Reuters World News Summary

A London jury has cleared former Nigerian oil minister Diezani Alison-Madueke of six bribery charges, dealing a significant blow to British authorities investigating corruption allegations against her.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Nigeria's ex-oil minister Alison-Madueke cleared of all charges in UK corruption trial

Former Nigerian oil minister Diezani Alison-Madueke was found not guilty of six bribery charges by a London jury on Wednesday, after a rare corruption trial of a high-profile former energy official. The verdicts are a major blow to British authorities, who began their investigation into corruption allegations against Alison-Madueke ​more than a decade ago.

Trump says Netanyahu could use 'softer touch' in Lebanon

Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could use a "softer touch" in the fight against Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, the U.S. president's latest public rebuke to his partner in ​the war on Iran. Netanyahu and Trump have repeatedly clashed over Israel's refusal to constrain its pursuit of Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, where a cessation of hostilities is a key ‌Iranian demand under a limited ​interim agreement with the U.S.

Verification is key in US-Iran nuclear talks, Saudi foreign minister says

The most important issue in imminent nuclear talks between Iran and the United States is how Iran's nuclear programme will be policed, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said on Wednesday. Washington and Tehran say they have reached an agreement to end their war and open wider talks on issues including Iran's nuclear programme. A senior U.S. official read out the text of a memorandum of understanding with Tehran but said the parties could still walk away until a binding deal is reached.

'I'm the boss', Trump says at G7, as he warms to Ukraine's war aims

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday told a roomful of global leaders "I'm the boss", as he and other G7 heads acknowledged Ukraine's improved battlefield fortunes with a unified pledge of support and fresh sanctions against Russia. Trump's comment -- a ‌tongue-in-cheek acknowledgment of an unspoken truth hanging over the June 15 to 17 summit of the Group of Seven Western powers in the French resort of Evian-les-Bains -- followed a joint leaders' statement that could bolster Kyiv's growing leverage in potential peace talks with Moscow.

Trump: unfair for Iran to lack ballistic missiles if other countries have them

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that it would be unfair for Iran not to have ballistic missiles if other countries have them. "I'm saying that if other countries have them, it's a little bit unfair for them not to have some," Trump told reporters in Paris.

Trump ties Iran deal to market swings, warns war risked 'catastrophe'

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday defended the interim deal with Iran at a G7 summit in France, saying a prolonged war in the Middle East could have caused an economic catastrophe. "I didn't want to see economic catastrophe. If you kept this going, that could have happened," Trump told reporters in the lakeside resort of Evian-les-Bains.

Iran and US to end fighting and maritime blockades in the Gulf area per MoU, Iran's official news agency says

Iran and the United States will end fighting on all fronts, per MoU details published by Iran's official IRNA news agency on Wednesday, adding ‌both countries to end naval blockades in the region. Iran's official news agency released details of the deal planned to be signed on Friday, shortly after a U.S. official released a copy of the text.

UN warns Israeli settlers could join blacklist for violations against children

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Wednesday that Israeli settler groups could be added to a global blacklist for violations against children as he voiced alarm at a "staggering" rise in violations against Palestinian children. The world body's annual report on Children and Armed Conflict recorded 38,558 "grave violations" globally in 2025, affecting 24,174 ‌children, the latter figure a record since CAAC's mandate began in 1996.

Explainer-What challenges could stand in the way of a final US-Iran deal?

When U.S. and Iranian negotiators sit down in Switzerland on Friday after nearly four months of war, the stakes couldn’t be higher as they face an array of hurdles that could derail efforts to reach a comprehensive peace agreement. While a breakthrough cannot be ruled out, most analysts are skeptical the two sides can forge a final settlement within the 60-day window laid out in a “memorandum of understanding” that President Donald Trump and Iranian leaders approved this week.

Trump administration removed dozens of national park exhibits that 'disparage' US

The U.S. National Park Service has removed at least 51 exhibits from 37 sites to carry out President Donald Trump's executive order targeting displays that "inappropriately disparage Americans past or living," a court-ordered inventory showed. The examples revealed in a Trump administration filing on Wednesday span a variety of national parks and monuments including Philadelphia's Independence National Historical Park, where an exhibit describing the ownership of enslaved people by George Washington, the first U.S. president, was removed.

Mexico City police arrest man for allegedly renting out World Cup pass

Mexico City police arrested a man on Wednesday for allegedly attempting to rent out his official World Cup accreditation on social media to provide unauthorised stadium access, local authorities said. The 24-year-old suspect was detained near the Azteca Stadium after attempting to reactivate his credential, the city's Citizen Security Secretariat said in a statement.

Iranians see little chance of life improving as ⁠interim deal halts war with US

When ​Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi announced the interim deal this week to end the war with the United States, he declared his country the victor. To many ⁠Iranians it does not feel that way. More than three months of U.S. and Israeli airstrikes, and a blockade of Iranian ports, have poured new misery on a people already toiling under years of sanctions.

Trump thanks China's Xi, Russia's Putin for being 'neutral' in Iran war

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday described Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin as "neutral" during the war with Iran, saying they had not thwarted his efforts to curb Tehran's nuclear ambitions. "I just want to thank them because they made it a lot better," Trump said following the adoption of a ceasefire agreement in the conflict.

Russia attacks Kyiv with missiles, local authorities say

Russia attacked the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv with missiles, Tymur Tkachenko, the ⁠head of the capital's military administration, said in a Telegram post early on Thursday. Explosions were heard in Kyiv, a Reuters witness said, and most of Ukraine's territory issued air strike alerts.

Trump says 'nobody' attacked Iran girls' school 'on purpose'

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that "nobody" purposefully attacked a girls' school in Iran in February, citing an investigation into the incident. Reuters first reported that an initial internal U.S. military investigation showed U.S. forces were likely responsible for the fatal strike in Minab in southern Iran. The Pentagon has since elevated the probe but it has not acknowledged any preliminary findings.

US and Iran presidents sign ceasefire agreement, but Trump says he could still resume attacks

The ​U.S. and Iran released the text of an interim agreement to end their war on Wednesday, with U.S. President Donald Trump threatening to resume attacks and kill Iranian officials if they failed to honour their commitments. Trump, attending the G7 with other leaders in France, also withdrew at least one of his stated rationales for attacking Iran in the first place, saying it would be "unfair" for Tehran not to have ballistic missiles, having previously vowed to obliterate them.

Russia accuses Ukraine of attacking bus carrying schoolchildren, Kyiv denies it

Russia accused ⁠Ukraine of conducting a deadly drone strike on a bus carrying Belarusian schoolchildren on Wednesday, an allegation that Ukraine's military said was "false". Yegor Kovalchuk, the acting governor of Russia's Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine, said the bus had been taking a children's soccer team for a holiday in southern Russia from Belarus.

Lula says Trump must 'stay out' of Brazil elections

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Wednesday that U.S. President Donald Trump has the right to have an electoral preference in Brazil, but warned his U.S. counterpart to "stay out" of this year's elections. Lula, who intends to run for reelection in October's vote, made the comments shortly after Trump told reporters that Brazil has become a "little rough" and "dangerous politically."

Congo Ebola response strained a month after WHO declares international emergency

Health workers ⁠battling an ​Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo lack the personnel to identify suspected cases, the ambulances to transport them and even the construction materials to build isolation wards, officials and aid workers told Reuters. A month after the World Health Organization declared an international emergency, the outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain has grown to more than 800 confirmed cases, with warnings mounting that it could become the worst on record — surpassing the 2014-16 West Africa epidemic that killed more than 11,000 people.

Iran MOU was signed on Wednesday by Trump and Iran president, U.S. official says

U.S. President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war with Iran, a U.S. official told Reuters.

The memo had been signed digitally on Sunday by Vice President JD Vance and Iran's chief negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and witnessed by Trump, the official said.

Trump signs memo aimed at ending Iran war, White House official says

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed the memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war with Iran, a White House official told Reuters.

Death rate in ICE immigrant detention centers more than doubles under Trump, Reuters analysis finds

A Vietnamese man ⁠with cardiovascular problems collapsed and died in the “Speedway Slammer,” the repurposed Indiana maximum-security prison that’s become a symbol of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. In a Pennsylvania detention center, a Chinese man who had previously attempted suicide was found hanging in the shower. In a New York facility, a Honduran man with an elevated heart rate and tremors from alcohol withdrawal died in his cell with no emergency care. These men are among 50 people who have died in U.S. immigration detention since President Donald Trump launched his mass deportation campaign in January 2025, Immigration ⁠and Customs Enforcement records show.

Exclusive-Colombia's ELN open to talks with new president, but says it can survive military offensive

Colombia's National Liberation Army (ELN) rebels are willing to seek peace with ⁠whoever wins Sunday's presidential runoff, but are also confident they can survive a renewed military offensive promised by the right-wing frontrunner, the commander of one of the group's fronts told Reuters deep in the dense green jungle of Colombia's northwest. Colombians will choose a successor to leftist President Gustavo Petro, who tried but failed to ink major peace deals with armed groups. Petro's ally Ivan Cepeda has promised to continue the strategy to end the country's more than 60 years of internal conflict, but is trailing in the polls behind right-wing lawyer Abelardo De La Espriella, who has pledged a crackdown on illegal armed groups like the ELN.

France's Macron hosts Trump at Versailles Palace

French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte hosted U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday at the Palace of Versailles, once the opulent residence of Louis XIV, the Sun King, as part of efforts to ‌improve transatlantic relations. Macron and his wife greeted Trump on the steps of the palace, before the three ‌posed for photographs. "It's beautiful," Trump said.

EU parliament backs law allowing offshore detention centres

The European Parliament approved on Wednesday an overhaul of migration policy aimed at ramping up deportations and allowing member states to set up detention centres abroad, in what critics describe as a cruel system that weakens safeguards for asylum ​seekers. The move underlines the rise in anti-immigration sentiment across the European Union over the past decade that has broadened popular support for far-right parties.