World News Roundup: Hundreds of Portuguese police raid farms in human trafficking crackdown; EU faces growing Muslim animosity over Gaza war stance - Borrell and more

Serhiy Kuyun, the head of Ukraine's leading A-95 fuel consultancy, told an online briefing that about a third of all LPG supplies were imported through the border with Poland. US to provide over $4 million in aid for those affected by Nagorno-Karabakh crisis The United States will provide over $4.1 million in aid for people affected by the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, the United States Agency for International Development said in a statement, after Azerbaijan's recapture of the region prompted a mass exodus of Armenians.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Hundreds of Portuguese police raid farms in human trafficking crackdown

Hundreds of police raided farms in Portugal's southern Alentejo region on Tuesday, arresting 28 people suspected of human trafficking and labour exploitation, police said. The suspects are believed to be part of a crime ring that exploited migrants from countries including Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, India, Senegal and Pakistan after luring them to Portugal with a promise of a job as farmhands.

EU lawmakers back rules to increase consumer goods repair rights

European Union lawmakers agreed on Tuesday measures to increase repair of goods such as washing machines, televisions and smartphones and reduce waste from consumers acquiring new products instead. The European Commission proposed a new law in March obliging sellers to repair a product for free within the two-year legal guarantee period, if the cost is no more than a replacement, and to provide repairs for products for between five and 10 years after sale.

Greek floods and fires expose Europe's frail climate defences

Dimitris Kouretas, elected governor of Greece's central province of Thessaly last month in the wake of calamitous floods, struggles to sleep at night. The flooding in September - Greece's worst on record - devastated the fertile region, swept away agricultural land, roads and railways, and killed 16 people. It was the second major flood in three years to hit Thessaly, part of a pattern of worsening extreme weather in Europe.

EU faces growing Muslim animosity over Gaza war stance - Borrell

The European Union faces growing animosity across the Muslim world and beyond due to accusations of pro-Israel bias and double standards over the war in Gaza, the bloc's foreign policy chief has warned. Josep Borrell said he feared such acrimony could undermine diplomatic support for Ukraine in the Global South and the EU's ability to insist on human rights clauses in international agreements.

Dutch candidates snipe, scramble for undecided voters in race to deliver PM

Top candidates have gone on the offensive in the final days of the Netherlands' national election, with late polls showing Labour leader Frans Timmermans and anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders making gains. A first-place finish for Timmermans in Wednesday's vote could swing the next government toward the centre and more spending on climate policies, while first place for Wilders could bring a hard-right coalition with a strong anti-immigration line.

North Koreans use fake names, scripts to land remote IT work for cash

Using fake names, sham LinkedIn profiles, counterfeit work papers and mock interview scripts, North Korean IT workers seeking employment in Western tech companies are deploying sophisticated subterfuge to get hired. Landing a job outside North Korea to secretly earn hard currency for the isolated country demands highly-developed strategies to convince Western hiring managers, according to documents reviewed by Reuters, an interview with a former North Korean IT worker and cybersecurity researchers.

Pakistan court declares jail trial of former PM Imran Khan illegal - lawyer

A Pakistani court on Tuesday declared illegal the jail trial of former Prime Minister Imran Khan on charges of leaking state secrets, his lawyer said. A special court has been conducting the trial on a jail premises citing security concerns since Khan was indicted on the charges last month.

Polish border protests lead to LPG shortage, price hikes in Ukraine - analyst

Protests and blockades by Polish lorry drivers at border crossings to Ukraine have curbed imports of motor vehicle gas (LPG) into Ukraine, causing a 30% rise in domestic prices, an analyst said on Tuesday. Serhiy Kuyun, the head of Ukraine's leading A-95 fuel consultancy, told an online briefing that about a third of all LPG supplies were imported through the border with Poland.

US to provide over $4 million in aid for those affected by Nagorno-Karabakh crisis

The United States will provide over $4.1 million in aid for people affected by the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, the United States Agency for International Development said in a statement, after Azerbaijan's recapture of the region prompted a mass exodus of Armenians. Azerbaijan and Armenia have been at odds for decades, most notably over the breakaway Azerbaijani region of Nagorno-Karabakh, which Baku's forces recaptured in September, prompting a mass exodus of most of the region's 120,000 ethnic Armenians to neighboring Armenia.

Hamas chief says truce deal with Israel is 'close'

The chief of Hamas said on Tuesday that the Palestinian militant group was near a truce agreement with Israel, even as the deadly assault on Gaza continued and rockets were being fired into Israel. Hamas officials were "close to reaching a truce agreement" with Israel and the group has delivered its response to Qatari mediators, Ismail Haniyeh said in a statement sent to Reuters by his aide.