Reuters World News Summary

Pakistan's army chief's efforts to counter hardline Islamist groups have led to a significant decline in blasphemy cases, with a notable decrease in mob lynchings in recent months.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

As Pakistan's army chief turns on hardline Islamist groups, blasphemy cases plummet

When blasphemy allegations against a Christian family prompted a mob of hundreds to assemble in Pakistan's teeming metropolis Karachi last month, officers knew they might only have minutes to save the four women and one child who were targeted. Islamic Pakistan has witnessed around 90 blasphemy-linked lynchings since 1990 and many started exactly like this.

Fire destroys at least ​60 hectares at Indonesia's Mount Bromo park, agency says

A fire has been raging in Indonesia's Mount Bromo national park since Monday, destroying at least 60 hectares of land, the country's disaster mitigation agency said on Thursday. Mount Bromo in the province of East Java is one of several active volcanoes in Indonesia ​and is popular with tourists.

How the new generation of left-wing US media is powering progressive candidates

Progressive candidates continue to rack up wins in primary elections across the United States, propelled by a ‌new left-wing media ecosystem allowing ​them to build a national profile on their own terms -- and sidestep the traditional gatekeepers of the Democratic establishment. For Pennsylvania state Representative Chris Rabb, a Democratic socialist who recently prevailed in a congressional primary against a more moderate rival, appearances on programs like "The Majority Report with Sam Seder" and "Breaking Points" played a key role in his political breakthrough.

In Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia, Russia tries to sow panic with 'safari' strikes on civilians

When two Russian bombs hit Kateryna Lahuta's seafood business in Ukraine's southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia last month, they shattered the last semblance of security for the 41-year-old entrepreneur. Since the first weeks of their 2022 invasion, Moscow's forces have been dug in just south of Zaporizhzhia, a key manufacturing city of around 700,000 people, hammering it with missiles and drones.

Ukrainian drones kill two civilians in Russia's Bryansk region, governor says

Ukrainian kamikaze drones killed two civilians and injured five others in Russia's Bryansk region which borders Ukraine, Yegor Kovalchuk, the acting regional governor said on Thursday. He said one man had been killed ‌while driving his car.

Bosnia's UNESCO Vjetrenica 'wind cave' provides heatwave relief

As southern Bosnia sweltered in 40 degree Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), tourists have taken shelter in the constantly cool temperatures of the UNESCO-listed Vjetrenica cave. Vjetrenica, which means wind cave, is located in the south of Bosnia and Herzegovina, about 25 km (15 miles) north of the Adriatic town of Dubrovnik, where cruise liners in high season arrive daily with thousands of visitors.

Exclusive-Iran warns Gulf states: tell Trump to desist or we hit you hard

Iran has made a concerted diplomatic push with Gulf states, warning them explicitly that Tehran will hit their oil, power and water plants unless they convince Donald Trump to end U.S. strikes on Iran and instead seek a negotiated end to the war. The warning envisaged attacks on the energy facilities, oil fields, refineries, electricity grids, water infrastructure, transport networks and other strategic assets of Washington's closest Arab allies, according to a senior Iranian official.

UN rights experts urge action to avert 'silent Gaza' in Cuba

United Nations human rights experts on Thursday condemned recent measures against Cuba by the United States and urged the international community to act quickly to avoid a "silent Gaza" from unfolding on the island. "Food must never be used as an instrument of political pressure. Measures that knowingly deprive a population of the means to survive strike at the most basic guarantees of the rights to life and diminish the core of human dignity," ‌the experts said.

China's embassy in Argentina accuses US of obstructing cooperation

China's embassy in Argentina accused the United States of using visa revocations to obstruct cooperation between a local company and China's Huawei, calling the move an affront to sovereignty and free-market principles. "The U.S. embassy in Argentina has deliberately promoted the so-called 'China threat theory,' broadened the concept of national security, and, through visa revocations, blatantly hindered normal cooperation," the Chinese embassy said in a statement published on social media late on Wednesday.

Lithuania says Russia could use Ukrainian drones against Baltic region

Lithuanian intelligence officials believe Russia is considering using captured Ukrainian-made drones to stage provocations against the Baltic region, Lithuanian Defence Minister ‌Robertas Kaunas said on Thursday. Leaders of Poland and the three Baltic states have warned that Russia is considering an attack or sabotage against their countries as a way to shift the focus of the Ukraine war and reduce support for Kyiv.

Iran threatens to hit Gulf states if US launches new strikes

Iran has warned Gulf states that any new U.S. attack on its territory would trigger retaliation against critical energy infrastructure across the region, according to five sources, as Tehran seeks to raise the cost of military action by threatening Washington's closest regional allies. The warning was delivered through a flurry of high-level diplomatic contacts after President Donald Trump threatened on July 28 to strike Iran's energy network and infrastructure, the sources said.

Armenian church leader to go on trial in widening confrontation with government

The head of the Apostolic Church in Armenia, widely regarded as the world's first Christian nation, and six other senior clerics will go on trial on Friday in the latest escalation of a bitter struggle with the government of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Catholicos Karekin II, who has led the Church since 1999, is accused alongside the other defendants of failing to comply with a civil court order temporarily reinstating a bishop whom the Church had defrocked. They face up to two years in prison if convicted.

Afghan accused of killing British woman in Athens to stay in jail pending trial

A Greek court ordered that a 26-year-old Afghan boxer accused of killing a Scottish woman whose body was found in a suitcase in Athens be held in jail pending trial after he refused to enter a plea on Thursday, legal and police sources said. The man, accused of manslaughter, robbery and illegal gun ⁠possession, exercised his right to silence and ​did not respond to the charges as toxicological test results are still pending, the legal source said.

Exclusive-Sinopec steps up Russian oil imports to offset Mideast supply cuts, traders and tracker say

China's ⁠state-owned Sinopec Corp, the world's biggest refiner, has ramped up purchases of Far East Russian oil to compensate for Middle East supplies diminished by the Iran war, according to multiple trade sources and ship tracking data. Sinopec's purchases of Russian oil, which is cheaper than rival grades from sources such as Brazil and West Africa, have helped it maintain relatively stable throughput and ship surplus fuel on strong export margins, despite China limiting overseas sales of fuel products from March to protect domestic supply amid the war-related trade disruptions.

India court sentences journalist Tarun Tejpal to 10 years in jail for rape

A court in India convicted former top magazine editor Tarun Tejpal of raping a colleague 12 years ago and sentenced him to ten years in prison, in a high-profile case that had fuelled debates about the safety ⁠of women in Indian workplaces. Tejpal, 62, was convicted of rape and sentenced to ten years of rigorous imprisonment after the two-judge Goa bench of the Bombay High Court set aside an earlier acquittal in 2021 by a trial court in the coastal state of Goa, where the crime occurred.

Thousands evacuated in northwest China after heavy rains, flooding

Heavy rains and floods in China's northwestern province of Shaanxi have caused roads to collapse, and damaged bridges and power and communications infrastructure, forcing the evacuation of more than 25,000 people in the past 24 hours, public broadcaster CCTV reported on Thursday. The broadcaster showed footage of roads eroded by flood waters and rescue staff helping to transport relief supplies, including water and rice by foot, in Shaanxi's Zhen'an County in ​Shangluo City.

At least 30 Yemeni government troops killed in Houthi attacks, sources say

At least 30 Yemeni government troops were killed in Houthi attacks on military camps in the provinces of Marib and Hadramout, government sources said on Thursday. The sources added that the death toll could rise.

Myanmar's Min Aung Hlaing visits Thailand in quest for legitimacy

Myanmar's junta chief turned President Min Aung Hlaing received a red-carpet welcome in Thailand on Thursday as Bangkok pushes for progress on peace efforts in Myanmar's civil war and its re-engagement with the regional bloc ASEAN. The retired general, who seized power in a 2021 coup, is ⁠the subject of a raft of Western sanctions and has sought international legitimacy since becoming Myanmar's president in April, which followed an election dominated by an army-backed party in the absence of any viable opposition.

Plane near drone found at German airport was carrying ammunition, media reports say

A Ukrainian cargo aircraft parked near an explosive-laden drone found at Germany's Leipzig/Halle airport on Tuesday night was carrying a payload of military ammunition, a group of news outlets including Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported on Thursday. Forensic experts found that the explosives attached to the drone were of a high military grade, said the joint report, which was also carried by broadcasters NDR and WDR and cited a confidential police report.

Exclusive-Congo bans copper and cobalt concentrates exports, official order says

The Democratic Republic of Congo has banned exports of copper concentrate and cobalt concentrate as it escalates efforts to force domestic processing and ⁠retain more ​value from its mineral resources, a government order reviewed by Reuters on Thursday shows. After Reuters reported the ban, benchmark three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange rose by as much as 1.8% to $14,369.50 a metric ton, the highest since January 29 when the metal hit an all-time peak of $14,527.50. It was trading at $14,300 as of 0930 GMT.

100 people died during Ceuta border rush, says Ceuta leader

Some 100 people died during the massive border rush last week in Spain's Ceuta, the enclave city's leader Juan Jesus Vivas said on Thursday during an EU parliamentary meeting. Vivas added that between 3,000 and 5,000 migrants were still in Ceuta.

Afghan national handed life sentence for deadly car attack on Munich union rally

A 25-year-old Afghan man who rammed his car into a union rally in Munich last year, killing two people, has been given a life sentence, a German court said on Thursday. The court deemed the crime particularly serious, a spokesperson for the Munich Higher Regional Court said, a finding that under German law generally rules out parole after 15 years.

Israel strikes south Lebanon after soldiers killed, talks continue in Rome

Israel said two of its soldiers were killed in southern Lebanon on Wednesday while Lebanese authorities said Israeli retaliatory attacks killed at least one person, a flare-up in violence that coincided with the latest round of talks between the two countries. The ⁠Rome talks, which began on Tuesday and are expected to continue through Thursday, come after the two countries agreed in June to a U.S.-brokered security arrangement intended to ease hostilities along the border.

Former Ukraine ambassador to US accused of illegal enrichment

Olha Stefanishyna, dismissed as Ukraine's ambassador to the U.S. earlier this week, is suspected of illegal enrichment and failing to declare assets, authorities said on Thursday, the latest high-ranking official targeted in an anti-graft probe. Prosecutors said Stefanishyna, who served as a deputy prime minister before being appointed ambassador, concealed two apartments and other assets worth about $310,000 in total that could not have been acquired on ⁠her official salary alone.

As Iran war drags on, Americans are bracing for more chaos in Middle East, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds

Five months into the U.S. war with Iran, Americans who expect the Middle ⁠East to slide toward chaos outnumber those who see the war bringing more stability by three to one, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll. The six-day poll concluded on Monday, as Republican President Donald Trump again backed away from threatened "massive attacks" on Iran, underscoring uncertainty surrounding a conflict he initially predicted would bring a swift victory.

India's Modi turns to Instagram to woo young voters after Gen Z protest

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Instagram recently with selfie-style videos shot after hours in a bid to win over young voters following Gen-Z protests that highlighted growing frustration over a lack of job and education opportunities. From clips showing the prime minister in a biker jacket and sunglasses against a rap soundtrack, to others that borrow the theme song from the sitcom Friends to signal his dependability, the messaging of Modi's party has pivoted towards the young.

Budapest dims historic landmarks to save energy during heatwave

Hungary has switched off decorative lighting on Budapest's parliament building, the Buda Castle and Chain Bridge to ‌save energy in a heatwave, disappointing some tourists but in a move welcomed by residents — and swarming mayflies. City halls, factories and ‌some churches across neighbouring Romania were also dimming lights, halting production and rationing electricity as authorities try to keep the country's only working nuclear reactor running during a drought.

Europol says three arrested over suspected Syrian migrant-smuggling network

European police arrested three suspected members of Syrian smuggling networks after an operation spanning Germany and Serbia, Europol said on Thursday. The arrests ​come as Europe grapples with the aftermath of last week's crisis when more than 70,000 migrants surged into the Spanish North African enclave of Ceuta from Morocco.