Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Train drivers strike in Spain after two deadly crashes in a year

Spanish train drivers went on strike on Tuesday to demand more investment in maintenance and safety following Spain's second fatal rail crash this year, causing widespread travel disruption. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez last week appointed his deputy, Carlos Cuerpo, to provisionally run the Transport Ministry after Oscar Puente resigned over the two crashes on the same high-speed Madrid-Seville line this year, which killed ​115 people.

France's president and wife file new lawsuit against US podcaster Owens

French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte have filed a second set of defamation complaints against Candace Owens two weeks after a US court narrowed a first one, the US right-wing podcaster said late on Monday in a post on X. ​The Macrons had sued Owens and two businesses associated with her in July 2025 in a Delaware court over what they called her lie-filled "campaign of global humiliation," including the false claim that France's first lady was ‌born a male

Most Americans want new ​Democratic Congress to end Trump's Iran war, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds

Majorities of Americans want the newly elected Democratic-majority US Congress to act to end the war with Iran and to repeal tariffs put in place by President Donald Trump, signaling demand for quick action to address the high cost of living, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll found. The four-day poll, completed on Monday, showed 71% of Americans -- including 93% of Democrats and 51% of Republicans -- want US Congress to pass legislation ending the conflict with Iran that Trump launched alongside US ally Israel in February.

British police say assessing further reports about Russell Brand

British police said on Tuesday that detectives were assessing a number of new reports about comedian Russell Brand in the wake of his jailing for rape and sexual assaults. Brand, once one of Britain's most high-profile broadcasters and a Hollywood film star, was sentenced to 10-and-a-half years on Monday after being convicted of raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others between 2004 and 2009.

Trump envoys bring Russia and Ukraine together for first peace talks in 9 months

Russian and ‌Ukrainian officials met in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday for their first US-brokered talks since February, after President Donald Trump suggested last week that a broad deal was possible on ending the war in Ukraine and guaranteeing security in Europe. US envoy Jared Kushner told delegates that recent contacts with both sides had "really identified, narrowed the gaps", and the US side had "some good ideas" on how to bridge their differences. Trump, he said, was committed to achieving peace.

House Democratic leader says lawmakers need answers on Nvidia, wants China chip restrictions

US House of Representatives Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said on Monday that Congress needs more answers after reports emerged that Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang had been targeted by a foreign intelligence effort. Jeffries also called for the House to pass an annual defense bill that includes restrictions on chip sales to China that are included in a bill now before the US Senate.

Trump says he will hold off on fresh Iran strikes for now

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.

Russia sees European security framework as main thrust of Ukraine talks, delegation source says

Russia believes the main thrust of US-brokered peace talks on Ukraine should ‌be seeking agreement on the main elements of a post-war security framework for Europe, a source in the Russian delegation said, an idea many European politicians oppose. The talks under way in Abu Dhabi will focus on developing mechanisms to prevent threats and strengthen regional stability, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Britain to invest £90 million in drones, sensors to counter Russian undersea threats

Britain said on Tuesday it would spend £90 million ($121 million) on drones, sensors and artificial intelligence systems to help the Royal Navy counter Russian undersea threats in the North Atlantic and protect critical infrastructure. New network of autonomous systems equipped with advanced sensors will create a unified surveillance capability to ‌improve the detection and monitoring of submarine activity

Rubio tells G7 US will keep imposing 'devastating' costs on Iran, diplomats say

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told G7 foreign ministers on Tuesday that the US would keep imposing "devastating" economic costs on Iran, saying it had options beyond war or agreeing to unacceptable Iranian demands, four G7 diplomats said. Rubio's comments came during a meeting in Paris of foreign ministers from the Group of Seven, which comprises Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, as well as the European Union.

Dozens of foreigners' deaths go undetected in Greece, Oxford University researchers say

More than 100 foreign nationals have died since 2000 in Greek police stations or migrant centres with inadequate healthcare facilities, including 34 deaths that have not been officially registered, according to research published on Tuesday by Oxford University researchers. In total, the research found 112 deaths in the 26-year period, including 44 suicides. Of the 112 deaths, 84 occurred in police stations without medical staff and 27 were reported in migrant detention facilities.

Vanishing vessels and missing sailors: The Iran war's human cost at sea

V. Pandiselvi, the mother of Indian sailor Naveen Kumar, has not heard from her son for more than six months yet she still clings to hope he will return, crying as she replays old voice notes. Kumar was one of six crew members assigned to work on two Iran-linked cargo vessels last seen in Iranian waters in May before disappearing. The vessels' fate is still unclear.

Prince Harry's wife Meghan makes first public appearance since father charged

Meghan, the wife of Britain's Prince Harry, cancelled plans to address a European Parliament gathering on Tuesday, as she made her first public appearance since her father was charged with possessing child sexual abuse photos. The couple appeared at an event to discuss child online safety in Brussels, where ⁠Harry delivered a speech at the opening ​of the Lost Screen Memorial, an art installation commemorating children who died as a result of suffering harm on social media.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's woes evoke sympathy, disbelief in his birthplace Taiwan

Nvidia CEO ⁠Jensen Huang is drawing both sympathy and disbelief in his birthplace Taiwan, where he has rock star status, after dramatic revelations of his affair with a woman who could have been a Chinese spy. Whenever he visits, adoring fans and excited reporters follow, hanging on every word from the most prolific salesman of the AI boom, in a trend domestic media call "Jensanity".

Russia pounds Ukraine's power grid as talks open in Abu Dhabi

Russian forces struck 10 Ukrainian regions overnight in air attacks that targeted five major electrical substations, sparked widespread power outages and killed two people, officials said on Tuesday. Moscow's latest strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure — part of a renewed air campaign as winter approaches — came as Russian, Ukrainian and US negotiators began two days of talks in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.

Eight people killed in Kenya's northeast in suspected al Shabaab attack

Eight people – two police reservists, five construction workers ⁠and a driver – were killed in northeast Kenya on Tuesday in an attack by suspected al Shabaab militants near the Somali border, police and a senior regional official said. A report from a local police station said the ambush happened about 7 a.m. (0400 GMT) in Mandera county in the northeast, in an area where a road is being built

Canada reimposes sanctions on 11 Iranian entities for contributing to nuclear activities

Canada reimposed sanctions on 11 Iranian entities on Tuesday for their contribution to Iran's nuclear activities and ballistic missile program, Foreign Minister Anita Anand said. Anand announced the measures at a meeting of Group of Seven foreign ministers in Paris, saying they were intended to restrict Iran's access to funding and sensitive technology linked to its nuclear and missile programs.

UN rights office voices alarm on Egypt press ​freedom

The United Nations human rights office voiced alarm on Tuesday about Egyptian authorities' widening assaults on press freedom and called for the immediate release of detained journalists. Egyptian police arrested the entire newsroom of fact-checking outlet Matsaddash in September, accusing the six journalists of spreading misinformation for the banned Muslim Brotherhood, which the publication denied.

Eleven dead, fifty injured in Bulgarian motorway pile-up

Eleven people died in a traffic accident involving dozens of vehicles on both sides of a foggy stretch of highway in eastern Bulgaria on Tuesday, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said. Police, firefighters and ambulance crews rushed to the scene on the A1 road that links the capital ⁠Sofia with the eastern city of Burgas. Images on local media showed cars and trucks piled up across six lanes of highway, many crushed, overturned, or veered off to the side.

Polish gunman visited websites about Norwegian mass killer Breivik, minister says

The dead gunman who killed six people in a Krakow square visited websites about Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik, Poland's justice minister said on Tuesday, adding there were signs he may have been influenced by right-wing extremism. The suspect's motives have been the subject of a bitter political dispute since Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said on Saturday, just hours after the incident, that he had been influenced by far-right ideology.

Iraq bars plane carrying Iran's soccer team from landing in Basra over US sanctions, officials say

Iraq barred a plane carrying Iran's national soccer team from landing at Basra airport on Tuesday, a decision by the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority linked to US sanctions imposed on Iranian ⁠airlines, two ​Basra airport officials said. The plane returned to Iran and landed at Abadan airport, and the team will now travel overland to Basra, an Iranian consulate official in Basra said.

Philippine VP Duterte's impeachment nears end as prosecutors stake case on unexplained wealth

Philippine prosecutors are focusing their impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte on a single allegation of unexplained wealth, dropping three other charges, to try to conclude the trial by the end of this year before attention shifts to the 2028 election, the lead prosecutor said. Duterte, daughter of former president Rodrigo Duterte, has consistently led opinion polls for the next election, which President Ferdinand Marcos Jr cannot contest because he is limited to a single term.

Slovak PM Fico accuses Merz of 'blackmail' for linking Ukraine funding to EU budget talks

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico accused German Chancellor Friedrich Merz of "blackmail" on Tuesday after Berlin pushed to link a deal on funding for Ukraine to talks on the European Union's next long-term budget. Merz, in a letter to European Council President Antonio Costa seen by Reuters, said all of the EU must contribute to funding Ukraine as it defends itself against Russia's invasion.

Violence in northern Nigeria drives tens of thousands into Niger

Nearly 64,000 people have fled northern Nigeria for neighbouring Niger this year, escaping attacks by Islamist militants and armed gangs and adding to mounting humanitarian needs in one of the world's poorest countries, the UN refugee agency said. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said the influx ⁠is stretching resources in Niger, which already hosts more than 500,000 refugees and asylum-seekers, including about 327,500 Nigerians. Several hundred Nigerians have also sought refuge in Benin.

Kyrgyz strongman Japarov bids for second term as president

Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, who has cemented firm control over what was once Central Asia’s most democratic country, filed on Tuesday to run for a second term in an election scheduled for January 27, 2027, the electoral commission said. Japarov, a nationalist and populist, swept to power during unrest following a disputed parliamentary election in October 2020 and has since cracked down on opposition parties and independent media, while presiding over an economic boom.

Israeli fire kills father and son in ⁠Gaza, medics say

Israeli forces killed at least three Palestinians, including a father and his 13-year-old son, in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, local health officials said. Medics said Fadi Rajab and his son Abubakr were ⁠killed in an airstrike that hit the roof of a displacement shelter in the Zeitoun neighbourhood in Gaza City, while a third person was killed by gunfire in Khan Younis, in the south of the enclave.

North Korea accuses UN chief of siding with South Korea over border tensions

North Korea expressed regret over comments by the UN secretary-general urging the two Koreas to ease tensions through dialogue following a landmine blast at the border, accusing him of taking Seoul's side, state media reported on Tuesday. Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres took a "prejudiced and irresponsible" attitude by echoing South Korea's unilateral claim over the September blast.

Pakistan blames India's Diwali fireworks for Lahore's toxic air

Pakistan blamed poor air quality this week on pollution drifting from neighbouring India, where firecrackers set off during the Hindu festival of Diwali over the weekend blanketed much of the north in toxic smog. The northern Pakistani city of Lahore topped Swiss group IQAir's ranking of the world's most polluted major cities for a ‌second day on Tuesday, with an air quality index (AQI) of 263, categorised as "very unhealthy".

A week after huge election losses, Republicans to ‌choose their leaders in Congress

One week after the massive election defeat that repudiated their fealty to President Donald Trump, Republicans in the US Congress were set on Tuesday to decide who will lead their party next year when Democrats take over the Senate and House of Representatives. Senate Majority Leader John Thune appeared to face no challengers to his bid to become ​minority leader in January, even as a group of hardline Republican senators pressed to delay party leadership elections in favor of holding a post-mortem session on the election defeat.