disruptive cyberattacks ​of the Iran war that began in February, a conflict that has been marked by scattered incidents of alleged digital disruption. These have included hacks against the Los Angeles transit system in March, against US water treatment plants in July and against ​ships bound for the United States in August.

Poland plans silent march after Krakow mass shooting that shocked the nation

Poland's president and prime minister will take part in ‌a silent march through Krakow ​on Monday evening as the country tries to come to terms with an unprecedented mass shooting, in which a Polish man killed six people on the southern city's main square. Relations between Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Karol Nawrocki are tense, but they appear to want a display of national unity over an incident that has shocked Poland and left rival political camps bitterly disputing the killer's motives.

The rise and fall of Russell Brand

Russell Brand was once considered so culturally important that the opposition leader hoping to be Britain's next prime minister went on his online show, while former US Vice President Al Gore was happy to be interviewed by him. A comedian and presenter turned Hollywood actor and then unlikely political activist, Brand was one of the most recognisable and sought-after figures in the British entertainment world from ‌the late 2000s until the mid-2010s.

Climate talks should focus on implementation, not new targets, Singapore says

Global climate talks starting on Monday are unlikely to yield new targets on curbing greenhouse gases, but negotiators have plenty to do to implement measures already agreed, Singapore's environment minister said. "I think that we are not expecting a major upgrade in mitigation targets" at the annual UN talks in Turkey, Grace Fu told reporters. "But we have enough, even within the Paris Agreement, with what we have already agreed on. There is enough to work on."

Merz says Germany faces historic test over rise in antisemitism

Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday that Germany faced a test of its commitment to protecting its Jewish community as he decried the "horrifying sight" of kindergartens and synagogues protected by bulletproof glass and armed police. Speaking at a Munich synagogue on the anniversary of the "Kristallnacht" pogrom in 1938, which foreshadowed the Nazi Holocaust that would eventually slaughter more than 6 million European Jews, Merz said antisemitism had become "omnipresent".

Trump says US military action against Iran not necessary 'at this point'

President Donald Trump on Monday told reporters that military action by the United States against Iran did not currently seem necessary. "At ‌this point ... taking the military action doesn't seem to be a very necessary thing. But we're locked and loaded, ready to go for any reason that changes," Trump told reporters.

Pope Leo meets Argentine clergy abuse survivors as Church faces calls for tougher action

Pope Leo met with five victims of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy on Monday in Buenos Aires, the Vatican said, in the first of several expected meetings with survivors during the pontiff's 12-day trip to South America. Leo, the first US-born pope, is on a three-country tour through ‌November 17. He has met with survivors during several of his foreign visits, in an effort to help repair the Church's standing after abuse scandals have tarnished its reputation.

Trump says Qatar, Saudi prefer peace in Iran conflict

US President Donald Trump said on Monday he plans to hold off on new military strikes against Iran for the time being after appeals from countries in the region, including from Qatar's prime minister in White House talks. Trump, in a Reuters interview and a later appearance in the White House press briefing room, said he plans to keep up a naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz for now.

Exclusive-Covert Russian network exploited French riots on social media, EU report says

A covert Russian network sought to exploit last month's riots in France by using social media to blame the unrest on uncontrolled immigration and portray the government as having lost control, according to an internal EU assessment seen by Reuters. A separate internal assessment, compiled by France's foreign ministry and also seen by Reuters, found that social media accounts linked to Israel and to the US MAGA movement also pushed "hostile narratives" around the riots, linking them to radical Islamism and migration.

Supreme Court allows Trump border wall at Big Bend National Park in Texas

The US Supreme Court gave President Donald Trump's administration the green light on Monday to proceed with the construction of barriers along the US-Mexico border in ⁠a remote region in West Texas ​that includes Big Bend National Park, fast-tracking one of his longstanding priorities. The court granted the administration's emergency request to lift a federal judge's order halting the ⁠border wall's construction in the region while a lawsuit against the project brought by an environmental group and other challengers plays out.

Germany set to get its first female president after Merz backs Bavarian conservative Aigner

Germany looks set to get its first female head of state next year after Chancellor Friedrich Merz nominated Ilse Aigner on Monday as his conservatives' candidate to replace President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in the largely ceremonial role. With the support of Merz's conservatives, their Social Democrat partners in Germany's ruling coalition and the Greens, Aigner is very likely to be elected in January by the Federal Convention comprising members of the lower house of parliament and delegates from Germany's 16 federal state ⁠parliaments.

Pope Leo meets Argentine clergy abuse survivors as Church faces calls for tougher action

Pope Leo met with five victims of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy on Monday in Buenos Aires, the Vatican said, in the first of several expected meetings with survivors during the pontiff's 12-day trip to South America. Leo, the first US-born pope, is on a three-country tour through November 17. He has met with survivors during several of his foreign visits, in an effort to help repair the Church's standing after abuse scandals have tarnished its reputation.

Psychiatric exam ordered for Thomas Markle in child pornography case

A federal judge in Florida has ordered a psychiatric evaluation ​for Thomas Markle, the estranged father of Britain's Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, to determine if he is mentally fit to answer to charges accusing him of being a child sex predator. US Magistrate Judge Lindsay Griffin in Tampa wrote in a two-page order on Friday that the initial court appearance of Prince Harry's 82-year-old father-in-law, including a "lack of recall," raised questions in her mind as to whether he was competent to face prosecution.

Utah judge sets 2028 trial date for Charlie Kirk killing

A ⁠Utah judge on Monday set a June 2028 trial date for Tyler Robinson, the man accused of murdering prominent right-wing activist Charlie Kirk last year. Robinson, 23, has pleaded not guilty to seven counts, including aggravated murder, in the shooting of Kirk as the conservative held one of his trademark debates at Utah Valley University in Orem.

G7 allies to assess impact of Trump's midterm setback at Paris talks

G7 foreign ministers gathered in Paris on Monday aiming to gauge whether a US midterm defeat for President Donald Trump alters the administration's approach to Ukraine, the Middle East and ties with its closest allies, four G7 diplomats said. The diplomats signalled the Democrats' gains could narrow the White House's room for manoeuvre, but ⁠warned against ​expecting a return to traditional US multilateralism while foreign policy remains very much under Trump's control.

France's Macron welcomes judo star Teddy Riner's entrance in 2027 presidential race

French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday welcomed news that judo champion Teddy Riner, one of France's best-known sports figures, was running in France's 2027 presidential election. "I am very pleased ... that someone like Teddy Riner, who is a great champion, has decided to get involved in this presidential debate and to contribute his convictions, his ideas, and his talent, this can only benefit the country,” Macron told the "C a vous" news show on France 5 television.

Paraguay widens probe into collapsed digital bank and installs new central bank head

Paraguayan prosecutors widened an investigation into the collapse of digital lender ueno on Monday, raiding the firm's brokerage arm, as the government installed a new central bank chief to help contain the fallout. Images released by prosecutors showed ripped-up documents recovered in the raid, including fragments of what appeared to be due diligence reports and email correspondence.

Trump approval holds at 32%, near lowest of his career, Reuters Ipsos poll finds

President Donald Trump's approval rating held near the lowest ⁠level of his political career, depressed by national concerns over rising prices that tanked his Republican Party in last week's midterm elections, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Monday. Some 32% of Americans approve of Trump's performance in the White House, unchanged from two prior Reuters/Ipsos polls conducted between late October and early November. It was one percentage point higher than his 31% rating in a Reuters/Ipsos poll in mid-October, the lowest of his career in politics.

Zelenskiy says Ukrainian battlefield successes strengthen Kyiv's position in talks

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy ⁠said on Monday, on the eve of US-led, three-sided talks on resolving the war with Russia, that Ukrainian battlefield successes and mounting Russian losses were strengthening Kyiv's ⁠position in negotiations. The talks with Russian and US negotiators, opening on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi, will be the first since February aimed at bringing closer an end to the more than 4-1/2-year-old war.

Nvidia scandal magnifies serious board defects

Nvidia is the backbone of the AI boom, but the boardroom could use a stiffer spine. Founder and CEO Jensen Huang almost single-handedly made his chipmaker the linchpin of the planet's biggest-ever infrastructure investment spree, catapulting it to the world's most valuable company. His extramarital affair with a possible spy for China exposes glaring governance defects, however, and puts the entire industry at risk. Under Huang, Nvidia has generated a 36,000% total return for shareholders over the past two decades. His fingerprints are all over the technological, manufacturing and financial success. He turned the PC graphics cards producer into an AI powerhouse, ‌boosting growth through clever software investment and acquisitions such as Mellanox Technologies, which entrenched its goods even ‌more deeply in data centers.

Trump says US seeing 'strong inclination' to end Russia's war in Ukraine

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that Washington was seeing a "very strong inclination" towards ending Russia's war in Ukraine and that both sides were "tired of fighting." "We're having a very good conversation about ​that in Abu Dhabi," Trump told reporters at the White House on the eve of US-led, three-sided talks scheduled in Abu Dhabi.