Reuters World News Summary

Jansa, seeking a fourth term, secured 51 votes in the 90-seat parliament, ending a political deadlock since a March election produced no outright majority. Exclusive-Trump official tried to ban half of ​US voting machines, citing conspiracy theories U.S. President Donald Trump’s election-security czar last year sought to ban voting machines used in more than half of U.S. states by asking whether the Commerce Department could declare their components national-security risks, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Slovenia approves Jansa as PM-designate, paving way for reforms

Slovenia’s parliament approved right-leaning leader Janez Jansa as prime minister-designate on Friday, paving the way for a new government that has pledged tax reliefs, pro-business reforms and changes to pension funding. Jansa, seeking a fourth term, secured 51 votes in the 90-seat parliament, ending a political deadlock since a March election produced no outright majority.

Exclusive-Trump official tried to ban half of ​US voting machines, citing conspiracy theories

U.S. President Donald Trump’s election-security czar last year sought to ban voting machines used in more than half of U.S. states by asking whether the Commerce Department could declare their components national-security risks, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter. White House adviser Kurt ​Olsen, a lawyer Trump has tasked with proving widely debunked election-rigging conspiracy theories, pushed the plan to target Dominion Voting Systems machines.

Trump call with Taiwan’s Lai not yet planned, sources say

The U.S. ‌and Taiwan have not yet ​made concrete plans for talks between their presidents, four people familiar with the matter said, despite U.S. President Donald Trump's suggestion he might speak soon with Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te about the island’s defenses. A call between the two leaders would be unprecedented and risks roiling Washington’s ties with Beijing, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory. U.S. and Taiwanese presidents have not spoken directly since Washington shifted diplomatic recognition to Beijing from Taipei in 1979.

Bolivia to open 'humanitarian corridors' on Saturday to move supplies through blockades

Bolivia police and armed forces will open "humanitarian corridors" on Saturday in the country's La Paz department in order for supplies to move past blockades, the government said on Friday. Tensions have been high in Bolivia for weeks as protests that began with strikes in early May have grown into a nationwide movement involving labour unions, miners, transport workers and rural groups, raising concerns in Washington.

Western powers press Israel to rein in settlers, halt expansion

Israel must halt the expansion of settlements in the West Bank ‌and curb growing settler violence, seven major Western nations said on Friday, accusing the Israeli government of aggravating tensions in the West Bank. "Over the past few months, the situation in the West Bank has deteriorated significantly," Britain, Italy, France, Germany, Canada, Australia and New Zealand said in a joint statement.

Gabbard resigns as Trump's top US intelligence official

Tulsi Gabbard said on Friday she was resigning from her job as President Donald Trump's director of national intelligence, saying her husband had been diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer and she was leaving her role to help him. Gabbard advised Trump of her intention to step down during an Oval Office meeting on Friday, Fox News Digital reported earlier. The resignation is effective June 30, it said.

Le Pen says France should quit NATO command structure

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen said on Friday she would withdraw France from NATO's integrated military command if elected president next year, a stance dismissed by Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot as "irresponsible". Le Pen, whose 2027 bid hinges on an appeals court ruling later this year, has long said participation in the command structure undermines France's independence and reiterated her position to BFM TV as NATO ministers met in Sweden.

Senegal president sacks PM Sonko, dissolves government after months of friction

Senegal President Bassirou Diomaye Faye sacked Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko on Friday, according to a statement read on state media, a move that risks ‌reigniting political unrest as the West African country grapples with a debt crisis. Faye's decision dissolves the government, dismissing all ministers, according to the statement read by Oumar Samba Ba, secretary general of Faye's office. "The members of the outgoing government are responsible for handling current affairs," Ba added.

Gabbard deputy Lukas will serve as acting director of national intelligence, says Trump

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that Tulsi Gabbard's deputy, Aaron Lukas, would become the acting director of national intelligence after she leaves the administration on June 30. "Tulsi has done an incredible job, and we will miss her," Trump said in a Truth Social post in which he attributed Gabbard's ‌impending departure to the illness of her husband.

Pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil to appeal to US Supreme Court to avoid re-arrest

A lawyer for Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil vowed on Friday to take his case to the U.S. Supreme Court after a federal appeals court declined to reconsider a ruling that opened the door to President Donald Trump's administration re-arresting and deporting the pro-Palestinian activist. The Philadelphia-based 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals split 6-5 along ideological lines to leave in place a ruling holding that U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz lacked jurisdiction when he ordered Khalil's release from immigration detention last year.

Exclusive-Democrats demand Rubio explain visa for wanted former Polish official

Two top U.S. House of Representatives Democrats on Friday asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio to explain whether his top deputy helped expedite a visa that allowed a wanted former Polish cabinet minister to flee to the U.S. from Hungary, evading an extradition request from Polish authorities. If true, "these events and decisions constitute a massive abuse of power and disregard for the legal immigration processes of the United States," Representatives Gregory Meeks and James Raskin wrote in a letter to Rubio that Reuters reviewed.

White House forced top spy Gabbard to resign, source says

The White House forced U.S. intelligence official Tulsi Gabbard to resign from her post, a person familiar with the matter said on Friday. Gabbard posted her resignation letter on X on Friday.

New Zealand unveils defence boost for fleet and drones

New Zealand's government has allocated NZ$1.58 billion ($924.62 million) in new defence funding in its 2026 budget, with a strong focus on maritime security, including drone systems and fleet renewal, Defence Minister Chris Penk said on Saturday. New Zealand's primary maritime combat capability is ⁠delivered through two Anzac-class frigates, HMNZS Te ​Kaha and HMNZS Te Mana, commissioned in 1997 and 1999, respectively, with most ships in the fleet expected to reach the end of their design life by the mid-2030s. The ⁠government in 2025 pledged to double defence spending to nearly 2% within eight years as it works to improve the country's defence capability.

Trump pledges extra troops for Poland as Rubio cautions allies

U.S. President Donald Trump surprised NATO allies by pledging to send an additional 5,000 troops to Poland, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio cautioned alliance ministers that Washington's frustration with some of them would still need to be discussed. "The President's views of, frankly, disappointment at some of our NATO allies and their response to our operations in the Middle East are well documented," Rubio said on Friday at a gathering of NATO foreign ministers in the Swedish town of Helsingborg.

Denmark's centre-right coalition talks break down, prolonging political deadlock

Denmark's acting Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen's attempt to form a centre-right government broke down on Friday, he said, prolonging ⁠a post-election stalemate in the Nordic country's parliament. A March election resulted in a fragmented assembly of 12 parties, with Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen resigning after her Social Democrats remained the largest party but suffered their worst election result since 1903.

France readies UN resolution on Hormuz as vote on US text stalls

France has drafted a U.N. Security Council resolution on setting up an international mission to restore movement in the Strait of Hormuz and could submit it if conditions are right, the foreign ministry said on Friday, as Washington struggles to bring to a vote a text Russia and China may say is biased against Tehran. Control of the narrow waterway, a vital artery for global energy trade whose virtual closure has led to spiralling oil prices, is a major obstacle ​in talks to end the three-month-old U.S.-Iran war.

Four dead, 90 trapped in north China coal mine accident, Xinhua reports

Four people were confirmed dead and 90 remain trapped underground after carbon monoxide levels exceeded limits in a coal mine in Changzhi City of north China's Shanxi Province, state news agency Xinhua reported Saturday. The accident happened late Friday in the Liushenyu coal mine in Changzhi. By early Saturday, 157 of the total 247 workers who were underground had been brought to the surface, including four dead, Xinhua said.

WHO raises risk of Ebola outbreak in Congo to 'very high' at national level

The World Health ⁠Organization has raised the risk of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola turning into a national outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo to "very high". The strain, for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment, was declared an emergency of international concern by the WHO on Sunday.

Lula leads Flavio Bolsonaro in Brazil election poll after Banco Master scandal

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva leads opposition Senator Flavio Bolsonaro in the race for this year's presidential election, gaining ground after reports linking the right-wing challenger to a disgraced banker, a poll released by pollster Datafolha showed on Friday. Leftist Lula would win a potential second-round runoff against Flavio by 47% to 43%, the poll showed. A May 16 survey had them tied.

Audit finds over 70% increase in federal immigration arrests in NYC under Trump

New York City experienced a more than 70% increase in federal immigration arrests since U.S. ⁠President Donald ​Trump returned to the White House, according to a city audit released on Friday. The audit, ordered by Mayor Zohran Mamdani soon after he took office this year, found that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 5,567 people in the New York City area between January 20, 2025, when Trump, a Republican, was sworn in as president, and March 10, 2026. Over half of those arrests took place at immigration court at 26 Federal Plaza, according to the report.

US Secretary of State Rubio sees progress in Iran talks, more work to be done

The United States has seen some progress towards a deal with Iran but more work is required, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday, while Iran's foreign ministry spokesman said the two sides' differences were deep and significant. Intensifying diplomacy to end the conflict, Pakistan's military chief arrived in Tehran on Friday to press on with mediation efforts, and Iranian media reported that Iran's foreign minister and Pakistan's interior minister had met there.

Falling drone debris triggers fire at oil terminal in Russia's Novorossiysk

Falling debris from drones triggered a fire at an oil terminal in Russia's Black Sea port of Novorossiysk and one person was injured, officials said early on Saturday. The General Headquarters of southern Krasnodar Region, posting on Telegram, said several technical and administrative buildings had caught fire. Debris had also fallen on the facility's ⁠oil storage terminal.

Exclusive-Qatari negotiating team in Tehran to try to help secure US-Iran deal to end war, says source

A Qatari negotiating team arrived in Tehran on Friday in coordination with United States to try to help secure a deal to end the war with Iran and resolve outstanding issues, a source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Friday. Doha, which has worked as a mediator in the Gaza war and other areas of international tension, had till now distanced itself from playing a mediation role in the Iran war after it came under attack from Iranian missiles and drones during the latest conflict.

Freed Gaza ⁠flotilla activists allege Israeli abuse including rape

Activists released from Israeli custody after being detained on a flotilla trying to bring aid to Gaza were subjected to abuse, organisers said on Friday, with several ⁠hospitalised with injuries and at least 15 reporting sexual assaults, including rape. Israel's prison service denied the allegations, and Reuters was not able to verify them independently.

Putin accuses Ukraine of deadly attack on student dorm, orders military to prepare options

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday ordered his military to prepare options to retaliate against Ukraine for what he described as a drone attack on a student dorm that killed six people and wounded dozens, with 15 still unaccounted for. Putin said the attack had struck the dorm in Starobilsk in Luhansk, a Russian-controlled region in eastern Ukraine. He said Kyiv's military must have known what it was targeting.

Exclusive-US House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair warns of China role in Argentina contract bid

U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Brian Mast has warned U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio of “Chinese malign influence” in a bid for a major contract in Argentina, according to a letter seen by Reuters. The April 23 letter concerns an auction for a 25-year contract ‌to dredge and operate Argentina’s Parana River, a vital waterway for most of the country’s agricultural exports, that Argentina estimates will reach $10 ‌billion in investment.

Iran's intensified closure of Strait of Hormuz piles misery on stranded sailors

Iran's publication of a new map asserting its control over the Strait of Hormuz risks extending an already punishing ordeal for thousands of mariners trapped on ships in the Gulf. More than 20,000 sailors are stuck on around 2,000 vessels in the Gulf, many ​of them unable to leave ship, lacking adequate supplies of food and fresh water, and fearful of an uncertain future at sea in a war zone.