Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Analysis-US companies spending record amounts to protect executives as threats rise

U.S. companies are spending record amounts to keep their executives safe in response to rising threats and the killings of two high-profile corporate officials in separate attacks in Manhattan over the last eight months. Corporations have doubled the number of plain-clothed security teams outside buildings in New York City since a shooting last week in which four people were killed, said Glen Kucera, president of the enhanced protection services unit at Allied Universal, a security and facilities services firm.

Trump again threatens 'very substantial' tariff hikes for India over Russian oil

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he would increase the tariff charged on imports from India from the current rate of 25% "very substantially" over the next 24 hours, in view of New Delhi's continued purchases of Russian oil. He also said a "zero tariff" offer for imports of U.S. goods into India was not good enough, alleging that India was "fuelling the war" in Ukraine.

US approves repair services for howitzer artillery guns, other military sales to Ukraine

The U.S. State Department has approved the potential sale of repair and sustainment support for M777 howitzer artillery guns and transportation and consolidation services to Ukraine for an estimated total of $203.5 million, the Pentagon said on Tuesday. The principal contractor for equipment, repair services, and sustainment support for the howitzers will be BAE Systems , while the principal contractor for transportation and consolidation services will be determined from approved vendors, the Pentagon said in a statement.

Canadian minister hails 'productive' Mexico meeting as US tariffs loom

Top Canadian ministers held a "productive" meeting with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and some of her top officials during a visit to Mexico City on Tuesday, Canada's top diplomat said, as the two nations navigate a volatile tariff environment. Mexico's economy minister had signaled earlier in the day that talks would cover the two countries' policies in response to a volley of tariff announcements from U.S. President Donald Trump. The three countries have tightly bound economies.

Trump-led Texas redistricting gambit ignites national arms race to control Congress

The escalating political fight over the Texas congressional map is spreading across other states across the country, triggering an unprecedented mid-decade redistricting arms race with the balance of power in Washington at stake. At President Donald Trump's urging, Texas Republicans have proposed new congressional districts aimed at flipping five Democrat-held U.S. House seats in next year's midterm elections, further skewing what is already considered a deeply partisan map in that state.

Trump administration formally axes Elon Musk's 'five things' email

The Trump administration on Tuesday formally axed a program launched by billionaire former Trump adviser Elon Musk requiring federal employees to summarize their five workplace achievements from the prior week, as first reported by Reuters.

The Office of Personnel Management, the federal human resources agency that implemented Musk's push to slash the federal workforce, announced the end of the "five things" email via a memo that rescinds guidance instructing workers to comply with the initiative.

Factbox-Three years into war, US and Europe keep billions in trade with Russia

Three years after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the United States and European Union still import billions of euros worth of Russian energy and commodities, ranging from liquefied natural gas to enriched uranium. India this week lashed out at what it called Western double standards, after facing renewed threats from U.S. President Donald Trump over its surging purchases of Russian crude oil.

Witkoff to meet with Russian leadership in Moscow on Wednesday, source says

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff will be in Moscow on Wednesday to meet with Russian leadership, a source familiar with the plan said on Tuesday. Officials in Washington provided few details of Witkoff's schedule.

UN alarmed by reports about possible expansion of Israeli Gaza operations

The United Nations on Tuesday called reports about a possible decision to expand Israel's military operations throughout the Gaza Strip "deeply alarming" if true. U.N. Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenca told a U.N. Security Council meeting on the situation in Gaza that such a move "would risk catastrophic consequences ... and could further endanger the lives of the remaining hostages in Gaza.

Russia says its forces control village in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region

Russian forces pressing their slow advance through eastern Ukraine have captured the village of Sichneve in east-central Dnipropetrovsk region, the Russian Defence Ministry said on Tuesday. Russian forces have for months been pushing westward along sections of the 1,000-km (620-mile) front line, capturing new villages nearly on a daily basis, mainly in Donetsk region.

US requires Zambia, Malawi citizens to pay up to $15,000 bond for some visitor visas

President Donald Trump's administration will require visa applicants from Zambia and Malawi to pay bonds up to $15,000 for some tourist and business visas under a pilot program launching in two weeks, the State Department said on Tuesday. "Starting August 20, 2025, any citizen or national traveling on a passport issued by one of these countries who is found otherwise eligible for a B1/B2 visa must post a bond in amounts of $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000, determined at time of visa interview," the State Department said in a notice on its website.

German hesitation on Gaza could encourage atrocities, Israeli academics say

More than 100 Israeli academics have warned in a letter that a failure by Germany to put pressure on Israel could lead to new atrocities in Gaza. "Further hesitation on Germany's part threatens to enable new atrocities - and undermines the lessons learnt from its own history," the academics wrote in the letter, addressed to senior Social Democrat (SPD) lawmakers Rolf Muetzenich and Adis Ahmetovic and seen by Reuters on Tuesday.

Former Romanian President Iliescu, who led free market transition, dies at 95

Romania's former President Ion Iliescu, who led its transition from communism and set it on the path to European Union and NATO membership, but faced charges of crimes against humanity for violently suppressing protests in the 1990s, died on Tuesday aged 95. Iliescu had been admitted to hospital with lung cancer roughly two months ago. The government said he would receive a state funeral.

Moscow-appointed officials say five dead in Ukrainian attack on Russian-held Luhansk region

A Ukrainian attack on municipal workers in Russian-held Luhansk region killed five people on Tuesday, Russia-appointed officials in the region said. Leonid Pasechnik, the Russia-appointed head of the region, wrote on Telegram that four workers trying to maintain water supplies in the city of Svatove had been killed in the strike.

Putin doubts potency of Trump's ultimatum to end the war, sources say

Russian President Vladimir Putin is unlikely to bow to a sanctions ultimatum expiring this Friday from U.S. President Donald Trump, and retains the goal of capturing four regions of Ukraine in their entirety, sources close to the Kremlin told Reuters. Trump has threatened to hit Russia with new sanctions and impose 100% tariffs on countries that buy its oil - of which the biggest are China and India - unless Putin agrees to a ceasefire in Russia's war in Ukraine.

UK to start implementing migrant returns deal with France within days

Britain said it will start work within days to implement a deal to return some migrants who arrive on small boats to France, a key part of its plans to cut illegal migration, after a treaty on the arrangement was ratified on Tuesday. Under the new "one in, one out" pilot scheme agreed in principle last month, France will accept the return of undocumented people arriving in Britain by small boats, in exchange for Britain agreeing to accept an equal number of legitimate asylum seekers with British family connections.

Australia's Great Barrier Reef suffers record coral decline following mass bleaching

Australia's Great Barrier Reef has suffered the largest decline in coral cover in two of its three regions over the last year, research released on Wednesday showed, following a mass bleaching of its corals that was among the worst on record. The Australian Institute of Marine Sciences said the reef has experienced the largest annual decline in coral cover in its northern and southern regions since monitoring began 39 years ago, with coral cover dropping between a quarter and a third after several years of solid growth.

Zelenskiy says he had 'productive' call with Trump ahead of ceasefire deadline

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday that he had had a "productive" conversation with his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump on ending the war, sanctions on Russia and the finalisation of a U.S.-Ukraine drone deal. "President Trump is fully informed about Russian strikes on Kyiv and other cities and communities," Zelenskiy wrote on X, referring to intensifying drone and missile attacks.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)