Reuters World News Summary

Germany's defence spending will only be 3.05% of gross domestic product that year, Pistorius said in Munich. Exclusive-Ukraine expected to give up land, some arms under US peace plan, sources say The U.S. has signalled to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that Ukraine must accept a U.S.-drafted framework to end the war with Russia that proposes Kyiv giving up territory and some weapons, two people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Spanish court conditionally releases PM's former ally from jail

Spain's Supreme Court ordered on Wednesday the provisional release from jail of a former senior official in the ruling Socialist Party, citing a reduced risk of evidence tampering amid an ongoing corruption investigation. Santos Cerdan, who was remanded in custody in June, faces potential charges that include being part of a criminal organisation, bribery and influence-peddling over a scheme in which senior government-linked officials purportedly received kickbacks for awarding public works contracts.

Thousands of Tunisian doctors strike, say health system close to collapse

Thousands of young doctors went on strike across Tunisia on Wednesday to demand higher pay and warn of an impending collapse of the health system, part of a broader wave of social unrest convulsing the country. A spate of environmental and anti-government protests prompted by a worsening economic crisis and disruptions in public services has posed the biggest challenge to President Kais Saied since he seized all power in 2021.

Aid chief says UN pressing to enter Sudan's al-Fashir after reports of atrocities

The United Nations is pushing to gain access to al-Fashir, the famine-stricken city in Darfur where witnesses have reported mass reprisals since a takeover by Sudan's Rapid Support Forces last month, U.N. aid chief Tom Fletcher said. Fletcher told Reuters it would be a huge task to provide aid to the city, which would be treated as a "crime scene" for investigations following reports of systematic executions, detentions, and rapes.

G20 countries' medium-term growth to be weakest since 2009 crisis, IMF says

The world's 20 largest economies will grow by just 2.9% in 2030 amid headwinds from protectionism and policy uncertainty, their weakest medium-term outlook since the global financial crisis of 2009, the International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday. In a report to the Group of 20, the global lender mapped out a series of challenges facing the global economy, including widening excessive balances and stretched public coffers, as well as aging populations in advanced economies.

Brazil's Lula makes diplomatic push for early climate deal at COP30 summit

Brazil's president was meeting with key negotiators at the COP30 summit on Wednesday as part of a drive to land an early deal on some of the most divisive issues in the global climate talks, including fossil fuels and climate finance. The two-week U.N. summit in the Amazon city of Belem has brought nearly 200 countries together to try to ratchet up multilateral action to limit climate change, despite the absence of the U.S., the top historic greenhouse gas emitter.

Israeli military steps up strikes in south Lebanon, says it is targeting Hezbollah

The Israeli military stepped up airstrikes in south Lebanon on Wednesday, killing at least one person as it pressed a campaign of near-daily attacks which it says is designed to block a military revival by Iran-backed Hezbollah in the border area. Israel has accused Hezbollah of trying to rearm since a U.S.-backed ceasefire last year. The group says it has abided by requirements for it to end its military presence in the border region near Israel, and for the Lebanese army to deploy there.

Cuba struggles to ease power cuts amid reduced fuel supplies from Venezuela, Mexico

Cuba's imports of crude and fuel in the first 10 months of the year fell more than a third compared with the same period of 2024 as key allies Mexico and Venezuela slashed supplies, according to shipping data and documents seen by Reuters, preventing the Caribbean country from easing daily power cuts. The Communist-run island relies on imported refined products to meet demand, including fuel oil and diesel for power generation, and jet fuel and gasoline for transportation. U.S. sanctions and a deep economic crisis have for years made it impossible for the government to buy enough fuel, forcing a growing dependence on allies.

Leaving border camps for orchards, Myanmar refugees join Thai workforce

Tun Min Lat climbs a bamboo ladder in the longan orchards of eastern Thailand, moving from tree to tree as he plucks the juicy tropical fruit in the sweltering heat of a November morning. For the first time in the nearly two decades he has lived in Thailand, the 42-year-old Myanmar refugee is able to work legally.

Fire hits Petrocedeno crude project in Venezuela, sources, media say

A fire erupted on Wednesday at an oil project in Venezuela's eastern region where the crude upgrader Petrocedeno operates, according to local media and sources from state company PDVSA. Crude upgraders along the Orinoco Belt, Venezuela's main oil producing region, are key to turning the country's extra heavy crude output into exportable grades.

Far-right uptick in Spain raises spectre of Franco 50 years after his death

A spike in support for Spain's far right is reviving memories of late dictator Francisco Franco and burnishing his legacy among disaffected young Spaniards, even as the left-wing government seeks to eradicate symbols of the fascist past. AI-generated clips of Franco railing against modern ills proliferate on social media along with revisionist history lessons and nightclubs playing techno remixes of Spain's fascist-era anthem.

Turkey set to host COP31 climate summit as deal with Australia takes shape

Turkey would host next year's UN climate summit while Australia would lead the conference's negotiations among governments, under a compromise deal that three sources familiar with the matter said was taking shape in talks on Thursday. Australia and Turkey both submitted bids in 2022 to host the annual COP, or Conference of the Parties, the world's main forum for driving climate action.

Lithuania to reopen Belarus border after balloon incidents

Lithuania will reopen its border crossings with Belarus, ending a closure imposed in response to airspace disruptions by smugglers' balloons, the Baltic republic said on Wednesday. The two border crossings are due to reopen on Thursday, the prime minister's spokesperson said.

Saudi crown prince hosted at friendlier US Congress

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with members of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, on the second day of a visit to Washington that has aimed to tout stronger-than-ever economic and security ties while brushing off scrutiny of his human rights record. President Donald Trump gave bin Salman a lavish welcome at the White House on Tuesday and defended him over the 2018 killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents, which U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded the crown prince approved.

Top Italian court approves handover of Ukrainian Nord Stream suspect to Germany

Italy's top court has approved the handover to Germany of a Ukrainian man suspected of coordinating the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipeline, his lawyer Nicola Canestrini said on Wednesday. The suspect, identified only as Serhii K. under German privacy laws, has been fighting attempts to transfer him to Germany since he was detained on a European arrest warrant in the Italian town of Rimini in August.

Germany will not reach defence spending target of 3.5% in 2029

Germany will not hit its own 3.5% defence spending target in 2029, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Wednesday, as the country ramps up spending in the wake of Russia's war with Ukraine. Germany's defence spending will only be 3.05% of gross domestic product that year, Pistorius said in Munich.

Exclusive-Ukraine expected to give up land, some arms under US peace plan, sources say

The U.S. has signalled to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that Ukraine must accept a U.S.-drafted framework to end the war with Russia that proposes Kyiv giving up territory and some weapons, two people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. The sources, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter, said the proposals included cutting the size of Ukraine's armed forces, among other things. Washington wants Kyiv to accept the main points, they said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)