Reuters World News Summary

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 Bukavu, signals the spread of an outbreak that experts believe circulated undetected for around two months in Ituri province, ​several hundred kilometres to the north, before being identified last week.

Chinese container ship among few vessels crossing Hormuz amid deadlock to open waterway

A Chinese-operated container ship was among the few to cross the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours, data showed on Thursday, as uncertainty grows around reopening the ​critical waterway with talks over a deal between the U.S. and Iran deadlocked. Before the war on Iran began on February 28, shipping traffic through the strait averaged 125 to 140 daily passages. Due to the ‌conflict, 20,000 seafarers remain stranded inside ​the Gulf on board hundreds of ships.

Founder and leader of Barrio 18 gang dies in El Salvador

Carlos Mojica, a founder and longtime leader of the violent Central American gang Barrio 18, has died in El Salvador from liver complications, the government announced on Thursday. Known as "El Viejo Lin," or Old Man Lin, Mojica had been in a maximum-security prison since 2003. He was convicted of ordering dozens of murders and faced accusations of other crimes.

Board of Peace envoy warns UN that Gaza division risks becoming permanent

The Board of Peace's lead envoy for Gaza warned the U.N. Security Council on Thursday that the enclave's current division could become permanent, leaving more than 2 million people crowded into less than half its territory, unless a ceasefire takes hold. U.S. President Donald Trump set up the Board of Peace to oversee his ambitious plan to end Israel's two-year war in Gaza and rebuild the shattered territory.

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.

Mastermind of Greek guerilla group's assassination campaign freed from jail

The mastermind of defunct Greek guerilla group November 17, which carried out a 27-year campaign of assassinations, has been released from jail, two police sources said on Thursday. Alexandros Giotopoulos, 82, was arrested in 2002, when the Marxist group was dismantled by police. Giotopoulos and other members were convicted by a Greek court in 2003. He denied wrongdoing but an appeals' court in 2007 sentenced him to 17 life terms and 25 years imprisonment.

Tennessee aborts execution attempt after struggling to find vein

Tennessee prison officials aborted their attempt to execute a man convicted of murders on Thursday after failing to find a suitable vein for a lethal injection. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee later granted a one-year reprieve from execution to Tony Carruthers, 57, who was sentenced to death after he was found guilty of kidnapping and murdering three people in 1994.

Russia flexes nuclear muscles as tensions rise with NATO

Russia launched nuclear-capable missiles and issued nuclear munitions to some units on Thursday as part of major nuclear exercises amid heightened tensions with NATO over the Ukraine war and drone activity in the Baltic. Russia is conducting some of the 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".

Greenlanders demonstrate against Trump as US diplomats open new consulate

The U.S. opening of a larger diplomatic hub in Greenland on Thursday was met by demonstrators opposed to President Donald Trump's ambition for greater influence in the Arctic island, while local government ministers shied away from the event. Moving from a wooden cabin on the outskirts of Nuuk to a much larger downtown office, the new United States consulate has become a focal point for Greenlanders unhappy with Trump's stated desire to control the island, a semi-autonomous part of Denmark.

US sanctions Tanzanian police official for alleged human rights ‌abuses

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday said the U.S. was designating Faustine Jackson Mafwele, a Tanzanian police official, for alleged human rights violations. The designation would prevent him from entering the U.S., Rubio said in a statement.

Lukashenko says Belarus will not be dragged into Ukraine war, but will defend itself with Russia

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Thursday dismissed any notion that Belarus would be dragged into the Ukraine war, but said Russia and Belarus would jointly defend themselves in case of aggression, Belarusian state news agency BELTA reported. Lukashenko was also quoted by BELTA as saying that he was ready to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who has repeatedly suggested that Belarus could become further involved in the more than four-year-old conflict.

Trump says US will send additional 5,000 troops to Poland

The United States will be sending an additional 5,000 troops to Poland, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday. Trump, in a Truth Social post, cited his relationship with Poland's conservative nationalist president, Karol Nawrocki, as the reason behind his decision to send additional troops.

Turkey court rules to oust opposition leader in latest blow to Erdogan's challengers

A Turkish court effectively ousted the main opposition leader Ozgur Ozel on Thursday, annulling the 2023 party congress that elected him chairman in a ruling that dealt a blow to President Tayyip Erdogan's challengers and hit financial markets. The appeals court annulled the congress over irregularities and ruled that former Republican People's Party (CHP) Chairman Kemal Kilicdaroglu - a divisive figure within the party who lost to Erdogan in an election earlier in 2023 - should replace his successor Ozel.

US and Iran still at odds on key issues, but both sides report signs of progress

The U.S. and Iran stuck to opposing stances on Thursday over Tehran's uranium stockpile and controls ⁠on the Strait of Hormuz, although U.S. Secretary ​of State Marco Rubio said there had been "some good signs" in talks. U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. will eventually recover Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium - which Washington believes is ⁠destined for a nuclear weapon though Tehran says it is intended purely for peaceful purposes.

Outrage grows after Israeli minister mocks 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.

Rubio to tell NATO ministers Trump 'very disappointed' over Iran war stance

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet NATO allies on Friday for the first time since President Donald Trump called the alliance into question due to divisions over the Iran war and Washington announced plans to pull 5,000 troops from Europe.

Before leaving for a ⁠meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Sweden, Rubio said Trump was "very disappointed" in alliance members who had not allowed the U.S. to use bases on their territory for the war, singling out Spain in particular.

US House Republicans cancel Iran war powers vote

Republican leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives unexpectedly canceled a vote on Thursday on a resolution seeking to end the Iran war unless President Donald Trump obtains Congress' authorization, two days after a similar measure advanced in the U.S. Senate. The vote had been scheduled to take place late Thursday afternoon, just before lawmakers left Washington for their Memorial Day recess.

Pope Leo to visit Uruguay in November, part of regional tour

Pope Leo is set to visit Uruguay in November, news outlet Teledoce reported on Thursday, citing the Catholic Church in Montevideo. Uruguay’s ​foreign ministry confirmed to Reuters it is preparing for the visit, which would form part of a broader tour of southern Latin America announced in February and is expected to also include Peru and Argentina.

US says removal of UN expert Albanese from sanctions list is not a policy change

The U.S. decision to remove Francesca Albanese, a U.N. expert on the Palestinian territories, from a list of sanctioned individuals is temporary and does not reflect a policy change, the State Department said on Thursday. The U.S. imposed sanctions on Albanese in July 2025 over what it said were her efforts to prompt the International Criminal ⁠Court to take action against U.S. and Israeli officials, companies, and executives.

Official warns US could halt immigration, customs processing at 'sanctuary city' airports, sources say

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin privately warned that authorities could stop processing international travelers and cargo at major U.S. airports in "sanctuary cities" that have declined to cooperate with the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, sources told Reuters. Mullin, who publicly made the threat in April during a Department of Homeland Security funding dispute, privately told travel executives last week that the department could opt to stop customs and immigrations processing of international travelers at airports in cities such as Denver, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Newark, Seattle and San Francisco.

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.

Iran propaganda push seeks to project unity despite internal divisions

Iran's leaders are splashing propaganda posters across Tehran boasting of national unity and victory over a global superpower, just months after crushing protests with mass killings and as war worsens economic pain for their people. Alongside the images of Revolutionary Guardsmen and a blockaded Strait of Hormuz, authorities are staging military-themed mass weddings and public gun training sessions in mosques to vaunt a spirit of national resistance.

Exclusive-Mexico's Sheinbaum tells her party that officials should quit if tied to corruption, sources say

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has told officials from her ruling Morena party to resign if they are involved in acts of corruption, according to two party sources, amid increased pressure from the U.S. against politicians in Mexico with alleged ties to the country's powerful drug cartels. Sheinbaum delivered the message at a meeting with Morena governors last Thursday at the National Palace, according to the sources. A week prior on May 7, she made the same request in a meeting with party lawmakers.

Explainer-What is GAESA, which has taken center stage in US-Cuba tensions?

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has made no bones about who ⁠he blames for Cuba's economic woes. The culprit, according to the Cuban American politician, is a military conglomerate known by its initials GAESA.

Congo police fire warning shots in burial dispute after suspected Ebola death

Police fired warning shots and tear gas as part of a dispute in northeastern Congo over the burial of a suspected Ebola victim, a footballer who played for local teams, that saw protesters burn down tents for Ebola patients, Reuters witnesses said. The incident highlighted the struggle Congolese authorities could face to enforce the safe burials of people with confirmed and suspected cases that are required to help contain the outbreak.

Brazil's government expected to expand spending block ⁠on ministries, says finance minister

Brazil's government is expected to announce on Friday an increase of spending blocks across ministries to stay within this year's spending cap, Finance Minister Dario Durigan said on Thursday. The block currently ⁠stands at 1.6 billion reais ($320 million). The government has scheduled the presentation of its bimonthly revenue and expenditure report for 3 p.m. local time (1800 GMT) on Friday.

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.

Republican revolt over Trump 'weaponization' fund stalls ICE funding vote

U.S. Senate Republicans abandoned plans to vote on a bill to fund U.S. immigration enforcement operations on Thursday in a political revolt against one of President Donald Trump's priorities: a $1.8 billion fund for victims of government "weaponization," including those convicted ‌of violent crimes during the U.S. Capitol riot on January 6, 2021. The Senate walked away from a planned vote on a $72 ‌billion bill funding Trump's massive migrant deportation led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, delaying the vote at least until June, when lawmakers return from a one-week Memorial Day holiday recess.

At least 10 workers dead after shooting at Honduras ranch, AP reports

At least 10 workers were killed on Thursday after a shooting at a ranch in northern Honduras, the ​Associated Press reported, citing a spokesman for the national police. In a separate attack, six police officers were killed in a shooting near the Guatemalan border, the AP reported.