Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Ukraine's Zelenskiy confirms US announcement of ceasefire, prisoner exchange

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday confirmed a three-day ceasefire had been arranged with Russia as part of U.S. efforts to negotiate an end to the more than four-year-old war. Zelenskiy, writing on Telegram, also said each of the two sides would be exchanging 1,000 prisoners of war, with humanitarian issues remaining a key Ukrainian priority.

Rubio says US ties ​with Church can withstand Trump's criticism of Pope Leo

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday said the United States can have a productive relationship with the Catholic Church despite tensions over President Donald Trump's repeated attacks on Pope Leo. Rubio, who visited the Vatican on Thursday, told reporters on Friday ​before leaving Rome the meeting was "very positive".

WHO reports six confirmed hantavirus cases tied to Spain-bound cruise

The World Health Organization said on Friday that eight people had fallen ill, including three who died, ‌in a hantavirus outbreak linked to ​a cruise ship, with six confirmed cases and two probable cases. Here are some details:

Costa Rica's Laura Fernandez takes office, vowing 'war' on crime

Costa Rica's Laura Fernandez took the oath of office as president on Friday, with the right-wing politician vowing to wage a war on crime in the small Central American nation, long recognized as a bastion of peace and prosperity. Fernandez, 39, promised sweeping reforms to the judiciary and existing security laws to bolster security.

Colombia suspends arrest and extradition warrants for 29 Clan del Golfo leaders

Colombia's government on Friday suspended arrest and extradition warrants against 29 leaders of the Clan del Golfo crime gang, the country's largest illegal armed group, as part of peace talks the government has been holding with the gang, a government official told Reuters. Among those benefiting from the suspension of arrest and extradition warrants is group leader Jobanis de Jesus Avila, better known by his alias Chiquito Malo, sought for extradition by the United States on drug trafficking charges. Colombia was ‌offering a reward of over $1 million for his capture.

Trump releases government UFO files, more expected

At the order of U.S. President Donald Trump, the Defense Department on Friday released dozens of previously classified files on alleged UFO sightings to provide what it called "unprecedented transparency" to the American people, though analysts said many of the documents had already been made public. The disclosure of documents, photos and videos of "unidentified anomalous phenomena" will be followed by future releases as more materials are declassified, the Defense Department said in a statement.

Russia and Ukraine agree on three-day US-mediated ceasefire

Russia and Ukraine confirmed on Friday that they had agreed to a three-day ceasefire announced by U.S. President Donald Trump that will run from May 9 to May 11. Trump's announcement on Truth Social also said each country, locked in more than four years of conflict, would be exchanging 1,000 prisoners of war.

Vietnam adds hundreds of acres in South China Sea island-building

Vietnam has expanded its island building in the South China Sea's disputed Spratly archipelago in the past year, adding 534 acres (216.1 hectares) of land, and has also begun to construct specialized infrastructure there, a U.S. think tank reported. The report on Friday by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies added the following details:

US imposes sanctions on companies it accuses of aiding Iran's weapons sector

The U.S. Treasury on Friday ‌announced sanctions against 10 individuals and companies, including several in China and Hong Kong, over accusations they aided Iran's efforts to secure weapons and the raw materials needed to build its Shahed drones and ballistic missiles. The Treasury move, first reported by Reuters, comes days before U.S. President Donald Trump plans to travel to China for a meeting with President Xi Jinping and as efforts to end the war with Iran have stalled.

North Korean leader Kim calls ties with Russia top priority in Victory Day message to Putin

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Saturday reaffirmed his country's commitment to its mutual defence treaty with ‌Russia, in a message to President Vladimir Putin congratulating Russia on the anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War Two. Kim reiterated North Korea's position to "give top priority" to its partnership with Russia and its commitment to "the implementation of the obligations of the inter-state treaty," according to KCNA.

US arranging repatriation flight for Americans on hantavirus-hit cruise ship

The United States is arranging a repatriation flight to return American passengers on a Dutch cruise ship hit by an outbreak of a deadly strain of hantavirus, the U.S. Department of State said on Friday. "The Department of State is closely tracking the hantavirus outbreak on a Dutch cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean and maintaining close contact with the cruise ship staff, Americans on board, and U.S. and international health authorities," a State Department spokesperson said in a statement.

Palestinian American developer asks US judge to dismiss lawsuit alleging he aided Hamas

A prominent Palestinian-American developer asked a U.S. judge on Friday to throw out a lawsuit accusing him of supporting Hamas through his Gaza projects, arguing it equates participating in Gaza's economy with terrorism. Bashar Masri, who built luxury hotels in Gaza and the Palestinians' first planned city in the West Bank, was sued last year by U.S. families of victims of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks who alleged his Gaza properties concealed tunnels the militant group used to stage its assault.

Denmark's right-wing defence minister to lead government formation talks

The king of Denmark has asked Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen to explore the formation of a potential centre-right government following the breakdown of negotiations among centre-left parties, the royal palace said on Friday. Denmark's March election for parliament resulted in ⁠a fragmented assembly of 12 parties, with ​Social Democratic Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen leading negotiations since then, hoping to secure a third term in office.

Mexico president wavers on plan to cut school year by 40 days for ⁠the World Cup

Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum on Friday appeared to roll back an announcement by her education minister that school holidays will start more than a month sooner than scheduled this summer due to the heat and the World Cup, saying the proposal was not yet final amid outrage from parents' associations. "Many Mexicans love soccer, we’re looking forward to the World Cup, so this proposal was made to bring the holidays forward, but we also have to take into account the children’s school days," Sheinbaum told journalists at her daily morning press conference, adding that "there isn’t a set timeline yet" for the proposed reduction in the academic calendar.

Tehran could withstand blockade for four months, CIA report shows, as fighting flares

Efforts to end the war between the U.S. and Iran appeared to stall as ⁠the two sides traded fire in the Gulf on Friday, while a U.S. intelligence analysis concluded Tehran could withstand a naval blockade for months. A CIA assessment indicated that Iran would not suffer severe economic pressure from a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports for about another four months, according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter, suggesting that U.S. leverage over Tehran remains limited as the two sides seek to end a conflict that has been unpopular with U.S. voters.

Hostages in German bank branch released but suspect at large

At least one suspect is at large after taking hostages and then fleeing the scene at a savings bank branch in the western German town of Sinzig, police said on Friday. The hostages, including one cash transport ​driver, were released and unharmed, police added.

Analysis-A divided kingdom: pro-independence parties surge across Britain

Three of the United Kingdom's four nations are set for the first time to be governed by pro-independence parties after elections on Friday which nationalists said marked the death knell of the centuries-old union. A breakup of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is by no means imminent, and polling showed voters were motivated by factors other than independence, but the outcome is likely to make Britain harder to govern.

US revises UN resolution on Iran but China, Russia still expected to veto

Washington has revised its proposed U.N. ⁠resolution demanding Iran halt attacks and mining in the Strait of Hormuz but the changes are unlikely to avert Chinese and Russian vetoes, diplomats said on Friday. A Chinese veto would be awkward ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's trip to China next week, where the Iran war is likely to be high on the agenda.

UK man denies charge of threatening King Charles' brother Andrew

King Charles' younger brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor will give evidence in an English court in July at the trial of a man charged with using threatening or abusive words against him, a London court was told on Friday. Alex Jenkinson, 39, appeared by video link at London's Westminster Magistrates' Court, where he denied threatening behaviour with intent to cause fear of unlawful violence towards the former prince, who was stripped of his title by the king.

Pope Leo, after Rubio meeting, asks ⁠God to ​inspire leaders to calm tensions

Pope Leo asked that God would inspire world leaders to calm global tensions and reduce hatred in an address to mark his first anniversary as head of the Catholic Church, a day after he met U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Vatican. Leo, who has drawn the ire of U.S. President Donald Trump after criticizing the Iran war, asked worshippers on Friday to pray that global governments would turn away from violence.

Russia's Lavrov tells UAE counterpart of need to support US-Iran talks

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told his United Arab Emirates counterpart on Friday that U.S.-Iran talks needed to be supported to prevent a resumption of hostilities in the Middle East. "The Russian side emphasised the need to focus on supporting the ongoing negotiations between Iran and the USA," a foreign ministry statement said of Lavrov's telephone conversation with Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Russia holds scaled-back WW2 victory parade as worries over war in Ukraine deepen

Russia holds its most scaled-back Victory Day parade in years on Saturday due to the threat of attack from Ukraine, where victory for Moscow's forces has proven elusive more than four years into the deadliest European conflict since World War Two. The May 9 parade on Red Square marks Russia's most revered national holiday - a time to celebrate the Soviet Union's ⁠victory over Nazi Germany and to pay homage to the 27 million Soviet citizens, including many from Ukraine, who perished.

New suspected hantavirus cases found in Spain and remote Tristan da Cunha

Two new suspected cases of hantavirus were reported on Friday, one in Spain and the other on the remote South Atlantic island of Tristan da Cunha, as experts race to contain an outbreak that began on a luxury cruise ship. The announcements in locations thousands of miles apart will fuel concern about a cluster of cases so far associated with three deaths - though the World Health Organization has repeatedly said the risk to the ⁠wider public is low and the virus does not transmit easily.

Argentine authorities say hantavirus patients not likely infected in Tierra del Fuego province

Patients on a luxury cruise ship hit by ⁠a deadly hantavirus outbreak could not have been infected in Argentina's southernmost Tierra del Fuego province, said Juan Petrina, director of epidemiology and environmental health for the province, during a press conference on Friday. Petrina said the conclusion was based on the time frame between the patients' time in the province and the onset of symptoms.

Trump announces three-day ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday announced on social media that there would be a three-day ceasefire in the war between Russia and Ukraine from May 9 until May 11 to mark the end of World War Two for the Russians. Trump had said after a phone call with Putin on April 29 that a temporary ceasefire was in the works. Putin announced a similar truce last year that lasted three days but was not agreed with Kyiv.

Argentina intercepts airplane with 400 kilos of cocaine with DEA help, security head says

Argentina has intercepted an airplane with 400 kilos of cocaine with help ‌from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Argentina's security minister Alejandra Monteoliva told a press conference on Friday.

Starmer vows to fight ‌on after Labour punished in polls across Britain

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed on Friday to stay in office to "deliver change" after his Labour Party suffered heavy losses in English local elections and parliamentary votes in Scotland and Wales, deepening doubts over his ability to govern. Just under two years after winning a landslide national election, Starmer ​saw voters punish his Labour government, with support evaporating even in its traditional strongholds in London, former industrial regions in central and northern England, and in Wales.