Reuters World News Summary

Trump said on Thursday that Putin had agreed to refrain from firing on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities for a week because of cold weather, but did not say when that period would expire. German commuter transport faces 'standstill' on Monday amid call for strike German bus and commuter rail services will likely grind to a halt across the country as the main public services trade union called for an almost nationwide strike in a dispute with municipal and state employers over work conditions.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Patagonia wildfires stir criticism over Milei austerity cuts

Patagonia forest fires have destroyed an area more than twice the size of Buenos Aires, stirring criticism over austerity measures under President Javier Milei that have significantly cut aid resources. On Thursday, the government said it would declare an emergency in the southern provinces of Chubut, Rio Negro, Neuquen and La Pampa to help unlock funds.

Trump warns Britain on China ties as Starmer hails progress in Beijing

U.S. President Donald Trump said it was dangerous for Britain to be getting into business with Beijing, as Prime Minister Keir Starmer lauded the economic benefits of resetting relations with China during a visit there on Friday. As Western leaders reel from Trump's unpredictability, Starmer is the latest to head to China.

Factbox-Trump reshapes US historical and cultural institutions

President Donald Trump has targeted U.S. cultural and historical institutions - from museums to monuments to national parks - to remove what he calls "anti-American" ideology. His declarations ‌and executive orders have led to the dismantling of slavery exhibits, the restoration of Confederate statues and other moves that civil rights advocates say could reverse decades of social progress.

Thailand's reformist Natthaphong is frontrunner ahead of February vote, polls show

Thailand's progressive People's Party leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut continued to lead opinion polls on Friday, highlighting the stiff challenge facing Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul's bid to stay in power ahead of elections on February 8. February's vote has settled into a three-way race between Anutin's conservative Bhumjaithai Party, the former ruling Pheu Thai Party and the reformist People's Party.

US changes leadership of Gaza mission amid uncertainty over role

The U.S. military and civilian leaders of Washington's flagship mission for Gaza are stepping aside and their replacements have yet to be made public, diplomats said, as European countries rethink their presence in the initiative to shape post-war Gaza. The top military officer at the Civil-Military Command Center, a three-star lieutenant general, is expected to be replaced by a U.S. commander ⁠of a lower rank, while the top civilian has returned to his job as U.S. ambassador to Yemen.

Iran prepared for 'fair' talks with US but not on defence capabilities, Araqchi says

Iran is prepared for the resumption of talks with the United States, but they should be fair and not include Iran's defence capabilities, Iran's chief diplomat said on Friday, as regional powers work to prevent military conflict between the two foes. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he planned to speak with Iran, even as the U.S. sent another warship to the Middle East and the Pentagon chief said the military would be ready to carry out whatever the president decided.

China to lift restrictions on UK lawmakers, PM Starmer says

China is set to lift restrictions which it had imposed on a group of British lawmakers, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Friday, meaning that they will now be free to travel to China. Starmer made the announcement during his four-day visit to China, the first by a UK leader in eight years, aimed at improving relations despite ongoing concerns over espionage, human rights and other issues.

Explainer-How does Iran's system of power work?

The United States is considering new military strikes against the Islamic Republic of Iran over its deadly suppression of protests this month. The complexities of Iran's ruling system, the ideological nature of its support base, and the power of its Revolutionary Guards ​make it hard to predict its resilience or vulnerability in the face of external attack, or what might come next.

Analysis-Barring last-minute nuclear deal, US and Russia teeter on brink of new arms race

The United States and Russia could embark on an unrestrained nuclear arms race for the first time since the Cold War, unless they reach an eleventh-hour deal before their last remaining arms control treaty expires in less than a week. The New START treaty is set to end on February 5. Without it, there would be no constraints on long-range nuclear arsenals for the first time since Richard Nixon and Soviet leader ‍Leonid Brezhnev signed two historic agreements in 1972 on the first-ever trip by a U.S. president to Moscow.

Kremlin says Putin agreed to halt strikes on Kyiv until February 1

The Kremlin said on Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to a personal request from U.S. President Donald Trump to halt strikes on Kyiv until February 1 to create "favourable conditions" for peace talks. Trump said on Thursday that Putin had agreed to refrain from firing on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities for a week because of cold weather, but did not say when that period would expire.

German commuter transport faces 'standstill' on Monday amid call for strike

German bus and commuter rail services will likely grind to a halt across the country as the main public services trade union called for an almost nationwide strike in a dispute with municipal and state employers over work conditions. "It is safe to assume that public transport will come to a standstill in the affected transport systems," union Verdi said in a statement on Friday, adding that close to 100,000 staff have been called on to walk out.

US energy assistance for Ukraine stalls as winter bites

U.S. and European officials are growing increasingly worried as hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. energy assistance promised to Ukraine remain unreleased, even as a bone-cold winter pushes the nation's war-damaged power grid to the brink, said several sources familiar with the matter. The funds in question were originally slated to help Ukraine import liquefied natural gas and rebuild energy infrastructure damaged by Russian strikes, said the sources, who include a U.S. official and a Ukrainian official. The U.S. Agency for International Development had notified Congress ⁠during former President Joe Biden's administration of ‌its intention to disburse at least some of the funds, said two of the sources, who requested anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

Nationwide protests, walkouts planned over fatal ICE shootings in ⁠Minneapolis

Student organizers have called for walkouts and protests across the United States on Friday to demand that federal immigration agents withdraw from Minnesota, after two fatal shootings of U.S. citizens generated public outrage. The call for a general strike follows last Friday's protests when thousands marched through Minneapolis in the bitter cold, urging an end to President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown in their city.

South Africa kicks out Israel's top diplomat

South Africa declared the top diplomat at Israel's embassy persona non grata on Friday and ordered him out of the country within 72 hours, for what it called repeated violations of diplomatic norms, including insulting President Cyril Ramaphosa. A spokesperson for the Israeli embassy declined to comment.

Israel military reported to accept death toll of around 70,000 in Gaza

Israel's military has accepted that around 70,000 Palestinians were killed during the ‍war in Gaza, after having earlier cast doubt on death tolls reported by the enclave's health officials, Israeli media reported on Friday citing senior military officials. The United Nations has long accepted death tolls recorded by health authorities in Gaza as accurate. Israel has cast doubt on the figures, arguing that the health ministry in the enclave was run by Hamas and could not be trusted.

Russia halts strikes on Kyiv until Sunday at Trump's request, Zelenskiy to reciprocate

Russia has agreed to a request from U.S. President Donald Trump to halt airstrikes on Kyiv until February 1 amid harsh winter temperatures, and Ukraine said it was ready to reciprocate as Washington pushes for a diplomatic solution to end the war. But as the Ukrainian capital braces for another bitterly ​cold spell from Sunday, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday there was no formal truce between the two countries. He added that Russia had shifted to hitting Ukrainian logistics. Russia has bombed Ukraine's roads and railways in recent days.

Sudanese paramilitary force abducting children in Darfur, witnesses say

Paramilitary fighters kidnapped children during their takeover of the Sudanese city of al-Fashir in October and in other attacks in the Darfur region over the course of Sudan's civil war, in some cases killing their parents first, witnesses say. The descriptions, based on Reuters interviews with more than two dozen witnesses, included four ⁠accounts of fighters from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) telling families the children would be used as slaves, to herd animals.

Syrian government, Kurds agree integration deal, US hails 'historic milestone'

The Syrian government and Kurdish-led forces declared a ceasefire deal on Friday that sets out a phased integration of Kurdish fighters into the state, averting a potentially bloody battle and drawing U.S. praise for a "historic milestone". The sides announced the agreement after government forces under President Ahmed al-Sharaa captured swathes of northern and eastern Syria from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) group this month, forcing the Kurdish forces to retreat into a shrinking enclave in the northeast.

Iran to label EU armed forces as 'terrorists' over Guards blacklist

Iran plans to designate the armed forces of European Union countries that have blacklisted the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as "terrorists", according to a post by top Iranian security official Ali Larijani ⁠on X. "Therefore, the consequences will fall on the European countries that undertook such an action," Larijani said.

Analysis-Visit by Britain's Starmer shows drawbacks of 'China pivot' in countering Trump

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's visit to China is the latest win Beijing can tout in its rivalry with Washington, but the deals he brings back to London also show the limits of the balancing act that middle powers may try to play. He follows Canadian counterpart Mark Carney, who struck a trade deal on a similar visit weeks ago, before heading to Davos to herald a new global trade order as U.S. President Donald Trump disrupts long-standing ties with allies.

Exclusive-Early warning of 'Apocalyptic Wasteland' in Gaza blocked by US envoys to Israel

U.S. Agency for International Development staffers in early 2024 drafted a warning to senior officials in Joe Biden's administration: Northern Gaza had turned into an "Apocalyptic Wasteland" with dire shortages of food and medical aid. Three months after the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks and Israel's incursion into the Gaza Strip, the internal message laid out in gruesome detail scenes observed by United Nations staff who visited the area on a two-part humanitarian fact-finding mission in January and February.

Serbian police seizes five tons of cannabis, assault rifles

Serbian police have seized five tons of marijuana, the biggest such catch in the country so far, after ⁠raiding a small agricultural and trade company in a village in central Serbia, Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said late on Thursday. They have arrested two people but one suspect remains at large, he said.

Myanmar election delivers victory for military-backed party amid civil war

Myanmar's military-backed party has completed a sweeping victory in the country's three-phase general election, state media said, cementing an outcome long expected after a tightly controlled political process held during civil war and widespread repression. The Union and Solidarity Party (USDP) dominated all phases of the vote, winning an overwhelming majority in Myanmar's two legislative chambers. It secured 232 of the 263 seats up for grabs ⁠in the lower Pyithu Hluttaw house and 109 of the 157 seats announced so far in the Amyotha Hluttaw upper chamber, according to results released on Thursday and Friday.

Exclusive-European crisis fund worth ‌over $500 billion could be used for defence, says ESM chief

A European crisis fund with more than 430 billion euros ($514 billion) of firepower could lend money to countries for defence, the head of the European Stability Mechanism told Reuters, as the bloc scrambles to reinforce its military. Pierre Gramegna, managing director of the European Stability Mechanism, said the ESM could give credit lines for defence and would not demand stringent economic reform in return, in part to dispel any stigma that might arise from asking the emergency euro zone fund for money.

Ukraine ready to reciprocate if Russia stops energy sector attacks, Zelenskiy says

Ukraine is ready to reciprocate if Russia halts its attacks on the country's energy infrastructure that has plunged the capital Kyiv into cold, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday, adding there was no formal truce between the two countries. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed not to fire on Kyiv for a week ⁠due to cold weather. Temperatures in the Ukrainian capital are forecast to plunge as low as minus 26 degrees Celsius on Sunday.

Gaza's Rafah crossing with Egypt to reopen on Sunday, Israel says

Israel will reopen the Rafah border crossing on Sunday for people to travel between Gaza and Egypt, a government agency said, the first opening of effectively the sole route in or out of the Palestinian territory since May 2024. The Israeli government agency that coordinates civilian ‍policy in Gaza, COGAT, did not say how many of Gaza's more than 2 million people would be allowed to cross the border per day.

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