Reuters World News Summary

US-Iran talks have been postponed, while Cuba has approved significant market-oriented reforms, opening its economy to private and foreign capital.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Switzerland says US-Iran talks planned for Friday are off

Talks that had been planned for Friday between the United States and Iran at the Burgenstock mountaintop resort in Switzerland have been postponed, according to a Swiss foreign ministry statement. Switzerland remains ready to facilitate these talks and the relevant preparatory work at Burgenstock is continuing, the statement ​added.

Cubans greet sweeping market reforms with hope, doubt and fatigue

Cubans in Havana reacted with a mix of hope, skepticism and exhaustion on Friday after the government approved its biggest market-oriented reforms in decades, opening parts of the island's tightly controlled economy ​to private and foreign capital. For many on the Caribbean island, the announcement was notable not only for its scale, but for what it implied: that one of the ‌world's last Soviet-style economies ​may be edging toward a model closer to China or Vietnam as a deepening crisis erodes daily life.

The World Cup kicks off - in photos

It was a week of firsts for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. It is the first time soccer's biggest international tournament is taking place across three countries, with Mexico getting the party going on June 11 in the Estadio Azteca, the Mexico City stadium that became the first to host three World Cup openers.

From Trump whisperer to Trump basher: Meloni takes on US president

When Donald Trump was sworn in for his second term as U.S. president in 2025, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was the only European leader invited to attend, promising the start of a golden age in relations between Washington and Rome. A year and a half later, their personal relations appear to be ‌in tatters, leaving Meloni exposed on the foreign stage with her international strategy seriously compromised, analysts said.

Ukrainian drone makers target Asia as Taiwan tensions spur demand

The CEO of UFORCE, a Ukrainian producer of attack drones, flew to Tokyo in April with a pitch for Japanese officials and defense contractors: build thousands of our drones to defend yourself and allies. Days earlier, U.S. troops had used waterborne UFORCE drones to sink a ship during a secretive exercise held where the South China Sea meets the Pacific. And for years, the firm’s Magura surface vessel has helped turn parts of the Black Sea into no-go zones for the Russian navy.

Israel, Hezbollah agree to ceasefire in Lebanon, U.S. official says

Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire on Friday, a U.S. official said, after an escalation in hostilities in Lebanon sorely tested the U.S.-Iranian interim deal to end the wider Middle East conflict. A senior Israeli official and two Hezbollah sources confirmed the ceasefire to Reuters, which the U.S. official said was due to begin at 4 p.m. (1300 GMT)

Russia tells Europe: Yes to talks, no to ultimatums

Russia said on Friday it was open to dialogue with European countries but would ‌not accept ultimatums, as signs increase that the EU may seek talks with Moscow after largely shunning contacts since the start of the war in Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said common sense dictated the need for such contacts because of the "enormous number" of complex issues on the agenda, but he said the Europeans needed to change their approach to Russia.

UK PM Starmer vows to fight any challenge after leading rival Burnham wins big

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Friday he would not walk away, vowing to fight any ‌challenge from his leading party rival Andy Burnham and potentially ushering in a new bout of political instability. Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, won a decisive victory for Labour to claim a parliamentary seat in northwest England, and has signalled that he will use it to enter any contest to replace Starmer.

With Lebanon ceasefire set, Trump envoy heads to Switzerland for U.S.-Iran talks

Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire in Lebanon on Friday after an escalation in fighting there jeopardised the chances of an interim agreement on ending the war in Iran turning into a lasting Middle East peace deal. U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is traveling to Switzerland for the first round of talks with Iran on a potential nuclear deal, Axios reported on Friday, citing a U.S. official.

EU leaders to discuss new sources of financing for EU budget in Oct

European Union leaders on Friday asked Ireland, which takes over the rotating EU presidency in July, to propose by October new sources of money for the EU budget for 2028 to 2034 to defuse tensions between its net contributors and beneficiaries. The EU budget is how the 27-member bloc finances all of its policies - from supporting farmers and developing new technology to student exchange programmes and equalising standards of living across member states.

Bolivia signs deal with COB labor union after 50 days of anti-gov't protests

Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz on Friday reached a ⁠deal with the Bolivian Workers' Confederation (COB), ​a step toward resolving a conflict that has paralyzed the country for 50 days.

Bolivians have faced long queues for fuel and challenges accessing food and ⁠medical supplies as a result of roadblocks.

Trump unveils Qatari 747 ahead of joining Air Force One fleet

President Donald Trump on Friday got a look at his upgraded Boeing 747, a plane gifted by Qatar, at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland as the aircraft neared delivery to join the Air Force One fleet. "This is considered the world's most luxurious plane. When it was built, it was built at a level that will probably never be seen again," Trump told a crowd in a new hangar at the base.

Poland strips Zelenskiy of top honour as WW2 dispute sours ties

Poland's president has decided to strip Volodymyr Zelenskiy of the country's top honour after the Ukrainian president ⁠caused outrage by renaming an army unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), nationalists who massacred Poles during World War Two. President Karol Nawrocki's decision looked likely to unleash a severe diplomatic crisis between the neighbours just days ahead of a conference on Ukraine's reconstruction in the Polish city of Gdansk.

In Colombia's Caribbean, neighboring towns back opposing presidential candidates

At first glance, these neighboring municipalities set along Colombia's sweltering Caribbean coast have much in common. Single-story homes with outdoor rocking chairs cluster around town squares and residents time their outings to avoid the midday heat. Mango trees line streets where schoolchildren dawdle home. But Tubara and Juan de Acosta, both near port city ​Barranquilla, diverge sharply when it comes to Sunday's presidential election, which pits conflicting visions for Colombia's future against one another.

African, Caribbean states back slavery reparations plan at Ghana meeting

African and Caribbean nations on Friday demanded formal apologies from countries that benefited from transatlantic slavery, as well as debt relief and financial compensation, part of an increasingly forceful push for reparations. The demands were part of a 19-point reparations plan endorsed at the end of a three-day conference in Ghana, whose U.N. resolution recognising transatlantic slavery ⁠as the "gravest crime against humanity" was approved in March despite resistance from Europe and the United States, countries which have a legacy in the sprawling human trafficking system that saw millions forcibly taken from their homelands.

Lebanese villagers return to find homes in ruins

Abed Hachem rebuilt his home when it was damaged in a conflict between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah militants in 2024, but is at a loss now that most of his village has been destroyed in Israel's latest round of strikes. Where his house once stood in Qlaileh is now rubble; where his garden bloomed, dust, with more dust covering the toys and furniture strewn around the remains of his living room.

Israeli envoy and UN official clash at hearing on ⁠children in conflict

Diplomatic ​niceties broke down at the United Nations on Friday when Israel's ambassador and the U.N. secretary-general's special representative for children and armed conflict became embroiled in a furious shouting match at a public hearing. At a meeting in New York to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, the Israeli envoy, Danny Danon, demanded the resignation of Pramila Patten, who produced a report that blacklisted Israel for such alleged abuses for the first time, accusing her of bias.

Morales waits in wings as Bolivia crisis tests Trump-backed government

In the forests of Bolivia’s Chapare region, Evo Morales is watching — and waiting. From his rural stronghold in a hidden location, the former president and leftist strongman remains a powerful force as 50 days of highway blockades by labor unions and indigenous groups have ground the country to a halt, left at least 14 people dead, and driven the center-right government of Rodrigo Paz to the brink of collapse.

Trump heads to Camp David as Iran talks falter

President Donald Trump will make a rare trip to Camp David this weekend, returning to the presidential retreat for only ⁠the second time since retaking office last year. Trump will hold policy and political meetings during his visit, a White House official said. His family will travel with him for the weekend, which includes Father's Day on Sunday.

One killed and several injured in train collision north of London, police say

One person was killed and several others injured when two trains collided about 60 miles (100 km) north of London, British Transport Police said on Friday. Emergency services were called at about 5:15 p.m. (1615 GMT) to the line south of Bedford, where ⁠two East Midlands Railway trains were involved in the crash.

Trump says he is going to Turkey, China this year

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday he ⁠will go to Turkey and make another trip to China at some point in 2026. "We're doing a lot of trips. We'll be going to Turkey. We'll be going at some point during the year back to China," Trump said at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, as he unveiled the Boeing 747 plane gifted by Qatar that will join the Air Force One fleet.

Rubio plans Middle East trip next week, Axios reports

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is planning a trip to the Middle East next week and is expected to visit Kuwait, the UAE and Bahrain, Axios reported on Friday, citing two sources. Rubio is expected to hold a summit with foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Bahrain, Axios reported later, citing a third unidentified source.

Chile probes entry of Haitian children under ‌family reunification

Chile's foreign ministry said on Friday it was cooperating with a prosecutor's investigation into the entry ‌of Haitian minors under family reunification permits, after authorities found that some of the children later could not be located at the addresses provided for them. The case has drawn attention in Chile because it involves a sharp rise in arrivals from Haiti in early 2025, many of ​them on charter flights, and raises broader questions about how migration controls were applied in a sensitive program meant to reunite families.