Reuters World News Summary

His main challenger is Fernando Dias, 47, of the Party for Social Renewal (PRS), who has drawn large crowds while promising to promote security and reconciliation and prevent soldiers in the coup-prone West African nation from interfering in politics. White House says it briefed Ukraine on peace plan The White House said on Thursday that senior Trump administration officials met with Ukrainians this past week to discuss a peace plan that should be acceptable to them and to Russia.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

US judge moves to halt Trump's National Guard deployment in Washington, D.C

A federal judge on Thursday moved to halt President Donald Trump's deployment of National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., a temporary legal setback to Trump's efforts to send the military to American cities over objections of local leaders. U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, temporarily blocked the Trump administration from deploying National Guard troops to enforce the law in the nation's capital without approval from its mayor. However, she paused her ruling until Dec. 11 to allow the administration to appeal.

Syria sends first Swift message to New York Fed, central bank governor says

The Syrian central bank on Thursday sent its first Swift message to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, central bank Governor AbdulKader Husrieh told Reuters. "We sent (a) greeting message to all our international correspondent banks. We started with the Federal Reserve," Husrieh said. "We're telling them that ... we are back to the international financial system, and we are looking forward to long-term business relationships."

Lula taps Brazil's solicitor general for Supreme Court seat

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has appointed Solicitor General Jorge Messias to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court, the government said in a Thursday statement. The seat is opening up after Justice Luis Roberto Barroso last week announced he was stepping down from the court, about eight years ahead of the deadline for his mandatory retirement.

White House was unaware US ambassador to Israel met with convicted spy

The White House was unaware of a meeting between U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and Jonathan Pollard, the former U.S. Navy analyst who spent three decades in prison for spying for Israel, spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday. The New York Times reported on Thursday that Huckabee met Pollard in July at the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem. The meeting was kept off Huckabee's official schedule and caught U.S. officials by surprise, the Times reported.

Feud in the family: Trump break with Marjorie Taylor Greene jolts MAGA heartland

In a brightly lit, mostly packed meeting hall in LaFayette, Georgia, Jackie Harling leaned into the microphone, her voice calm and firm, "So the elephant in the room: We love President Trump and we love our congresswoman," she told the Walker County Republicans on Tuesday night, "and there seems to be a little bit of trouble brewing." Attendees, sitting at round tables evenly spaced about the room, listened attentively as Harling, the local party chair, addressed what everyone was thinking: the widening rift between Donald Trump and U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene. "We don't have to take a side," she said, urging unity.

Harvard negotiations are ongoing, close to being finalized, Secretary of Education McMahon says

Negotiations between the Trump administration and Harvard University are close to being finalized, U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon told reporters at the White House on Thursday. The administration has opened a number of investigations into the university to monitor its compliance with U.S. President Donald Trump's directives, an effort critics say amounts to political persecution.

Trump signs bill to release Epstein files

President Donald Trump signed legislation on Wednesday ordering the Justice Department to release documents from its long-running investigation into sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — files eagerly sought by both his political opponents and members of his own base who have pressed for greater transparency in the case. The material could shed more light on the activities of Epstein, who socialized with Trump and other notable figures before his 2008 conviction on charges of soliciting a minor for prostitution.

Fire disrupts COP30 climate talks as UN chief urges deal

Talks at the COP30 climate summit in Brazil were disrupted on Thursday after a fire broke out in the venue, triggering an evacuation just as negotiators were hunkering down to try to land a deal to strengthen international climate efforts. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had appealed earlier in the day for a deal from the summit in the Amazon city of Belem, welcoming calls from some for clarity on the hotly disputed subject of weaning the world off fossil fuels.

Israeli military steps up strikes in south Lebanon, says it is targeting Hezbollah

The Israeli military stepped up airstrikes in south Lebanon on Wednesday, killing at least one person as it pressed a campaign of near-daily attacks which it says is designed to block a military revival by Iran-backed Hezbollah in the border area. Israel has accused Hezbollah of trying to rearm since a U.S.-backed ceasefire last year. The group says it has abided by requirements for it to end its military presence in the border region near Israel, and for the Lebanese army to deploy there.

Guinea-Bissau's Embalo faces tough re-election bid after unstable first term

Incumbent Umaro Sissoco Embalo faces surprisingly strong competition in Guinea-Bissau's presidential election on Sunday, a contest unfolding against the backdrop of a booming cocaine trade and a deeply polarised political climate. His main challenger is Fernando Dias, 47, of the Party for Social Renewal (PRS), who has drawn large crowds while promising to promote security and reconciliation and prevent soldiers in the coup-prone West African nation from interfering in politics.

White House says it briefed Ukraine on peace plan

The White House said on Thursday that senior Trump administration officials met with Ukrainians this past week to discuss a peace plan that should be acceptable to them and to Russia. Spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff were involved in the meetings. She said the administration is having good conversations with both parties to the conflict about how to end the war.

As US migration rates drop, life on the San Diego border has changed

A year ago, San Diego trauma surgeon Dr. Vishal Bansal was likely to see dozens of migrants each month who had fallen from the towering wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. Leg and ankle fractures were common, and he also treated spine, pelvic and traumatic brain injuries. On a recent visit, the trauma bay beds at his hospital were empty, a more common scene since President Donald Trump took office in January and cracked down on immigration, rescinding rights of asylum-seekers, pursuing a record number of deportations, and seeking an unprecedented $170 billion for immigration enforcement.

In October weather balloon strike, United pilots were showered with glass, probe shows

The pilots on a United Airlines jet struck by an apparent weather balloon during an October 16 flight near Moab, Utah were showered with glass before making an emergency landing, the National Transportation Safety Board said on Thursday. WindBorne Systems last month said it believes one of its balloons struck and cracked the windshield of United Flight 1093, a Boeing 737 MAX. The NTSB said the radar track of the balloon was consistent with the United plane that was struck.

Russian forces take Ukraine's Kupiansk, top military official says, Ukraine denies it

The chief of Russia's general staff told President Vladimir Putin on Thursday that Russian forces had taken control of the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kupiansk, but Ukraine's military denied the city had changed hands. Ukraine also dismissed Russian statements that its forces had taken over large parts of two other towns -- Pokrovsk, a logistics hub it has been pressing to capture for months, and Vovchansk, near the Russian border.

Analysis-Behind Trump defense of Saudi crown prince, a deeper US shift on human rights

When President Donald Trump defended Saudi Arabia's crown prince this week over the 2018 killing of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi, he did more than just stir renewed accusations from critics of an affinity toward strongmen. Trump's remarks, which contradicted U.S. intelligence findings, threw into stark relief just how far his administration has shifted away from the traditional U.S. support for human rights globally.

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