Reuters World News Summary

Courts have consistently sided with news organizations, rejecting Trump’s defamation lawsuits and blocking efforts by his administration to limit ​press access or defund public media, citing the robust free-speech protections guaranteed by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Two Jewish Londoners stabbed in 'appalling' attack Two Jewish people were stabbed in north London on Wednesday by a man who ran down a street trying to stab ​Jews, a local security group said, the latest in a spate of antisemitic attacks which Prime Minister Keir Starmer called "utterly appalling".

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Analysis-Trump’s court setbacks fail to blunt his campaign against media

President Donald Trump has suffered a string of courtroom setbacks in his battles with the American media, but the rulings have done little to blunt a broader campaign of pressure and retaliation that extends beyond the press. Courts have consistently sided with news organizations, rejecting Trump’s defamation lawsuits and blocking efforts by his administration to limit ​press access or defund public media, citing the robust free-speech protections guaranteed by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

Two Jewish Londoners stabbed in 'appalling' attack

Two Jewish people were stabbed in north London on Wednesday by a man who ran down a street trying to stab ​Jews, a local security group said, the latest in a spate of antisemitic attacks which Prime Minister Keir Starmer called "utterly appalling". The Jewish security group, Shomrim, said on X that a man was ‌seen running with a ​knife in the Jewish area of Golders Green and attempting to stab Jewish members of the public, before its officers detained him. He was arrested by police.

Russia says it's scaling down WW2 victory parade due to Ukrainian threat

Russia will hold a slimmed-down version of its annual parade to celebrate victory in World War Two, without the usual display of weaponry, the Kremlin said on Wednesday, citing an increased threat of Ukrainian attacks. The May 9 parade on Moscow's Red Square is a highlight of the Russian calendar, commemorating victory over Nazi Germany in a conflict in which the Soviet Union - of which both Russia and Ukraine were part - lost 27 million people.

Mugabe's son given fine and to be deported from South Africa for pointing a toy gun

A South African court on Wednesday ordered the youngest son of Zimbabwe's former president Robert Mugabe to pay a large fine and said he would be deported for pointing a ‌toy gun at someone and breaking immigration laws. Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, believed to be in his late 20s, and another man were arrested in February after a worker was shot and wounded at a mansion in Johannesburg where Mugabe was staying.

King Charles to visit New York to commemorate 9/11 victims

Britain's King Charles and his wife Queen Camilla arrive in New York on Wednesday to commemorate victims of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks on the city, part of a four-day state visit to the U.S. The king and queen's scheduled arrival in New York follows a packed day in Washington on Tuesday, when Charles delivered a speech to the U.S. Congress, held private meetings with President Donald Trump amid tensions between the U.S. and UK over the Iran war, and sat down with leaders of the U.S. tech industry.

Taiwan tops Beijing's agenda for Trump-Xi summit

For 23 million Taiwanese, the most consequential diplomatic meeting of 2026 may be one to which they are not invited. When U.S. President Donald Trump travels to Beijing next month, his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping has made clear that Taiwan will sit at the top of his agenda, a stark departure from their South Korea meeting last year, where he deliberately set the issue aside.

Supreme Court examines Trump's move against Haitian and Syrian immigrants

The U.S. ‌Supreme Court examines on Wednesday moves by President Donald Trump's administration to strip humanitarian protections from hundreds of thousands of Haitian and Syrian immigrants, part of his signature immigration crackdown. The justices will hear arguments in the administration's appeals of rulings by federal judges in New York and Washington, D.C., halting its actions to terminate Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, previously provided by the U.S. government to more than 350,000 people from Haiti and 6,100 from Syria.

China again touts benefits of union with Taiwan, Taipei rebuffs

Taiwan's economy would gain see unprecedented opportunities if it unites with China, Beijing said on Wednesday, stepping ‌up a campaign to persuade Taipei to accept its rule, which President Lai Ching-te's government has repeatedly rejected. China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its territory, has since late last year attempted to convince the island of the benefits of a "peaceful reunification," though Beijing has also refused to renounce the use of force.

Four killed, 70 wounded in mortar, rocket attacks by Pakistan, Afghan Taliban says

Mortar and rocket attacks launched by Pakistan against Afghanistan killed four people on Monday and wounded 70 more, the Taliban government said, as fighting between the countries erupted again and threatened to derail fragile peace talks. Pakistan's government dismissed the reports as "continuous propaganda".

Russia to mark war anniversary with parade, but no equipment

Russia will mark victory over Nazi Germany next month with a military parade on Moscow's Red Square, but with no military equipment displayed in view of the operational situation in the war in Ukraine, the Defence Ministry said late on Tuesday. The parade, traditionally held on May 9, the day the Soviet Union signed Germany's surrender, will this year mark the 81st anniversary of victory in what Russians call the Great Patriotic War.

US judge to weigh preservation groups' bid to stop Trump's Kennedy Center overhaul

A coalition of historic preservation and architecture groups will ask a judge on Wednesday to halt plans by President Donald Trump’s administration for a major renovation of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, marking the latest clash over Trump’s legal authority to reshape Washington. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper in Washington will hold a hearing at 10 a.m. Eastern Time (1400 GMT) to consider ⁠issuing a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit ​filed in March by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the American Institute of Architects and six other groups.

HIV patients in Senegal skip treatment, fearing arrest amid anti-LGBTQ crackdown

Fewer ⁠patients are visiting some HIV treatment centres in Senegal amid a wave of arrests targeting LGBTQ people, according to health officials and government data seen by Reuters, threatening the country's fight against the virus. Last month, Senegal, where homosexuality is illegal, doubled the maximum prison term for same-sex sexual acts to 10 years and criminalised what it described as any efforts to promote it. The country also increased the maximum fine to 10 million CFA francs ($18,000).

EU urges fast rollout of age-verification app to protect minors online

The European Commission on Wednesday urged member states to quickly adopt its new age verification app to protect minors from harmful content online, and to make sure the technology is available everywhere before the end of the year. The call followed the EU's announcement earlier ⁠this month that the app was ready, amid a broader push by member states to limit children's access to social media.

Nigerian troops kill 18 militants in northeast operations, military says

Nigerian troops killed at least 18 Islamist militants and destroyed several insurgent enclaves in coordinated operations across Borno state, the military said on Wednesday, as security forces intensify pressure on Islamist groups in the northeast. Borno, which is roughly the same size as Ireland, has endured an insurgency waged by Boko Haram and its splinter group Islamic State West Africa Province for 17 years that has killed thousands and displaced 2 million people.

Russia to remain in OPEC+, hopes UAE exit does not spell end of group

Russia plans to stay in ​OPEC+ despite a decision by the United Arab Emirates to leave, the Kremlin said on Wednesday, voicing hopes the alliance of oil producers would continue to operate amid turmoil in the global energy market. The UAE said on Tuesday it would quit the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, dealing a blow to the group as an energy crisis triggered by the Iran war has exposed rifts among Gulf nations.

Explainer-What is 'Taiwan independence' and is Taiwan already independent?

U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet in Beijing next month for a summit where ⁠China is likely to try and make the issue of "Taiwan independence" a major part of the agenda. Below are some questions and answers about what is meant by the term "Taiwan independence".

Mystery figure paid men to carry out arson attacks linked to UK PM Starmer, London court told

Three men with links to Ukraine carried out a series of arson attacks on property connected to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on behalf of a mystery figure known as "El Money", prosecutors told a London court on Wednesday. Over five days last May, police were called to fires at a house in north London connected to Starmer, another at a property nearby where he used to live, and to a blaze involving a Toyota car that also used to belong to the British leader.

Mali leader says situation under control in ⁠first ​speech since attacks

The leader of Mali's military government, Assimi Goita, on Tuesday made his first public appearance since insurgents launched coordinated attacks over the weekend, vowing in a televised address to "neutralize" those responsible. West Africa's al Qaeda affiliate and a Tuareg-dominated separatist group hit Mali's main army base and the area near Bamako's airport in the attacks on Saturday, while also pushing Russian troops supporting government forces out of the strategic town of Kidal in the north.

Erdogan rejects criticism of Turkey's peace efforts with Kurdish militants

President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that the peace process aimed at ending Turkey's decades-long conflict with Kurdish militants was progressing in a "positive atmosphere", after criticism from pro-Kurdish lawmakers. Speaking in parliament, Erdogan said recent steps had brought the process to a more sensitive stage following the approval of a parliamentary commission report outlining a roadmap for legal reforms alongside the disbandment of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Lebanese soldier and brother killed in Israeli strike, Lebanon army says

A Lebanese soldier and his brother were killed in an Israeli strike in Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese army said on Wednesday. It said the pair were on a motorcycle, travelling from the soldier's post to his home when the strike occurred.

Octogenarian Athens shooter acted in 'protest and despair', lawyer says

An 89-year-old gunman arrested for ⁠wounding five people in two shootings in Athens on Tuesday acted in "protest and despair" against Greek public services, his lawyer said on Wednesday. The man opened fire with a shotgun at a branch of Greece’s EFKA social security agency, wounding an employee in the leg before travelling by taxi to a court building where he fired several more shots, lightly wounding four female court clerks.

Ukraine says it hits Russian oil pumping station 1,500 km away

Ukraine struck what it said was an oil pumping station 1,500 km (900 miles) into Russia near the Ural Mountains with drones overnight, and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy ⁠said Kyiv would keep increasing the range of its strikes. Kyiv has stepped up its attacks inside Russia in recent weeks, aiming to knock out oil refineries, depots and ports and ⁠cripple Moscow's biggest source of funding for its war in Ukraine, as global prices have risen due to the Iran war.

Analysis-Drone diplomacy wins Ukraine valuable allies, but now it must deliver

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has leveraged Ukraine's expertise in drone warfare into a series of successful diplomatic deals during visits to the Middle East and Europe, showcasing how Kyiv is using military prowess to boost its diplomatic clout. Since Russia's invasion in 2022, Zelenskiy has sought to strengthen Kyiv's alliances, both with Western allies and with countries of the "global south", to restrict Russia's diplomatic sway.

UAE reviewing multilateral ties after OPEC exit but rules out more departures, official says

The United Arab Emirates is reassessing its role and contributions across multilateral organisations but is not considering any further withdrawals at this time, a UAE official told Reuters on Wednesday, a day after Abu Dhabi announced its withdrawal from OPEC. The Emirati official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the ‌country is reviewing the utility of its membership in multilateral organizations broadly.

Trump urges Iran to sign a deal after ‌report suggests US may extend blockade

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday urged Iran to 'get smart soon' and sign a deal, following days of deadlock in efforts to end the conflict and a media report that the U.S. would extend its blockade of Iran's ports. In a post on Truth Social, Trump, who has said Iran ​can call if it wants to talk and has stressed repeatedly Tehran cannot have a nuclear weapon, said the country 'couldn't get its act together.'