Reuters World News Summary

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz suggested earlier this week allowing Ukraine to participate in EU meetings and institutions without a vote as an interim step toward full membership of the bloc, which he said could help facilitate a deal to end the four-year-old war triggered by Russia's invasion. Hundreds rally in Taipei for defence spending ⁠after parliament cuts funds Hundreds of people ​rallied in central Taipei on Saturday in support of government plans to increase defence spending, after the opposition controlled parliament approved only ⁠two-thirds of the $40 billion President Lai Ching-te had requested.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Republican defiance over 'anti-weaponization' fund sets up confrontation with Trump

Republicans in the U.S. Congress have revolted over President Donald Trump's $1.776 billion fund for people he says were victims of government "weaponization," setting the stage for a searing battle less than six months before midterm elections. On Thursday, the Senate called ​timeout on a $72 billion spending bill on immigration enforcement, which has become a battleground over the "anti-weaponization" fund, after many Republican senators demanded that it either be killed or subjected to tough guardrails.

Climate change threatens global plant ​species as habitats shrink

Some of the plants that make familiar landscapes recognizable may not survive by century's end as climate change becomes an increasingly important ‌driver of species ​loss, according to scientists, reshaping and often shrinking suitable habitats that the plants need to survive. Researchers modelled future ranges for numerous species of vascular plants, a category that accounts for almost all the world's plants - those with water- and nutrient-carrying tissues. They looked at more than 67,000 species, meaning about 18% of the world's known vascular plants.

US arms sales to Taiwan unrelated to Iran war, source says

U.S. arms sales to Taiwan take years to process and are unrelated to the war with Iran, a source familiar with the matter said, after a senior U.S. official suggested there was a pause due to the need to have enough arms for the conflict. Taiwan, which China views as its own territory, ‌has been waiting for the U.S. to approve an arms sale that Reuters reported could be worth up to $14 billion.

Iran's top negotiator says Tehran will not compromise in talks with US

Iran's top negotiator, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, told Pakistani army chief Asim Munir during talks in Tehran on Saturday that the U.S. was not an honest party in negotiations to end their war and Iran would not compromise on its national rights, state television reported. A regional mediation push led by Pakistan aims to narrow differences between Iran and the U.S. after weeks of war that have left the vital waterway of the Strait of Hormuz closed to most shipping despite a nervous ceasefire, upending global energy markets.

Rubio touts US energy on India trip meant to repair ties

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed trade and energy with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday on a visit aimed at shoring up relations battered by Washington's tariffs and engagement with New Delhi's rivals Pakistan and China. Rubio - who said ‌before the trip the U.S. wanted to sell India energy - pressed his case and told Modi that "U.S. energy products have the potential to diversify India’s energy supply," according to a U.S. summary of the meeting.

Pope Leo decries 'dizzying' profits earned by companies that pollute

Pope Leo on Saturday called out companies who seek "dizzying" profits at the cost of environmental pollution, on a visit to an area in Italy known as a hotbed for illegal dumping of toxic ‌waste. On a visit to Acerra, about 220 km (137 miles) south of Rome, the first U.S. pope urged the world to "reject temptations of power and enrichment linked to practices that pollute the land, water, air, and social coexistence."

Russian drone kills one, wounds nine at funeral near Ukraine's Sumy, official says

A Russian drone struck a funeral procession on Saturday on the outskirts of the northeast Ukrainian city of Sumy, killing one person and injuring nine, a senior local official said. Oleh Hryhorov, head of the regional military administration, did not provide further details. Local media reported that a guided attack drone had hit the road near a bus.

Exclusive-Ukraine's Zelenskiy says proposal of associate EU membership 'unfair'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a letter to EU leaders that a German proposal to grant Ukraine "associate" membership of the European Union was "unfair" because it would leave Kyiv without a voice inside the bloc. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz suggested earlier this week allowing Ukraine to participate in EU meetings and institutions without a vote as an interim step toward full membership of the bloc, which he said could help facilitate a deal to end the four-year-old war triggered by Russia's invasion.

Hundreds rally in Taipei for defence spending ⁠after parliament cuts funds

Hundreds of people ​rallied in central Taipei on Saturday in support of government plans to increase defence spending, after the opposition controlled parliament approved only ⁠two-thirds of the $40 billion President Lai Ching-te had requested. Lai wanted the supplementary defence budget approved, including money for U.S. arms but also for domestically made equipment such as drones to increase deterrence against China, which views the island as its own territory.

At least 90 dead in China's worst coal mine disaster in over 16 years

At least 90 people were killed in a gas explosion at a coal mine in China's northern province of Shanxi, the country's deadliest mining accident since at least 2009. The gas explosion occurred late on Friday at the Liushenyu coal mine in Qinyuan county, with 247 ⁠workers on duty underground, state media Xinhua reported.

Israeli strike kills Gaza boy and five police officers, police say

An Israeli air strike targeting a Palestinian police post in northern Gaza on Saturday killed at least five police officers and a 13-year-old boy, and wounded several others, Gaza police said, as Israel intensified attacks on the Hamas-run force. In a statement, the Gaza police directorate, charged with maintaining security in areas of Gaza that fell under Hamas control after a ceasefire brokered by the U.S. in October, said two missiles had hit a police ​post in the Tawam area.

Magnitude 6 earthquake strikes Hawaii’s Big Island; USGS assessing Kilauea volcano

An earthquake of magnitude 6.0 struck near Honaunau-Napoopoo on the Big Island of Hawaii late on Friday and the state's volcano observatory was assessing the Kilauea volcano, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said. Kilauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes, is located on Hawaii's Big Island.

Drone games put Ukraine's best military pilots to the test

In the sky ⁠over western Ukraine, a bullet-shaped P1-SUN interceptor drone dived towards its target as dozens of soldiers looked on. A cheer went up as it cut through a tow line from another drone to a balloon, which drifted away. Ukraine's most skilled military drone pilots squared off this week not against Russia, but against each other in a competition to win bragging rights and state-of-the-art hardware for their units.

Denmark's Frederiksen gets new chance to form government after centre-right talks fail

Denmark's King Frederik asked caretaker Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Saturday to make a fresh attempt to form a government after centre-right talks led by Defence ⁠Minister Troels Lund ​Poulsen broke down. The decision gives Frederiksen, whose Social Democrats remain Denmark's largest party despite heavy election losses, another chance to secure a third consecutive term in office.

Israeli minister Ben-Gvir banned from access to French territory

France has decided to ban Israel's far-right police minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from access to French territory, Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Saturday, adding that the decision reflected growing anger among many governments across the world over the treatment of Gaza flotilla activists. "As from today, Itamar Ben-Gvir is banned from entering French territory," wrote Barrot on X.

Turkey captures 10 Islamic State militants in Syria, sources say

The Turkish intelligence agency MIT captured 10 suspected Islamic State militants in Syria and brought them back to Turkey, the Anadolu news agency on Saturday cited security sources as saying. The sources said the suspects caught in the operation, carried out in coordination with Syrian intelligence, were linked to past attacks in Turkey.

Uganda confirms three new Ebola cases, bringing total to five

Uganda has confirmed ⁠three new cases of Ebola, bringing the total number of infections in the current outbreak there to five, the health ministry said on Saturday, as authorities stepped up contact tracing to contain the spread. The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain a public health emergency of international concern, and said the risk of a national epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo is "very high".

Japan trade minister holds brief talks with Chinese counterpart ⁠amid diplomatic row

Japan's Trade Minister Ryosei Akazawa said on Saturday there were no formal bilateral talks with China's Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, though ⁠the two had a brief conversation before a dinner on Friday, without disclosing details. Akazawa spoke to reporters after attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) ministerial meetings in the eastern Chinese city of Suzhou.

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.

Red Cross ‌mourns death of three volunteers from Ebola in Congo

The Red Cross on Saturday paid ‌tribute to three volunteers who are believed to have died after contracting Ebola while handling bodies and are among the first known victims of the latest outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is ​no approved vaccine or treatment, was declared an emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization on Sunday.