Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

China's premier calls for broader, fairer and more sustainable social security coverage

China's Premier Li Qiang called for improvements in the country's social security system to make it fair and sustainable while broadening its coverage, state media reported on Thursday, citing a study session of the country's cabinet. Changes in demographics, technology and new forms of employment have created new demands on social security, Li said, stressing the need to "fully recognize the important ​role social security plays in overall development."

Israeli strike on Gaza hospital kills six, including surgeon, medics say

An Israeli airstrike on southern Gaza's main hospital overnight killed at least six Palestinians including a surgeon and a teenage boy, medics said, the latest Israeli attack to undermine a year-old ceasefire in the war-shattered territory. The strike ​hit a building containing surgery wards at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. Israel's military said it targeted a senior Hamas commander and accused the militants of using the hospital complex to plan attacks, which ‌the group denied.

Iranian men found ​guilty in UK of assisting Iranian intelligence

Two Iranian men were found guilty on Thursday of spying on dissident journalists in Britain on behalf of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, a case British police said reflected increasing activity by Iran. Mostafa Sepahvand, 41, was found guilty at Woolwich Crown Court of two offences and Farhad Javadi Manesh, 46, was convicted of one offence under Britain's National Security Act.

Taiwan is taking part in APEC China summit on an 'equal basis,' president says

Taiwan is participating in this year's APEC leaders' summit in China on the principle of interaction on an "equal basis", President Lai Ching-te said on Thursday, after his government called for a written guarantee from Beijing for that to happen. The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation grouping is one of the few international bodies that include Taiwan, which China views as its own territory. China is this year's host, with the leaders' summit next week in the southern city of Shenzhen.

Hungary eases abortion rules in women's rights overhaul

Hungary's government will ease access to emergency contraception and roll back a controversial abortion rule ‌as part of a broader package of women's rights reforms, Prime Minister Peter Magyar said on Thursday. The measures, which also include stronger protections for victims of abuse and ratification of an international treaty on violence against women, mark a sharp break with the policies of former premier Viktor Orban.

Trump threatens to double tariffs on Mexico if it does not halt migrants

President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to double tariffs on Mexico if it does not stop more than a thousand migrants walking north toward the United States after last week's US election, warning that they would not be allowed to enter. "Here we go again!" Trump wrote on social media. "They will not be accepted! MEXICO MUST STOP THEM, NOW, and if they do not do so, the Tariffs on Mexico will be IMMEDIATELY DOUBLED. MEXICO, THE GOVERNOR OF TEXAS, THE VERY LIBERAL NEW GOVERNOR OF TEXAS, OUR GREAT BORDER PATROL, & ICE, HAVE BEEN SO INFORMED. There will be no leniency!"

Democrat Colom wins Mississippi Senate seat, becomes state's first Black senator since 1874

Democratic challenger Scott Colom defeated incumbent Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith in the Mississippi election for the US Senate, media projected on Wednesday, making him the Southern state's first Black senator since the Reconstruction era that followed the US Civil War. The result was a stunning upset in the heavily Republican state and expanded on the national drubbing the Democrats delivered to President Donald Trump's Republicans in the November 3 midterm elections. It was also a historic victory for ‌African Americans in a former slave state that was a hotbed of repression during the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

The complex ties between Indonesia's president and his popular predecessor

Accusations that police illegally wiretapped Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and the resignation of his vice president have exposed fresh tensions in the relationship between Prabowo and his influential predecessor. Prabowo, a former general, shares a long and complex history with Joko Widodo, the former president better known as Jokowi. Both leaders gave remarks on Thursday signalling their intention to keep working together after Jokowi's son resigned from his role as Prabowo's vice president in the face of an impeachment threat. HOW DID THEIR RIVALRY PLAY OUT IN ELECTIONS? Jokowi ‌defeated Prabowo twice, in the 2014 and 2019 presidential elections. He then appointed Prabowo as defence minister. That helped rebuild Prabowo's reputation after human rights organisations had accused him of rights abuses and ended a de facto ban on him travelling to the US. Prabowo, who denies any wrongdoing, then won tacit support for his 2024 presidential bid from Jokowi, who was barred by term limits from running again. Key to that support was his promise to continue Jokowi's legacy projects including building a new capital city, Nusantara, on Borneo island. During that election, Jokowi faced allegations of breaching ethics and meddling ahead of the polls, including in the Constitutional Court's last-minute decision to change election rules, which allowed his son to become Prabowo's running mate. An ethics panel reprimanded Jokowi's brother-in-law, who was head of that court at the time, for intentionally allowing "intervention from an external party". Jokowi has rejected those allegations. HOW HAS THEIR RELATIONSHIP DETERIORATED? In addition to picking Jokowi's son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, as his running mate, Prabowo installed a number of Jokowi loyalists in his administration in what analysts said was an attempt to tap into some of Jokowi's huge support base. But cracks in their relationship began to appear when Prabowo removed or reassigned Jokowi loyalists and technocrats in a series of reshuffles that began in September 2025. Among those removed was Sri Mulyani Indrawati, who served as Jokowi's finance chief for eight years. Last week, Listyo Sigit Prabowo, a former police chief who became the president's chief of staff in October, was sacked after he was arrested in the wiretapping scandal. Investigators have not said what they believe is the motive for the wiretapping. Jokowi, in a rare public comment in support of Prabowo, told reporters that he still backs the government. Those comments came hours after two major developments: his son, Gibran, ⁠resigned as vice president in the face ​of a parliamentary impeachment process backed by Prabowo's big tent coalition, and, almost simultaneously, coalition lawmakers publicly demanded an investigation into the "political interests" behind Listyo's alleged wiretapping. Police say they have sufficient evidence to ⁠pursue treason charges against the suspects, but have not given any details. Listyo is in police custody and has not commented on the allegations. Prabowo has also only approved 48.8 trillion rupiah ($2.7 billion) in funding for the Nusantara project until 2029, about 60% of what Jokowi spent between 2022 and 2024. WHY DID THE VICE PRESIDENT RESIGN? In September, a group, including an election monitoring organisation, petitioned the Constitutional Court to review Gibran's eligibility in the 2024 election, arguing that he did not have the appropriate credentials. There is no apparent connection between the group and Prabowo. The court in October ruled that Gibran's education diplomas issued overseas did not meet election requirements, but the judges also said he could not be removed from office. In a separate case, the Supreme Court ruled last month that a key education document Gibran used during the election was invalid. According to two people with ⁠knowledge of Jokowi's thinking, Jokowi was disappointed that neither Prabowo nor members of his coalition showed any support when questions were raised about Gibran's educational credentials. Jokowi's assistant did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Gibran also publicly apologised twice that Prabowo's signature free meals for schools programme had resulted in cases of food poisoning — a position that ran counter to the president's, the people said. Jokowi felt his advice was not heeded as he had suggested a much smaller and less expensive programme that would be limited to very poor or remote communities, they added. ($1 = 18,130.0000 rupiah)

Indian PM Modi to attend ASEAN summit in Manila from November 16 to 17

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the Philippines from November 16 to 17 to attend the summit of the Association of Southeast Asian ​Nations (ASEAN) in Manila, India's foreign ministry said on Thursday. India is a strategic partner of the 11-member grouping consisting of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Timor-Leste.

Libya's eastern security authority repatriates 602 migrants to Chad

Libya's eastern security authority has repatriated 602 migrants to Chad as part of a campaign focusing on the "protection of homeland and border," a spokesperson for the interior ministry's agency tasked with tackling illegal migration said. The spokesperson, Abdulmenam al-Ghomati, said those repatriated on Wednesday were apprehended during recent security operations, along with others who attempted to enter Libyan territory illegally.

Several Italian schools evacuated after more bomb warnings-report

Several schools were ⁠evacuated in Italy on Thursday after receiving email bomb threats similar to the hoax messages that were sent across the nation on the previous day, ANSA news agency reported.

Russia says it launched a massive overnight strike on Ukrainian military factories

Russia's military said on Thursday that it had carried out a massive overnight strike on military factories across Ukraine, including Kyiv, where the mayor said a Russian drone had struck an apartment block. Explosions were heard in the Ukrainian capital in the early hours of Thursday, a Reuters witness said.

Vance, Rubio, Ossoff and Buttigieg lead 2028 White House hopefuls, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds

Four potential contenders in the 2028 race for the White House have caught American voters' attention with their early jockeying: Republicans JD Vance and Marco Rubio and Democrats Jon Ossoff and Pete Buttigieg, according to the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll. None of the four has yet formally launched a campaign and the parties' 2028 nominating ⁠contests are more ​than a year away, leaving plenty of time for new contenders to emerge and for voters' views to change.

Venezuela tells COP31 it has a sovereign right to pump more oil

Venezuela’s Acting President Delcy Rodriguez told the COP31 climate conference on Thursday that the country has the sovereign right to develop its oil industry, even as it recognises the importance of combatting climate change. Her comments at the UN talks on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast jar with efforts by other conference leaders to convince global governments to accelerate a shift from carbon-emitting fossil fuels.

Nordic countries to work towards common defence deal

The Nordic countries of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland will work towards establishing a common defence deal in order to boost NATO's overall ability to deter and defend, the region's defence ministers said on Thursday. The nations have all been NATO members since Finland and Sweden joined the military alliance in 2023 and 2024, and have worked since then to improve their cooperation, for instance by conducting joint military and civilian preparedness exercises.

Wizz Air chief calls for Europe-wide coordination on bomb threats

Europe needs a more harmonised approach to security and a body to lead it against "hybrid warfare" following a recent series of bomb threats, the CEO of Hungarian budget airline Wizz Air said on Thursday. Bomb threats have disrupted travel, newsrooms and schools across Europe in November, with the latest alert temporarily disrupting train services in northern France on Thursday morning.

Explainer-Can ⁠a new US Congress mean an end to the Iran war?

The American public wants the unpopular eight-month-long war on Iran to end, and showed it by handing President Donald Trump's Republicans a resounding defeat in last week's congressional elections. Trump acknowledged that unhappiness about the conflict contributed to his party's losses, but defends the war, both insisting that he has won it and saying it will continue.

EU to present new Russia sanctions package, Ukraine funding measures by year-end

The European Commission will present a new sanctions package against Russia and proposals on Ukraine-related financial measures before the next European Council, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday. "We are ... preparing ⁠a proposal (on) how to cover the financial needs of Ukraine in 2027. We will come with the sanctions package and the proposal for the financial needs before the next European Council," she said ahead ⁠of a meeting with international leaders in Dublin.

A Ukrainian army unit pioneered drone evacuations. Now it's scaling up

The first time Ukrainian drone pilot "KVN" guided a giant unmanned hexacopter to rescue a wounded comrade, preparations for the operation took seven days. Just two weeks later, a similar mission came together in only 12 hours, highlighting how quickly a potentially transformative new tactic is taking hold on a rapidly evolving battlefield.

Italy seeks to curb impact of hoax bomb alerts as more threats received

More than 1,800 Italian schools received hoax bomb warnings on Thursday but many opted to remain open, following new advice from the government for handling such security threats. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government said public buildings should be cleared only if there is concrete evidence of danger after a wave of fake bomb alerts on Wednesday triggered school closures across Italy.

Pakistan releases two of former PM Imran Khan's sisters from jail, lawyer says

Pakistan released two of former Prime Minister Imran Khan's sisters from prison on Thursday, after weeks in jail ahead of a planned anti-government ‌march by their brother's party, their lawyer said. Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi were freed from Kot Lakhpat Jail in the eastern ‌city of Lahore after the government suspended their detention orders, lawyer Mudassar Umar said.

South Africa's ANC spokesperson: leader Ramaphosa is not under pressure to resign

The leader of South Africa's African National Congress (ANC), President Cyril Ramaphosa, is not under pressure to resign, the ANC's spokesperson said on Thursday, after the party's share of the vote plummeted in last week's ​municipal elections. "The president is going nowhere," ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu told reporters before a meeting of the party's National Executive Committee to decide on its approach to coalition negotiations