Reuters World News Summary

The funds in question were originally slated to be distributed by the U.S. Agency for International ‍Development 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. Iran president says Trump, Netanyahu, Europe stirred tensions in protests Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Saturday that U.S., Israeli and European leaders had exploited Iran's economic problems, incited unrest and provided people with the means to "tear the nation apart” in recent protests.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

We can't ignore China, says UK's Starmer after Trump criticises trade push

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Friday it would be foolish for Britain not to engage with China, rejecting an assertion from U.S. President Donald Trump that it was dangerous to get into business with Beijing. Starmer is the latest Western leader to visit China seeking an economic and geopolitical hedge against Trump's unpredictability, angering the U.S. leader. Last week, Trump threatened to impose tariffs on Canada after Prime Minister Mark Carney struck economic deals with Beijing.

Commerce Secretary Lutnick planned lunch on Epstein's island, new release shows

The U.S. Justice Department on Friday published millions of new files related to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, including emails that showed Howard Lutnick, President Donald Trump's commerce secretary, apparently visited Epstein's private island for lunch years after he claimed ‌to have cut off ties. In another set of emails, billionaire and former Trump adviser Elon Musk asked whether Epstein was planning any parties but declined an invitation to visit the island.

Thousands marched for democracy in Myanmar. Some died in prison

Shwe Theingi was instantly drawn to Wutt Yee Aung when they met at the start of their second year at Myanmar's Dagon University in 2019. The 19-year-old zoology major stood out with her boyish clothes, short hair and a friendly but outspoken personality, Shwe Theingi said. The two young women, who were active in the student union, quickly became friends.

Mexico seeks to avoid US tariffs on states shipping oil to Cuba

Mexico will seek diplomatic solutions and alternatives to help Cuba, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Friday, after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing tariffs on countries supplying the Caribbean island with oil. The White House executive order ⁠on Thursday could prove devastating for Cuba, while also backing Mexico into a tight corner as one of its last remaining oil suppliers.

UN says Houthi seizure of telecom gear threatens Yemen aid

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi paramilitary has removed critical telecommunications equipment belonging to the U.N., the global body said on Friday, warning that further restrictions on its work would fuel a worsening humanitarian crisis The Houthis, who control areas in north Yemen, entered at least six unstaffed U.N. offices in the capital Sanaa and took telecommunications equipment and several vehicles to an unknown location, the U.N.'s Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen Julien Harneis said in a statement.

China conducts naval, air patrols around disputed South China Sea shoal

China conducted naval and air patrols around the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea on Saturday, the China Southern Theater Command said. The shoal is in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone, but China also claims it as part of its territory.

US Justice Dept opens civil rights probe into Alex Pretti shooting, official says

The U.S. Justice Department has started a civil rights investigation into the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis, a senior official said on Friday. The department's investigation could potentially lead to criminal charges against the officers ​involved, though there is a high legal bar to bring such a case.

Modi ally proposes social media ban for India's teens as global debate grows

An ally of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has proposed a bill to ban social media for children, as the world's biggest market for Meta and YouTube joins a global debate on the impact of social media on young people's health and safety. "Not only are our children becoming addicted to social media, but India is also one of the world's largest producers of data for foreign platforms," lawmaker L.S.K. ‍Devarayalu told Reuters on Friday.

Exclusive-US slows transfers of Islamic State detainees to Iraq, sources say

Transfers of Islamic State detainees from Syria to Iraq by the U.S. military have slowed this week, seven sources familiar with the matter said, following calls by Baghdad for other countries to repatriate thousands of foreign jihadists. The U.S. military said on January 21 it had started to transfer the detainees. Its announcement followed the rapid collapse of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in northeast Syria, which caused uncertainty about the security of prisons and detention camps they were guarding.

Ukraine and Moldova hit by blackouts from grid malfunction

Parts of Ukraine and Moldova, including the capitals of both neighbouring countries, were plunged into blackouts on Saturday caused by malfunctions to high-voltage power lines, officials said. Officials did not directly link the blackouts to war damage, although Ukraine's power grid has suffered from the accumulated impact of months of air strikes leading to severe restrictions on electricity supplies in recent weeks. Ukraine's digital ministry also said a cyberattack was not to blame.

Tunisia extends state of emergency by 11 months until Dec 31

Tunisian President Kais Saied has extended a long-running state of emergency by 11 months until December 31, the official gazette showed on Friday. The North African country has been under a state of emergency since 2015 after an attack in which several presidential guards were killed.

More than 200 killed in coltan mine collapse in east Congo, official says

More than 200 people were killed this week in ⁠a collapse at the Rubaya coltan mine ‌in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Lumumba Kambere Muyisa, spokesperson for the rebel-appointed governor of the province where the mine is located, told Reuters on Friday. Rubaya produces ⁠around 15% of the world's coltan, which is processed into tantalum, a heat-resistant metal that is in high demand by makers of mobile phones, computers, aerospace components and gas turbines. The site, where locals dig manually for a few dollars per day, has been under the control of the AFC/M23 rebel group since 2024.

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 previously pledged for 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 be distributed by the U.S. Agency for International ‍Development 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.

Iran president says Trump, Netanyahu, Europe stirred tensions in protests

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Saturday that U.S., Israeli and European leaders had exploited Iran's economic problems, incited unrest and provided people with the means to "tear the nation apart" in recent protests. The two-week long nationwide protests, which began in late December over an economic crisis marked by soaring inflation and rising living costs, have abated after a bloody crackdown by the clerical authorities that U.S.-based rights group HRANA says has killed at least 6,563, including 6,170 protesters ​and 214 security forces.

Thousands demonstrate in Minnesota and across US to protest ICE

Thousands of protesters took to the streets in Minneapolis and students across the United States staged walkouts on Friday to demand the withdrawal of federal immigration agents from Minnesota following the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens. Students and teachers abandoned classes from California to New York on a national day of protest, which came amid mixed messages from the Trump administration about whether it would de-escalate Operation Metro Surge.

Russia, Ukraine halt energy strikes, but differences emerge on moratorium

Russia and ⁠Ukraine said on Friday they had halted strikes on each other's energy infrastructure but differences emerged over the timeframe for the moratorium and there was uncertainty about the next step in talks to end the nearly four-year-old war. The Kremlin said it had agreed to U.S. President Donald Trump's request to halt strikes on energy targets, which have knocked out power and heating to hundreds of Kyiv apartment buildings. But spokesman Dmitry Peskov indicated the measure would end on Sunday.

US imposes sanctions on Iran's interior minister, businessman

The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni and a businessman it said helped launder money for Tehran, as President Donald Trump's administration ramps up pressure on the Islamic Republic. The Department of the Treasury, announcing the move, said Momeni was responsible ⁠for a brutal security crackdown in Iran this month as he oversees law enforcement forces it said were responsible for the deaths of thousands of peaceful protesters.

Venezuela plans amnesty law for prisoners, vows to convert major prison center

Venezuela's interim president Delcy Rodriguez on Friday announced a proposed "amnesty law" for hundreds of prisoners in the country, and said the infamous Helicoide detention center in the capital Caracas will be converted into a center for sports and social services. "May it be a law that serves to heal the wounds left by political confrontation, violence, and extremism. May it serve to restore justice in our country and restore peaceful coexistence among Venezuelans," Rodriguez said at an event at the Supreme Court of Justice.

Polish officials blame Russian domestic spy agency for Dec 29 cyberattacks

Russia's domestic spy agency was likely responsible for cyberattacks late last month on 30 Polish renewable energy facilities, a manufacturing firm and a plant supplying heat for nearly 500,000 customers, Polish officials said on Friday. A report by Poland's Computer Emergency Response Team on the incident - which a Polish minister said was the worst of its kind in years - pointed to a team of hackers from Russia's Federal Security Service, known ⁠by its Russian acronym FSB.

China's corruption watchdog probing emergency management minister

China's minister of emergency management, Wang Xiangxi, is being investigated for suspected "serious violations of discipline and law," a common euphemism for corruption, the anti-graft watchdog said on Saturday as a purge of senior officials continues. The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection did not provide details in its statement on Wang, a Communist Party secretary. It is relatively rare for a sitting minister to undergo investigation.

Rohingya survivors expect UN's highest court to find Myanmar committed genocide

Rohingya survivors of the 2017 military crackdown in Myanmar expect the ⁠International Court of Justice, the United Nations' highest court, to rule the country committed genocide against them, they said on Friday. A judgment is expected in three-to-six months' time following ‌three weeks of hearings at the court in the Hague that is also known as the World Court.

Islamic State claims deadly attack on airport in Niger capital

Islamic State claimed responsibility for an attack on the airport in Niger's capital Niamey in a statement on Friday, according to SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks jihadist activity and communications worldwide. The Islamic State affiliate in the region has been linked to high-profile attacks in Niger in recent months, killing over 120 people in the Tillaberi region in September and abducting an American pilot in October.

Putin praises Russian military exports despite Western pressure

President Vladimir Putin praised the export record of Russia's military industries on Friday, saying it had expanded its markets and prospects, particularly in Africa, despite Western pressure. "Russian production of military goods was supplied last year to more than 30 countries and the amount of foreign exchange earnings exceeded $15 billion," Putin ⁠told a meeting on military-technical cooperation in the Kremlin in a pool video.

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.)