Reuters World News Summary

The U.S. military's Central Command posted a video showing the missile strike the tanker and said it targeted ⁠the Botswana-flagged ​M/T Lexie's engine room, disabling it. Zelenskiy says new massive Russian attack possible this evening Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russian forces could again launch a massive attack on Ukraine on Tuesday evening.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Hostilities flare again in Iran war, talks at a stalemate

Hostilities in the Gulf erupted anew on Wednesday with a report of missile attacks on Kuwait, while little progress was evident in diplomatic talks between Iran and the United States. Kuwait's army said its air defenses were intercepting hostile missile and drone attacks, while Bahrain said a warning ​siren had been sounded and urged residents to go to the nearest safe space. The United States said it shot at a tanker headed toward Iran. Iran's news agency reported that explosions were heard near Qeshm Island, which sits near the contested Strait ​of Hormuz.

Iran studying deal to halt war, as Trump says talks going on continuously

Iran is reviewing a proposed agreement with the U.S. to halt their war but has not communicated ‌with Washington for a ​few days, Iranian media reported on Tuesday, though U.S. President Donald Trump said negotiations had been going on continuously. More than three months after the U.S. and Israel launched strikes against Iran, the conflict is stuck in a stalemate, with a shaky ceasefire in place while the pivotal Strait of Hormuz remains largely shut to maritime traffic.

Argentina seeks to join Trans-Pacific Partnership treaty, minister says

Argentine Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno said on Tuesday the country intends to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and will present its application on Wednesday in Paris. The CPTPP is a free trade accord among 12 countries. It was first established in 2018 among Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. Britain joined in 2024 and China also hopes to join.

Mozambique says five nationals die in South African anti-immigrant attacks

Mozambique said five of its citizens ‌died in anti-immigration violence in the South African town of Mossel Bay over the weekend in the latest flare-up of xenophobic attacks. South African police said on Tuesday that the bodies of two Mozambican men were found on Saturday morning with assault injuries, and that a South African teenager was also found dead with stab wounds in a separate incident on Sunday.

Cuba defends military-run GAESA as US sanctions prompt hotel exodus

Cuba on Tuesday defended a military-run conglomerate long the target of U.S. sanctions, saying the group of businesses known as GAESA has contributed to the nation's economic and social development despite a recently ramped-up U.S. pressure campaign. The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump accuses GAESA of secretly hoarding profits from the country's most valuable industries and using them for the benefit of the military and the Cuban elite.

Trump administration drops $1.8 billion 'weaponization' fund after Republican backlash

The Trump administration is abandoning the president's $1.8 billion "weaponization" fund, U.S. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told lawmakers on Tuesday, after a rare backlash from Republican senators. "We are not moving forward with the fund," Blanche said. "Period."

Kuwait says air defences intercepting hostile missile and drone attacks

Kuwaiti air defences were intercepting hostile missile and drone attacks on Wednesday, state news agency KUNA reported, quoting the country's army which ‌did not say where the threats came from. KUNA cited the army's General Staff as saying any explosions heard were caused by interceptions and urged the public to follow safety instructions and avoid any debris or unidentified objects.

Israeli fire kills four people in Gaza, medics say

Israeli fire killed at least four Palestinians in separate incidents across the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, Gaza health officials said. Medics said at least one person was killed and four were wounded when an Israeli airstrike hit a vehicle east of Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip. The blast ‌left the vehicle a mangled skeleton.

UN chief Guterres presents options for future Lebanon presence

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has written to U.N. Security Council members stressing the need for a continued uniformed U.N. presence in Lebanon after the mandate of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) expires at the year-end. Guterres outlined three options to replace the 7,500-strong UNIFIL in a letter to the 15 members of the Security Council dated Monday and seen by Reuters. They ranged from a light presence with limited capabilities to a more robust force with broader monitoring and de-escalation capabilities, and from around 1,980 to 5,525 uniformed personnel.

At least 23 killed in Russian attack, Ukrainian president says new assault possible

Russia pounded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles early on Tuesday, killing 23 people and wounding 130, and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Moscow could launch a new assault for the second night in a row. The strikes on cities including Kyiv and Dnipro followed Russian warnings of "systematic" attacks on the capital after a drone attack on a dormitory in Ukraine's Russian-held region of Luhansk last month. Kyiv denies targeting the dormitory.

US Treasury issues new Iran sanctions targeting crypto exchanges

The United States issued new Iran-related sanctions on Tuesday, targeting individuals and crypto exchanges, a notice on the Treasury Department website showed. The U.S. sanctioned four Iranian nationals and four Iran-based digital asset exchanges Nobitex, Bitpin, Ramzinex and Wallex, the Treasury said.

Macron, Kagame inaugurate Rwanda genocide memorial in Paris

French President Emmanuel Macron and his ⁠Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame on Tuesday inaugurated ​a memorial in Paris to honour the victims of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda. Macron said the memorial placed the genocide of the ⁠Tutsis "at the heart of our capital and our history", and that it was "the culmination of a long and painstaking quest for the truth".

Rubio says US is considering naming official to run Ebola response

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a House of Representatives committee on Tuesday that the Trump administration is considering appointing a single official to coordinate its response to the Ebola outbreak in Africa. "I don't want to use the term 'Ebola czar', but (it would be) someone with the qualifications to sort of serve full time in the coordination of the interagency," Rubio said, adding "a couple of people" were being considered for the role.

'Some kind of apocalypse': A Kyiv resident recalls terror of Russian attack

When a large explosion shook Olha ⁠Mudra's apartment block in Kyiv in the early hours of Tuesday, it felt like the end of the world. Mudra, her hair covered in dust and face smeared with soot, recalled the moment when the blast occurred, in the third mass attack on the Ukrainian capital in as many weeks.

Factbox-Ex-Hollywood, MAGA and Trump's ballroom commissioner: the U.S. crowd at Russia's 'Davos'

Russia's 'Davos' - formally known as the St Petersburg Economic Forum - kicks off on Wednesday and has attracted an eclectic crowd, including some Americans attracted to Moscow's "anti-wokery" and support for "traditional values." These are some of the U.S. citizens who are due to attend the forum:

Putin's 'Davos' haunted by war and stagnation despite the swank of influencers

A right-wing ​U.S. influencer, a serving U.S. official and a German retail billionaire are due to attend President Vladimir Putin's "Russian Davos" on Wednesday as the Kremlin grapples with stalled growth and a confrontation with the West over the Ukraine war. Russia's premier investment forum, the fifth since Russia sent troops into Ukraine in 2022, opens just hours after a deadly drone and missile attack on Kyiv which Russia said was in response to a deadly attack on a dormitory in Russian-controlled Luhansk.

Israel strikes south Lebanon after stepping back from Beirut attack

Israel ⁠kept up strikes on southern Lebanon on Tuesday, pressing its campaign against Hezbollah a day after U.S. President Donald Trump asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to attack Beirut to avert further escalation in the three-month-old war. Following Trump's intervention, Lebanon's government said Israel would refrain from carrying out threatened strikes on the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut, while the group would halt attacks against Israel.

US fires Hellfire missile at tanker heading toward Iran

The U.S. military fired a Hellfire missile at a tanker heading toward Iran on Tuesday as part of a blockade being imposed by President Donald Trump, who is pressing Tehran to negotiate a peace agreement on his terms. The U.S. military's Central Command posted a video showing the missile strike the tanker and said it targeted ⁠the Botswana-flagged ​M/T Lexie's engine room, disabling it.

Zelenskiy says new massive Russian attack possible this evening

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russian forces could again launch a massive attack on Ukraine on Tuesday evening. "According to our intelligence, another large-scale attack may occur tonight," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address after overnight attacks by Russia's military killed 22 people across the country.

Protests over US Ebola site in Kenya kill two, court keeps suspension

A Kenyan court blocked on Tuesday for another three weeks a proposed U.S. Ebola quarantine facility that has triggered protests in which two people were killed, and ordered the government to disclose its agreement with Washington. The proposed 50-bed unit on an air force base in central Kenya for Americans exposed to the virus in Democratic Republic of Congo or Uganda has angered many Kenyans. They accuse the U.S. of offloading the health risk of caring for patients.

Opening of JR's installation on Paris Pont Neuf bridge delayed after damage

The opening of the temporary installation by French artist JR "La Caverne du Pont Neuf" in Paris has been postponed after the giant cave inflated around the capital's oldest bridge experienced damage, organisers said in a statement. The installation was due to open to the ⁠public on June 6 for three weeks. Several French media reported the incident was due to strong winds.

Mexico arrests suspected cartel figure tied to killing of Vizsla Silver workers

Mexican authorities have arrested an alleged cartel figure tied to the killing of workers at Canadian miner Vizsla Silver early this year, officials said on Tuesday, a case that highlighted security risks facing mine workers and foreign mining companies operating in Mexico. Mexico's defense ministry said the suspect, identified only as Gabriel "N", also known as "Gabito" or "80," was detained in the western state of Sinaloa during ⁠a joint operation involving the army, National Guard and local security forces.

UN urges the world to ready for extreme heat risk from El Nino

The United Nations weather ⁠agency forecast on Tuesday a moderate or possibly a strong El Nino that could drive up global temperatures and increase the risk of extreme weather over the coming months. El Nino is a periodic warming of sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean, which typically lasts between nine and 12 months, according to the World Meteorological Organization.

US imposes sanctions on commanders over fighting in eastern Congo

The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on commanders of armed groups it accused of driving the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where fighting has continued despite mediation efforts by Washington. Clashes have continued in eastern Congo, where M23 rebels, which the U.N. says are backed by Rwanda, and the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a Hutu militia rooted in the 1994 genocide, are fighting on opposite sides. Rwanda denies backing M23.

Rubio says at least five countries ‌are open to taking in stranded Afghans

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers on Tuesday that the ‌Trump administration does not want to force Afghans currently stranded in Qatar to return to Afghanistan and has spoken with at least five countries who are open to receiving them. More than 1,100 people have been held at the former U.S. Army base Camp As Sayliyah (CAS) since at least early last ​year, when Republican President Donald Trump's administration halted resettlement for Afghans who feared retribution from Taliban authorities for their links to the U.S. military.