Reuters World News Summary

President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January to combat antisemitism and has pledged to deport non-citizen college students and others who took part in pro-Palestinian protests that have been ongoing for months amid Israel's military assault on Gaza after Hamas' October 2023 attack. Pope Francis, in stable condition, sends first audio message from hospital Pope Francis on Thursday sent his first audio message since being hospitalized for double pneumonia nearly three weeks ago, expressing thanks "from the bottom of my heart" to well-wishers around the world who have offered their support.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

US to use AI to revoke visas of students it sees as Hamas supporters, Axios reports

The U.S. State Department will use artificial intelligence to revoke visas of foreign students who it perceives as supporters of Palestinian Hamas militants, Axios reported on Thursday, citing senior State Department officials. President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January to combat antisemitism and has pledged to deport non-citizen college students and others who took part in pro-Palestinian protests that have been ongoing for months amid Israel's military assault on Gaza after Hamas' October 2023 attack.

Pope Francis, in stable condition, sends first audio message from hospital

Pope Francis on Thursday sent his first audio message since being hospitalized for double pneumonia nearly three weeks ago, expressing thanks "from the bottom of my heart" to well-wishers around the world who have offered their support. A brief, two-line message recorded by Francis from Rome's Gemelli hospital earlier on Thursday was played during a nightly prayer service for the pope in St Peter's Square at the Vatican.

CIA fires an unspecified number of new officers

The Central Intelligence Agency fired a slew of recent hires this week, three people familiar with the matter said, cuts that current and former U.S. intelligence officers warned would risk damaging U.S. national security. The firings under U.S. President Donald Trump's new CIA director, John Ratcliffe, come as Trump presides over massive federal workforce reductions overseen by billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Trump weighs revoking legal status for 240,000 Ukrainians

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he would soon decide whether to revoke temporary legal status for some 240,000 Ukrainians who fled the conflict with Russia, following a Reuters report that his administration planned to take that step. Such a move would be a stunning reversal of the welcome Ukrainians received under President Joe Biden's administration and potentially put them on a fast-track to deportation.

EU leaders agree on defence surge, support Zelenskiy after US aid freeze

European leaders on Thursday backed plans to spend more on defence and continue to stand by Ukraine in a world upended by Donald Trump's reversal of U.S. policies. The European Union's defence summit in Brussels took place amid fears that Russia, emboldened by its war in Ukraine, may attack an EU country next and that Europe can no longer rely on the U.S. to come to its aid.

Torrential rain falls on Spain, four months after deadly Valencia floods

Torrential rains on Thursday caused floods that swept away cars as local authorities evacuated schools and closed roads in eastern Spain, four months after deadly flash floods in Valencia caused killed more than 220 people. The state weather agency Aemet issued orange alerts for some parts of the Murcia, Valencia and Catalonia regions on the country's Mediterranean coast as officials told people to stay indoors.

Macron hits back at Russian fury, says Kremlin feels exposed

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday hit back at Russia, after the Kremlin warned him not to threaten it with nuclear rhetoric and drew comparisons with Napoleon's failed conquest of Russia. In a solemn address on Wednesday, Macron warned the French nation Russia was rearming quickly on the back of its invasion of Ukraine and could attack more countries if it was not firmly deterred, including with the French nuclear umbrella.

Latin American activists warn of pushback on reproductive rights

Latin American rights activists on Thursday warned of growing political threats to reproductive rights across the region, as the United States rolls back access to abortion. "What we are seeing is a lot of backlash of progress after many years of human rights struggles," Paula Avila-Guillen, executive director of the Women's Equality Center told a conference. "What happens in one country has repercussions."

Hamas says Trump's threats spur Netanyahu to evade Gaza ceasefire deal

Hamas said on Thursday U.S. President Donald Trump's repeated threats against Palestinians constituted support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to back out of the Gaza ceasefire and intensify the siege of Gazans. Trump demanded in a social media post on Wednesday that Hamas "release all of the hostages now, not later," including the remains of dead hostages, "or it is OVER for you".

From fighting HIV to interpreters, USAID cuts wide swath of programs

The Trump administration's dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development has targeted a huge range of programs for cuts, from a few thousand dollars for an interpreter in Ukraine to multimillion-dollar efforts to fight diseases like malaria in Myanmar. Reuters reviewed a copy of a 368-page document that showed the most extensive list to date of the thousands of USAID programs and contracts that have been canceled as President Donald Trump on January 20 announced a sweeping freeze on almost all U.S. foreign aid to ensure the funding was in line with his "America First" policy.