Reuters World News Summary

The Cockroach Janta Party has amassed nearly 15 million followers on Instagram in less than a week, compared with fewer than 9 million for Prime Minister Narendra ⁠Modi’s BJP, which says it is the world's largest political party. Israeli fire kills boy in Gaza as witnesses report increase in orders to flee An Israeli drone strike killed a 13-year-old boy in the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday, health officials said, as residents reported a renewed pattern of Israeli warnings urging people to flee ahead of attacks — a practice that had largely subsided after an October ceasefire.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Ebola case confirmed in rebel-held Congo area far from outbreak's epicentre

A case of Ebola has been confirmed in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's South Kivu province - hundreds of kilometres from the outbreak's epicentre - the rebel alliance that controls the area said on Thursday. The case in a rural area near the provincial capital of Bukavu marks an expansion ​of an outbreak that experts believe circulated for around two months in Ituri province, several hundred kilometres to the north, before being detected last week.

Kremlin dismisses report that China covertly trained Russian soldiers for Ukraine

The Kremlin on Thursday dismissed as false a Reuters ​report that China's army secretly trained about 200 Russian soldiers in China late last year, some of whom went on to fight in Ukraine. A Russian-Chinese agreement from July ‌2025 reviewed by Reuters said ​about 200 Russian troops would be trained at military facilities in locations including Beijing and the eastern city of Nanjing.

Germany's Merz pitches 'associate' EU membership for Ukraine

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has proposed giving Ukraine a direct role in European Union structures as an interim step to EU membership that he said could help facilitate a deal to end the war triggered by Russia’s invasion. In a letter to EU leaders seen by Reuters, Merz suggested Ukraine could be granted a new status of “associate member” that would allow Ukrainian officials to take part in EU summits and ministerial meetings – but not vote in them.

Trump administration pressures Palestinian UN envoy to drop General Assembly vice presidency bid

President Donald Trump's administration threatened to revoke the visas of the Palestinian delegation to the United Nations if the Palestinian ambassador refuses to end his candidacy for the vice presidency of the ‌U.N. General Assembly, according to an internal State Department cable seen by Reuters. In a cable dated Wednesday, U.S. diplomats in its embassy in Jerusalem are instructed to deliver the message that Palestinian ambassador to the U.N. Riyad Mansour's general assembly bid "fuels tensions", risks to undermine Trump's Gaza peace plan and would therefore face consequences from Washington if it went ahead.

Exclusive-Supreme Leader says enriched uranium must stay in Iran, Iranian sources say

Iran's Supreme Leader has issued a directive that the country's near-weapons-grade uranium should not be sent abroad, two senior Iranian sources said, hardening Tehran's stance on one of the main U.S. demands at peace talks. Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei's order could further frustrate U.S. President Donald Trump and complicate talks on ending the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

Iran rebuilding military industrial base faster than expected, CNN reports

Iran has already restarted some of its drone production during the six-week ceasefire that began in early April, CNN reported on Thursday, citing two sources familiar with U.S. intelligence assessments. US intelligence indicates Iran’s military is rebuilding much faster than initially estimated, the report added, citing four sources.

Russia flexes nuclear muscles as tensions rise with NATO

Russia on Thursday delivered nuclear munitions to field facilities in Belarus and showcased elements of its strategic nuclear forces, ‌as tensions with European NATO members rose over the Ukraine war and drone activity in the Baltic. Moscow is conducting some of its biggest nuclear exercises in years, involving 64,000 people to drill its forces in "the preparation and use of nuclear forces in the event of aggression".

Queen pushed for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's appointment as trade envoy, documents show

Queen Elizabeth pressed for her son Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to be made a government trade envoy back in 2000, according to documents released on Thursday. Mountbatten-Windsor, brother of King Charles, served as the UK's Special Representative for International Trade ‌and Investment between 2001 to 2011 in a role that allowed him to travel the world meeting senior business and government figures in the unpaid role.

Cyprus vote tests establishment as corruption drives support for newcomers

Cyprus votes on Sunday in parliamentary elections which could reshape the island's political landscape, as frustration over corruption and the rising cost of living boosts support for political newcomers. Although executive power in Cyprus rests with the presidency, a stronger showing for political outsiders could fragment the parliament and complicate efforts to support government initiatives.

Sons laud security guard dad in San Diego who saved children from mosque attackers

The sons of a security guard killed while protecting children at the Islamic Center of San Diego remembered their father as a hero who died as he lived - putting others first. Police say Amin Abdullah, 51, a security guard at the largest mosque in San Diego County, sacrificed his life to keep 140 children inside the mosque school safe by engaging two gunmen in a shootout and transmitting the radio call that activated a security lockdown. Mosque elder Mansour Kaziha, 78, and Uber driver Nadir Awad, 57, a neighbor whose wife is a teacher at the mosque school, were also shot and killed in what is being investigated as a hate crime.

India's 'Cockroach' group goes viral, spotlights Gen Z worries

A five-day-old group that channels Gen Z concerns has gone viral in India, overtaking Instagram followers of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, discussing issues like politics, inflation ⁠and unemployment - with a touch of ​humour. The Cockroach Janta Party has amassed nearly 15 million followers on Instagram in less than a week, compared with fewer than 9 million for Prime Minister Narendra ⁠Modi’s BJP, which says it is the world's largest political party.

Israeli fire kills boy in Gaza as witnesses report increase in orders to flee

An Israeli drone strike killed a 13-year-old boy in the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday, health officials said, as residents reported a renewed pattern of Israeli warnings urging people to flee ahead of attacks — a practice that had largely subsided after an October ceasefire. Medics said the boy was killed and others wounded when an Israeli drone dropped a grenade in the town of Beit Lahiya.

Lebanese bury victims of deadliest Israeli strike since ceasefire

Mourners gathered in a southern Lebanese town on Thursday to bury victims from an Israeli airstrike earlier this week that killed 14 people, ⁠the deadliest single bombing raid on Lebanon since the announcement of a tenuous ceasefire last month. The toll from Israel's strike on the town of Deir Qanoun En-Nahr on Tuesday included four children and three women, according to Lebanon's health ministry.

Record 274 climbers scale Mount Everest in a single day from Nepali side

A record number of 274 climbers scaled Mount Everest on Wednesday, a hiking official said, the highest number ever to reach the world's tallest peak on the same day from the Nepali side. The 8,849-metre (29,032 feet) Everest straddles the border between Nepal and the Tibet region of China and can be climbed from both sides.

Mediator Pakistan pushes to get US-Iran ​peace talks on track

Pakistan stepped up diplomacy on Thursday to hasten U.S. and Iran peace talks as Tehran hardened its stance on the nuclear issue and U.S. President Donald Trump threatened new strikes if he did not receive the "right answers." Six weeks since a fragile ceasefire took effect, talks to end the war have made little progress, while soaring oil prices are stoking inflation and straining the global economy.

Global outrage mounts after Israeli minister taunts Gaza flotilla activists

Western governments voiced outrage on Thursday after Israel’s far-right security ⁠minister posted a video of himself taunting Gaza-bound flotilla activists being pinned to the ground, with two later alleging they were physically assaulted in detention. The activists' treatment by police officers under the direction of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also drew a rebuke from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and from the United States, Israel's staunchest ally.

Philippines vows to arrest fugitive senator wanted by ICC 'without delay'

The Philippines' National Bureau of Investigation said on Thursday it would apprehend a top politician wanted by the International Criminal Court "without delay", a day after a court rejected his petition seeking to block his arrest. The justice minister earlier on Thursday gave the green light for law enforcement agencies to arrest Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, the former police chief accused of crimes ⁠against humanity in ​his role as top enforcer of ex-President Rodrigo Duterte's bloody "war on drugs".

Fishing boats worldwide tuck dockside as diesel prices surge on Iran war

Captain Chris Welch of Kennebunk, Maine, is catching fewer lobsters this spring because spiking diesel prices have made it too costly to take out his fishing boat as often as he normally would. Instead of checking and re-baiting his traps every four or five days to collect the valuable crustaceans, he's doing so every seven to 10 days to conserve fuel.

Finland's massive bomb shelters draw world to Helsinki in quest for security

Visiting mayors from Ukrainian cities took pictures inside an enormous cave carved in the bedrock below the Finnish capital, taking in the size and the possibilities of a space that can accommodate 6,000 people. They are among around 800 foreign delegations who have visited Helsinki's Merihaka civil shelter - the biggest of the country's dual-use shelters and now a major shop window for Finnish companies looking to export to buyers concerned about the war in Ukraine and, increasingly, the conflict with Iran.

Disney sends Baby Yoda to bring 'Star Wars' fans to theaters

"The Mandalorian and Grogu," the first "Star Wars" movie in seven years, heads to theaters this ⁠weekend as Walt Disney bets on the charm of Baby Yoda to re-energize the film franchise. Disney put the "Star Wars" movies on hiatus following 2019's "The Rise of Skywalker" after executives concluded they had released too many films in a short period. That same year, the "Star Wars" TV show "The Mandalorian" became a hit on the Disney+ streaming service.

Georgia jails opposition figure who urged 'peaceful revolution' for 2-1/2 years

A court in Georgia sentenced a senior opposition figure to 2-1/2 years in prison on Thursday on charges of sabotage and inciting a coup ⁠at local elections last year, the Interpress news agency reported. Levan Khabeishvili, a former chair of the United National Movement (UNM), one of the South Caucasus country's largest opposition groups, was ⁠arrested last September after he repeatedly urged Georgians to take to the streets in a "peaceful revolution" on the day of municipal elections.

India, Africa Union postpone New Delhi summit amid Ebola outbreak

India and the African Union (AU) have decided to postpone the India-Africa Forum Summit scheduled to be held next week in New Delhi, due to the "emerging public health situation" in Africa, India's foreign ministry said on Thursday, in an apparent reference to the Ebola outbreak. Here are some details.

Building collapse kills at least 4 people in Morocco's Fez, state media

At least four people were killed and six others injured when a four-storey building collapsed overnight in the Moroccan city of Fez, about 200 kilometres (124 miles) east of Rabat, local authorities said on Thursday. State media 2M had said 11 people were killed before issuing an official correction.

Families weigh moves with gender-affirming care access under assault in ‌US

Confronted with Trump Administration threats to gender-affirming care for young transgender people, American families are weighing moves ‌out of their states to gain access to needed healthcare, according to doctors, patients, policy experts and advocacy groups. Upon taking office for the second time, President Donald Trump issued an executive order aimed at limiting access to gender-affirming care for patients under age 19, building on legislation or rules in 27 ​mostly Republican-led states that restrict such care. The order has been temporarily blocked by a judge but the administration continues to push new bans.