Reuters World News Summary

Czech President Petr Pavel has appealed to the Constitutional Court after being denied the opportunity to lead the Czech delegation at a NATO summit next month by the government.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Czech president appeals to Constitutional Court after NATO delegation snub

Czech President Petr Pavel appealed to the Constitutional Court in a dispute over the scope of his authority after the government denied his request to lead the Czech delegation at a NATO summit next month, the ​presidential office said on Tuesday.

The government, led by Pavel's former rival for presidency Andrej Babis, said on Monday it would not include Pavel, a former senior NATO official, in its delegation to the alliance's summit ​in July, saying it was up to the government to defend its positions, including low defence spending.

Family of Zambia's ex-leader should choose his ‌burial site, South Africa ​court says

A South African appeals court ruled on Tuesday that the family of former Zambian President Edgar Lungu should decide where he is buried, overturning a lower court's order that Zambia's government could repatriate Lungu's body for a state funeral. Lungu, who led Zambia from 2015 to 2021, died in South Africa a year ago while undergoing medical treatment.

Russian strikes injure six in Ukraine as fuel crisis deepens into Siberia

Six people were wounded in Russian air strikes on Ukraine overnight on Tuesday, local authorities said, while Russia's ongoing fuel crisis deepened into parts of Siberia. The strikes came in the wake of a Ukrainian attack on a plant producing electronics for missiles in Russia's border Voronezh region on Monday that ‌killed five people and injured dozens, according to the local governor.

Amnesty calls EU complicit in new Libyan crackdown on migrants

Authorities in eastern and western Libya have intensified a crackdown on migrants and refugees in the last month with mass arrests, detentions and expulsions, Amnesty International said on Tuesday, accusing the EU of complicity in abuse. Libya, where control is split between rival western and eastern factions, has been a major transit route for people fleeing conflict and poverty towards Europe by the dangerous sea route since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising toppled Muammar Gaddafi.

Israel fire kills two in Lebanon, testing Iran-linked ceasefire

Israeli gunfire killed two people in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, Lebanon's Civil Defence and health ministry said, prompting Iran-backed Hezbollah to accuse Israel of violating a ceasefire that has largely held since Sunday. The lull in fighting is the longest yet in the war that was ignited by the U.S.-Iran conflict on March 2, when Hezbollah opened fire at Israel in support of Tehran, prompting Israel's second offensive in the ‌country since 2024.

Forty drown in France as people seek relief from Europe's heatwave

Forty people have drowned in France over recent days as they sought to cool down to escape record heat, the prime minister said on Tuesday, as a heatwave swept across much of Europe. Britain, Italy, Switzerland and Spain were also sweltering in extreme heat, with record temperatures in some regions disrupting schools and transport networks.

Analysis-Undoing the 'tangled nest' of Iran sanctions won't be easy or ‌quick

Tehran stands to gain billions of dollars from a 60-day reprieve from U.S. sanctions announced on Monday, but unwinding more than four decades of restrictions poses legal, political and commercial challenges that could take years. At issue is whether an interim U.S. deal with Iran can translate into lasting economic relief, given the complexity of dismantling a sanctions regime that spans U.S. law, international measures and private-sector risk concerns.

Trump insists Iran has agreed to nuclear inspections

U.S. President Donald Trump insisted on Tuesday that Iran has agreed to allow nuclear inspections long into the future, despite statements from Iran that it has not done so. "Iran has fully and completely agreed to highest level Nuclear inspections long into the future (Infinity!!!)," he wrote in a social media post. "This will insure 'Nuclear Honesty.' If they did not agree to this, there would be no further negotiations!"

Congo's Ebola outbreak has most cases in first month of any African outbreak, WHO says

Congo's Ebola outbreak has the largest number of confirmed cases in the first month of any Ebola outbreak in Africa, a senior World Health Organization official told a briefing on Tuesday. The Bundibugyo outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo that has infected over 1,000 people ⁠and killed 267 was detected late ​and experts say the virus had already been circulating for months before it was officially declared on May 15.

Rubio faces tough task ⁠of selling Iran reset to wary Gulf allies

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio faces a delicate mission this week pitching Washington's Iran peace deal to Gulf Arab leaders who fear excessive concessions will strengthen Tehran and reshape the region's security balance and oil flows. Rubio will arrive in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, before traveling to Kuwait and Bahrain, where he will meet officials from the Gulf Cooperation Council, a grouping of monarchies that also includes Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman.

Turkey detains 209 in anti-terror raids as security tightened ahead of NATO summit

Turkish authorities detained 209 ⁠people in anti-terrorism operations on Tuesday, prosecutors said, a day after Ankara imposed restrictions on public gatherings ahead of next month's NATO summit. Opposition groups said the raids were part of what they called a broader crackdown on democracy and civic freedoms in Turkey.

New Lebanon-Israel talks to begin, in shadow of US-Iran deal

Lebanon heads into a new round of talks with Israel on Tuesday in Washington, with Beirut determined to press ahead with direct negotiations even as they appear to be overshadowed by Iran's decision to make Lebanon part of its ​negotiations with the United States. Lebanese officials have insisted that face-to-face negotiations with Israel are the only way to secure an end to the war raging since March 2, when armed group Hezbollah fired at Israel in support of Iran and triggered Israeli air and ground attacks that have killed more than 4,000 people in Lebanon.

US waives Iran sanctions, Trump warns Tehran it must abide by agreement

The United States waived sanctions on ⁠Iran for 60 days from Monday after the first talks under a nascent peace deal, with U.S. President Donald Trump saying he will "do what I have to do" if Iran does not stick to its side of the agreement. U.S. Vice President JD Vance said talks with Iranian officials in Switzerland had laid a good foundation for a final peace deal, but Iran denied it had begun discussions on its nuclear program or agreed to invite International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors back to the country.

Former Scottish National Party chief jailed for five years for embezzling party funds

Former Scottish National Party chief executive Peter ⁠Murrell was ​jailed for just over five years on Tuesday after admitting embezzling more than £400,000 ($540,000) of party funds to buy items such as cars, a motorhome and luxury goods. Murrell, 61, is the estranged husband of ex-SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon, who suddenly resigned in 2023, shortly before she was arrested as part of the probe into the party's finances. She was cleared of wrongdoing in March last year.

Only Iran will control its unfrozen assets, Iranian envoy says

Iran alone will decide how to use assets that are unfrozen under a deal with the United States, an Iranian envoy said on Tuesday, denying Washington would have any control over the funds or that they must be used to buy U.S. commodities. The U.S. waived sanctions on Iran for 60 days from Monday after the talks in Switzerland on turning an interim deal into a lasting peace agreement. Frozen Iranian assets worth about $12 billion are expected to be released under the initial accord.

Explainer-The health risks ⁠of extreme heat

The world is baking under extreme heat, with Europe, Asia and parts of the U.S. all dealing with scorching temperatures. WHAT ARE THE HEALTH RISKS?

Israel smuggled Starlink systems into Iran, former PM says

A former Israeli prime minister acknowledged on Tuesday that Israel had smuggled Starlink internet receivers into Iran to help anti-government protesters, though he said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government failed to follow through on the plans. Naftali Bennett, who served as ⁠prime minister from 2021 to 2022, told an audience at the JNS International Policy Summit in Jerusalem that he had initiated a "process of acquiring ⁠and smuggling into Iran tens of thousands of Starlink receptors that would allow continuity of the internet and social networks".

Over 5,000 people trapped in Myanmar scam centres near Thai border, rights group says

More than 5,300 people are still trapped in online scam centres near Myanmar's Thai border, a human rights group said, over one year after thousands were freed during a multinational crackdown in the region. In a June 22 letter to Thai police urging them to take action, the Civil Society Network for Human Trafficking Victim Assistance (CSNHTV) said many of those trapped were foreign nationals held at four locations inside areas controlled by a Myanmar militia.

Brazil's Flavio Bolsonaro plans to testify against proposed US tariffs

Brazilian right-wing Senator ‌Flavio Bolsonaro, who plans to run in the country's October presidential election, has registered to ‌appear at a public hearing before the U.S. International Trade Commission to oppose a proposed 25% tariff on Brazilian goods. The hearing, scheduled for July 6, will consider the recommendation by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to impose the ​tariff following an investigation into Brazil's trade practices. The agency said it had identified what it described as "unreasonable" practices.