Reuters World News Summary

Thousands of Ukrainians rallied in Kyiv, demanding the reinstatement of Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who was unexpectedly ousted in a government reshuffle in mid-July.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Thousands take to Kyiv's main street, firm on calls for defence minister's return

Several thousand Ukrainians rallied through central Kyiv on Friday, signalling to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that opposition to his decision to oust Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, widely credited with driving military innovation during Ukraine's war with Russia, remains strong. Fedorov, who only took charge of the wartime ministry ​in January, was dismissed in a surprise and poorly explained government reshuffle in mid-July.

Greece fights fires near Athens as France, Spain improve

Greece battled wildfires on Friday on multiple fronts, from the outskirts of Athens to the central part of the country and on the ​island of Crete, while France and Spain won some respite after bringing major blazes under control. Europe has been ravaged by wildfires this summer after successive record-breaking heatwaves, leaving vast stretches ‌of drought-parched vegetation primed to ​burn, and forcing hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes.

Lithuanian embassy in Kyiv damaged in Russian missile attack

Lithuania's embassy in Kyiv was damaged on Saturday when two missiles landed nearby during a Russian attack, the Lithuanian foreign ministry said. There were no injuries from the missiles, but embassy windows broke, solar collectors were damaged and the yard was scattered with debris, a ministry spokesperson said.

Crimean families queue for hot meals as Ukraine hits power supply

Under a blazing summer sun, a chef poured oil into huge pots set up on a street in the Crimean town of Massandra, preparing to serve dozens of people queuing for a hot meal after Ukrainian attacks cut power to their own kitchens. Cities and towns across Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, have had to cope with limited fuel supplies for much of the summer amid Ukrainian attacks on power ‌plants and other infrastructure.

Wildfires rage in Greece as firefighters continue battle in France and Spain

Wildfires fanned by heavy winds burned across multiple areas of Greece on Saturday, including near Athens, with large-scale firefighting operations and emergency evacuations underway, while conditions worsened again in parts of Spain and France. Europe has been ravaged by wildfires this summer after a period of successive record-breaking heatwaves and little rain. Villages in France and Spain have been destroyed, and hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes and holiday accommodation.

Russia pounds Kyiv, kills 10 as Ukraine appeals for Patriot interceptors

Russia pounded Kyiv and the region in a heavy ballistic missile attack early on Saturday, killing 10 people, as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned that Ukraine had run out of interceptor missiles for its U.S. Patriot air defence systems. Zelenskiy said that Russia launched 35 missiles at Ukraine, including 27 ballistic missiles, and also 185 drones. Only one ballistic missile was intercepted, "simply because there are no interceptors for the Patriot system", he said.

Yemen's Houthis deny plans to impose fees on ships sailing through Red Sea

Yemen's Houthi-run maritime coordination body denied on Saturday that it planned to impose fees on commercial ships transiting the Bab el-Mandeb strait, saying no such decision had been taken ‌and that passage through the strategic waterway remained free. The statement follows a Reuters report on Wednesday, citing regional sources, that the Iran-aligned Houthis were considering imposing fees on ships sailing through the southern Red Sea, a week after declaring a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia.

Trump's powerful but unofficial Venezuela adviser leaves his role

An unofficial adviser to the Trump administration who has played a leading role in shaping U.S. Venezuela policy and multimillion-dollar deals to exploit the OPEC state's vast oil resources has told Reuters he is no longer overseeing the portfolio. In a role likened by current ‌and former government officials and business sources in the U.S. and Venezuela to that of a viceroy, Miami-based businessman Mauricio Claver-Carone reported to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has spearheaded Venezuela policy.

India's Modi says punishing student protesters will not resolve situation

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he wanted to forgive students who hurled expletives at him during protests last month, saying that punishing them and forcing them to appear repeatedly in court would not help resolve the situation.

The biggest political crisis of Modi's third term peaked in July after the leak of national exam papers forced a retest for 2 million students, fuelling anger over the lack of opportunities for young Indians.

Political instability to weigh on Romania's deficit reduction efforts beyond 2026, Fitch says

Romania just avoided a downgrade from the last rung of investment grade as its budget deficit narrowed more than expected, but political instability after a government collapse have reduced policy visibility beyond 2026, Fitch Ratings said on Saturday. The agency affirmed Romania's sovereign credit ratings at "BBB-/A-3" in a scheduled review late on Friday, and it kept a "negative" outlook due to ongoing pressures on the country's finances.

Trump hails Gaza deal, while Hamas and Israeli officials see hurdles

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday a deal he announced to bring peace to Gaza was "a great breakthrough" despite signs from both Hamas and Israel that significant hurdles remained before a deal can be implemented. The comment came a day after what Trump called a "major milestone" towards ending the war in Gaza that ⁠he said would see the complete disarmament ​of Hamas and other armed groups.

Spain says migrants are returning from Ceuta after 57 die in border rush

Spain said on Friday it had reversed a ⁠huge rush of migrants into a Spanish enclave in North Africa, with most of the more than 50,000 people who had crossed the border by land and sea already heading back voluntarily. The Spanish government's representative in Ceuta said 57 bodies had been recovered on the Spanish side of the border and that there could be additional casualties on the Moroccan side. It said some drowned and some were crushed while trying to climb the breakwater that holds the border fence.

Soccer-Infantino's FIFA future in jeopardy after private equity gamble backfires

FIFA president Gianni Infantino, hitherto untouchable at the helm of soccer's global governing body, suffered a crushing blow on Friday when his bold reach for private equity riches was brought to an end in the ⁠face of a ferocious backlash. A FIFA statement, attributed to Infantino, conceded that the proposal to create a commercial entity to run the World Cup and other tournaments, 20% of which would be sold to private investors, was divisive and dead in the water.

Thousands in Amsterdam for boisterous WorldPride in shadow of Berlin attack

Hundreds of thousands of revellers lined Amsterdam's canals on Saturday for the flagship event of WorldPride, resulting in a boisterous LGBT celebration and protest that organisers and participants said was particularly urgent after last week's deadly attack on Berlin's Pride. Scores of boats festooned with rainbow flags and balloons cruised through the city while huge crowds in colourful outfits cheered from the bank.

'Le ​camping', an egalitarian symbol of French summers, faces a fiery future

The order to evacuate came around 8.30 p.m. — just as families were sitting down to dinner. Wildfire flames were bearing down on a campsite in southwest France, and police told manager Hadrien Folliot he had little time to remove roughly 1,200 holidaymakers. Less than half an hour later, the site was empty.

Magnitude 4.7 quake strikes near Italy's Naples, causing outages and damage

A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck the Campi Flegrei area near the southern Italian city of Naples on Friday, ⁠causing power outages, disrupting train and metro services and damaging some buildings, authorities said. The quake, recorded at 7:46 p.m. (1746 GMT), had its epicentre in the Campi Flegrei area to the west of Naples at a depth of about 3 km (2 miles), Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology said.

Spain installs floating barrier in Ceuta after calm night following border rush

Spain said migrant crossings into its North African enclave of Ceuta had stopped overnight, as police began installing a 500-metre (1,640-foot) floating barrier on Saturday off its border with Morocco following a mass rush that killed at least 67 people. According to Spanish authorities, about 50,000 people had crossed into Ceuta by land and sea from Thursday in an unprecedented surge at one of the European Union's only land borders with Africa. More ⁠than ​48,000 of them returned to Morocco within 48 hours without major incident, Spain said.

Rosatom says its civilian vessel sank in Black Sea after Ukrainian drone attack, all crew survived

Two Ukrainian drones hit and sank a civilian vessel owned by Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom sailing in the Black Sea overnight, the company's head, Alexei Likhachev, said in a statement on Saturday. All 17 crew members survived the attack on the ship, which was transporting goods such as frozen food and construction materials, Likhachev added.

UKMTO reports two tanker incidents off Oman

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Saturday it had received reports of two maritime incidents off Oman, including one in which a tanker was struck by an unknown projectile. In the first incident, a tanker was struck by an unknown projectile about 11 nautical miles northeast of Oman's Lima, damaging its engine room and leaving the vessel not under command, UKMTO said. There were no reported casualties nor environmental impact, it added.

US to make visa bond program permanent for people from dozens of countries

The U.S. State Department will make permanent a visa bond program that could require applicants from 50 countries, mostly from Africa, to post bonds of up to $20,000 ⁠when seeking U.S. visas, according to a federal notice posted online on Friday. The Federal Register notice applies to B1 and B2 visas, which are issued for business and tourism travel.

Famed climber Nirmal Purja, nine others, die in avalanche in Pakistan, hiking company says

Celebrated Nepali climber Nirmal Purja, who set a record for the fastest ascent of the world's 14 highest mountains, died in an avalanche during an expedition in Pakistan, his company said on Saturday. “Today it is with profound sadness and immense heartbreak that we confirm that Nirmal 'Nimsdai' Purja tragically lost his ⁠life following the avalanche on Broad Peak,” his expedition organising company Elite Exped said in an Instagram post.

Oil price rises after Iran says it stops ships in Hormuz

Oil ⁠prices rose on Friday after Iran said it had stopped two vessels seeking to exit the Strait of Hormuz, underscoring concerns over global energy supplies following a drone attack on ships in a Mediterranean Egyptian port this week. Iran said four other tankers turned back after its forces intervened, although the Iranian reports could not be independently confirmed.

Soccer-UEFA says it has lost confidence in Infantino as FIFA faces calls for transparency

UEFA said it had lost confidence in FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Saturday after world soccer's governing body abandoned plans to sell a stake in the commercial rights to the World Cup. FIFA's proposal had triggered a fierce backlash from regional confederations who said they had been blindsided by Infantino's plans to raise up to $4.2 billion by selling about a 20% stake to private investors in a new unit that would run FIFA events, including the World Cup.

Trump says US ‌has not agreed to Ukraine building Patriot missiles

President Donald Trump said on Friday that the United States has ‌not agreed to Ukraine building Patriot missiles but that talks are ongoing, adding that the U.S. must be "very careful about letting somebody build them." Trump said during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Turkey this month that he was going to give Ukraine a license to manufacture Patriot missile interceptors ​to help defend against Russian strikes, but has since backed away from that pledge despite hosting Zelenskiy at the White House this week.