Reuters World News Summary

Wildfires in Spokane, Washington, have forced the evacuation of approximately 60,000 people, destroying 600 buildings, as the region battles multiple blazes.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

About 60,000 ordered to evacuate from fires in Spokane, Washington

Around 60,000 people have been ordered to evacuate as wildfires threaten the city of Spokane in Washington state, local officials said Sunday, adding the fires in the region had destroyed 600 buildings, including homes and businesses. The Spokane Area Fire, which contains three separate blazes, was threatening the areas under evacuation orders, Spokane Fire Chief ​Tom Williams told Reuters.

China cues start of leaders' secretive Beidaihe summer retreat

China's Communist Party appeared to kick off its annual closed-door retreat in the seaside resort of Beidaihe, an informal gathering that perennially sparks rumours of power jostling among senior cadres and comes this year ​ahead of a major party conclave in October on party governance. Beijing does not publicly confirm the gathering, but in a sign that it had begun, Chinese President Xi Jinping's chief ‌of staff and close aide Cai ​Qi on Monday met with scholars in Beidaihe in northern Hebei province, an appearance analysts say has in past years coincided with the summer retreat.

Spain's Ceuta overwhelmed as thousands remain after migrant border rush

Hundreds of migrants set up camp on a beach in Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta on Monday as local authorities struggled to cope with the thousands still in the tiny territory after a massive border rush last week. Spain estimates that about 69,500 migrants have returned to Morocco over the past four days, exceeding initial estimates of around 50,000 arrivals in Ceuta on Thursday. The official death toll on the Spanish side of the border stands at 72, with 11 deaths on the Moroccan side.

Record heatwave spreads across Korean Peninsula, prompting emergency response

A record heatwave is gripping the Korean Peninsula, sending temperatures soaring across South Korea and North Korea as authorities expand emergency measures and residents seek relief in cooling shelters, ‌beaches and water parks. Forecasters said on Monday that extreme heat, previously concentrated in South Korea's southeast, was spreading to the Seoul metropolitan area and other western regions. North Korean state media also reported temperatures approaching 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in parts of the country and a fifth straight tropical night in Pyongyang.

Taiwan minister says close ties with U.S. Pacific Command boost defence readiness

Taiwan's cooperation with the United States may be closer than many imagine, the island's Defence Minister Wellington Koo said on Friday, as it strives to deepen military exchanges with the U.S. Pacific Command to boost defence capabilities. The command helps maintain peace and security in the Indo-Pacific, Koo said, and it views Taiwan as occupying a key position in the first island chain that stretches from Japan through Taiwan and the Philippines.

Ukraine's top negotiator Umerov to head foreign intelligence service

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy put Ukraine's chief peace negotiator in charge of foreign intelligence on Monday, the latest move in an ongoing shakeup that included replacing the defence minister in July, which has caused public anger. Zelenskiy said Rustem Umerov, moved to the post of spy chief from his previous job as head of the advisory Security Council, would remain in charge of peace talks, tasking him with continuing to seek a diplomatic end to the war with Russia.

China ‌evacuates residents as heavy rains hit northwest, southwest

China warned of risks from heavy downpours across multiple parts of the country on Monday, with storms concentrated in the northwestern Shaanxi and southwestern Sichuan provinces where residents have been evacuated from high-risk areas. The national forecaster retained its second-highest level precipitation alert for various parts of the country on Monday, especially around northwestern Shaanxi, southwestern Chongqing, Guizhou and Guangxi, and in southern Guangdong.

Myanmar's detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi meets Red Cross official

Myanmar's detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi met with a representative of the International Committee of the Red ‌Cross on Monday, after years of questions over the health and well-being of the 81-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner. Suu Kyi has been in detention since February 2021 when an elected civilian government led by her was ousted by Myanmar's military in a dawn coup, plunging the impoverished Southeast Asian nation into turmoil.

Two people hospitalised after building collapse in Sydney

Two people were hospitalised after a building collapsed in a central area of Sydney on Monday, emergency services said. A spokesperson for New South Wales Ambulance said it was called to an address in Ultimo, a suburb around 2 km (1.2 miles) from the city's central business district, just before 11 a.m. (0100 GMT).

South African coalition party goes to court over law that angered Trump

South Africa's Democratic Alliance, the second-largest party in the governing coalition, went to court on Monday to challenge a land seizure law that U.S. President Donald Trump cited when cutting off aid to the country last year. The case has caused friction with the biggest party, the African National Congress, as the country gears up for municipal elections in November.

Anti-war politician Boris Nadezhdin says he is now outside Russia

Russian anti-war politician Boris Nadezhdin said on Monday that he had left the country for the time being, weeks after Moscow designated him a "foreign agent" and disqualified him from running in a parliamentary election. "Hi everyone! I have some good news. I’m alive and free. Unfortunately, I’m not in Russia at the moment," Nadezhdin, standing in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, said in a short video posted on Telegram.

Massive Attack band says ⁠Singapore police detained, questioned them after concert

The ​British band Massive Attack said its members were detained by Singapore police and "isolated and separately questioned" after the two performers raised a Palestinian flag at their concert in the ⁠city-state last Wednesday. In a statement posted on Instagram on Sunday, the band said they were "surprised and disappointed" that the entire band was detained and questioned.

Russia says four people killed at holiday resort, including a child, in Ukrainian drone attack

Russia said on Monday that four people, including a child, had been killed and 10 injured at the Black Sea holiday resort of Gelendzhik following a Ukrainian drone attack. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine, which like Russia says it does not deliberately target civilians.

Indian court acquits wrestling body ex-chief in sexual harassment case

An Indian court on Monday acquitted the former chief of India's wrestling federation in a sexual harassment case lodged by female wrestlers, local media reported, three years after the allegations triggered months-long protests demanding ⁠criminal action against him. The court had in 2024 laid charges against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh of sexual harassment of five female wrestlers and the crime of outraging their modesty.

Rescuers search for 28 missing after ferry catches fire in Indonesia's Madura island

Indonesian rescuers are continuing the search for 28 people still missing on Monday after a ferry caught fire off Indonesia's Madura island, an official said. The KM Mutiara Sentosa ferry, carrying 271 passengers, was travelling from Indonesia's second-largest city of Surabaya in East Java province to Makassar city in South Sulawesi before it caught fire on Sunday, authorities had said.

Mali's former prime minister announces release from prison

Mali's former Prime Minister Moussa Mara has been released from prison, he said ​at the weekend in a video posted on Facebook. Mara was sentenced to two years in October 2025, including one year in prison and a second on probation, over a social-media post criticising the military government's restrictions on democracy.

Greek crews fight wildfire northwest of Athens for fourth day

Hundreds of Greek firefighters battled a wildfire northwest of Athens for a fourth day on Monday after strong and erratic winds helped it devastate homes, pine forests and thousands of hectares of farmland, forcing emergency evacuations by land and sea. Two crew on a firefighting helicopter crashed ⁠and died on Sunday near the seaside community of Psatha, about 40 km (25 miles) from Athens, after a mid-air brush with a second helicopter, whose two crew survived.

Iran executes two people accused of spying for Israel

Iran executed two of its citizens on Monday on charges of espionage and cooperation with Israel, Iranian state media reported, amid an increase in executions for offences relating to national security. Omid Behzad and Pouria Safvat were accused of sending Israel the coordinates of military and security sites as well as images and information during a brief war last summer and during the latest conflict, judiciary news outlet Mizan reported.

Reform UK proposes military-led operation to stop asylum seekers

Britain's right-wing Reform UK party said on Monday that if elected, it would stop asylum seekers with what it called the largest military ⁠operation in ​the Channel since World War Two, as it faces falling popularity and questions over its funding. Pointing to a migration crisis in Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta, Reform leader Nigel Farage announced a tougher immigration policy that he said would see asylum seekers who arrive in small boats intercepted and returned to France.

Fourteen dead, thousands displaced as rains, floods strike southern India

Heavy rains and floods battered parts of southern India over the weekend, killing at least 11 and displacing thousands in the state of Kerala, and setting off a landslide that killed at least three in neighbouring Karnataka, authorities and news reports said. The death toll in rain-related incidents rose to 11 by Sunday and nearly 7,700 people were evacuated to around 275 relief camps across Kerala, a state government minister said.

Leaked exams, dashed dreams: Why India's ‘cockroach’ youth turned on Modi

Ashok Kumar knows that Narendra Modi changed his life for the better. Ashok remembers, as a child, watching his farmer parents struggle to make ends meet – and how things changed after Modi became prime minister in 2014. His government expanded benefits like cheap cooking gas and direct farm subsidies, giving Ashok and his younger brother Abhishek hope for a better future. Their parents rewarded Modi with votes in three elections.

EU must ⁠do more to strengthen borders, von der Leyen tells Spanish PM in letter seen by Reuters

More must be done to strengthen the European Union's borders at critical points, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in a letter seen by Reuters. In the letter, dated August 3rd, she also reiterated the EU's support to help Spain tackle illegal immigration while noting that more needed to be done.

Analysis-How Iran is widening its pressure campaign to force US concessions

Iran is betting it can outlast Washington by turning the Middle East's trade routes, shipping ⁠lanes and energy infrastructure into pressure points that steadily raise the cost of confrontation, according to Gulf officials and analysts. Rather than seeking a decisive military victory, Tehran is pursuing a ⁠strategy of calibrated escalation aimed at widening the conflict without triggering full-scale war.

Iran says no talks are under way with United States after Trump calls off attacks

Iran said on Monday there were no talks under way with the United States and no plans for any meetings, contradicting U.S. President Donald Trump who had cited talks he said would take place that afternoon as justification for calling off attacks. Over the weekend Trump repeated a pattern that has emerged throughout the past five months: announcing plans for "massive attacks" on Iran, only to cancel them at the last minute.

Two die as firefighting helicopters collide in Greece, French blaze changes course

Two firefighting helicopters collided in Greece while helping to control a huge wildfire on Sunday that has destroyed more than 100 homes northwest of Athens, while people fled another blaze on the tourist island of Kefalonia. Two people on one helicopter — a Greek and a ‌Danish national — died, while the crew on the other, one person from Greece, one from Britain, survived, the fire ‌service said. Investigations had started into what caused the collision, it added.

Flavio Bolsonaro closes in on Lula in Nexus/BTG poll for Brazil election

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro are running neck and neck ahead of October's presidential election, a Nexus/BTG Pactual poll showed on Monday, as the right-wing ​lawmaker narrowed the gap with the leftist incumbent. In a simulated second-round runoff, Lula would receive 46% of voter support compared with 45% for Bolsonaro.