Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

South Koreans vote for president after months of turmoil triggered by martial law

South Koreans will elect a new president on Tuesday to cap six months of turmoil triggered by a shock martial law briefly imposed by former leader Yoon Suk Yeol that marred the country's reputation as a vibrant, if at times chaotic, democracy. The new leader will face the challenge of rallying a society deeply scarred by the attempt at military rule and an export-heavy economy reeling from unpredictable protectionist moves by the United States, a major trading partner and a security ally.

Polish PM Tusk to call for vote of confidence in government

Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk will call for a parliamentary vote of confidence in his coalition government, after his candidate, Rafal Trzaskowski, lost the presidential election on Sunday. "The first test will be a vote of confidence, which I will ask in the Parliament soon," Tusk said on Monday in a televised speech."I want everyone to see, including our opponents, at home and abroad, that we are ready for this situation, that we understand the gravity of the moment, but that we do not intend to take a single step back."

UK trade minister to meet USTR Greer to discuss implementing tariff deal

Britain's trade minister Jonathan Reynolds will meet U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on Tuesday to discuss the implementation of a trade deal that has been complicated by the announcement of fresh U.S. tariffs on steel. Reynolds will review recently agreed deals with counterparts from the U.S. and EU, Britain's two biggest trading partners, during a three-day trip to Paris and Brussels this week.

At least 20 killed in airstrike on militia group, Nigeria air force says

The Nigerian Air Force killed more than 20 armed militia members and destroyed 21 motorcycles in an airstrike in northwestern Zamfara state over the weekend, thwarting a planned large-scale attack on villages, a spokesperson said on Monday. Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame said the strike followed intelligence that "a significant number of terrorists were massing and preparing to strike unsuspecting settlements."

Two exiled Belarusian publishers share Prix Voltaire for defending their language and culture

Two Belarusians who fled repression in their native country were named on Monday as winners of the Prix Voltaire, a prestigious award that recognises publishers who fight for freedom of expression. Dmitri Strotsev is a publisher and poet who was briefly arrested and jailed during mass demonstrations in 2020 against Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko. He now operates from Berlin.

Britain unveils radical defence overhaul to meet new threats

Britain said on Monday it would radically change its approach to defence to address threats from Russia, nuclear risks and cyber-attacks by investing in drones and digital warfare rather than relying on a much larger army to engage in modern combat. Responding to U.S. President Donald Trump's insistence that Europe take more responsibility for its own security, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pledged the largest sustained increase in British defence spending since the end of the Cold War.

Police find British journalist reported missing in Brazil

Rio de Janeiro police said on Monday that a British journalist reported missing nearly four months ago had been out of contact with her family voluntarily and the case has been closed. Charlotte Alice Peet, who had worked as a freelance reporter in Brazil for Al Jazeera and British news outlets, went missing in early February.

Exclusive-Iran poised to dismiss US nuclear proposal, Iranian diplomat says

Iran is poised to reject a U.S. proposal to end a decades-old nuclear dispute, an Iranian diplomat said on Monday, dismissing it as a "non-starter" that fails to address Tehran's interests or soften Washington's stance on uranium enrichment. "Iran is drafting a negative response to the U.S. proposal, which could be interpreted as a rejection of the U.S. offer," the senior diplomat, who is close to Iran's negotiating team, told Reuters.

Top US immigration officials defend arrest of Massachusetts high school student

The head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement defended on Monday his agency's decision to arrest a Massachusetts high school student on his way to volleyball practice, saying "he's in this country illegally and we're not going to walk away from anybody." Todd Lyons, the acting director of ICE, made those comments as reporters asked him during an event in Boston to explain why authorities on Saturday arrested 18-year-old Marcelo Gomes Da Silva, who has been in the United States since 2012.

Ukrainian strikes cut power to Russian-held areas, officials say

Ukrainian shelling and drone attacks triggered power cuts over swathes of Russian-controlled territory in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions in the south of Ukraine, Russia-installed officials said early on Tuesday. Officials said there was no effect on operations at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station - Europe's largest nuclear facility which was seized by Russia in the weeks after Moscow's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Colorado fire-bomb suspect planned attack for a year, prosecutors say

An Egyptian national charged with tossing gasoline bombs at a pro-Israeli rally in Boulder, Colorado, injuring a dozen people, planned his attack for a year and used Molotov cocktails instead of a gun because his noncitizen status blocked him from buying firearms, prosecutors said on Monday. Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, told investigators that he wanted to "kill all Zionist people" but had delayed committing the attack until after his daughter had graduated from high school, according to state and federal court documents charging him with attempted murder, assault and a federal hate crime.

US Senate may work on Russia sanctions bill this month

The Republican leader of the U.S. Senate said on Monday the chamber could begin work this month on a bill imposing stiff sanctions on Russia - and secondary sanctions on countries that trade with Russia - over its war in Ukraine. Majority Leader John Thune said President Donald Trump's administration still hopes for an agreement to end the three-year-old conflict, but the Senate is prepared to help put pressure on Moscow.

Harvard seeks end to US funding cuts, says national security, public health research in peril

Harvard University asked a federal judge on Monday to issue a summary judgment ruling to unfreeze $2.5 billion in funding blocked by President Donald Trump's administration, which Harvard said was illegal. Harvard's filing in the U.S. District Court in Boston said that it had received 957 orders since April 14 to freeze funding for research pertaining to national security threats, cancer and infectious diseases and more since the country's oldest and wealthiest school rejected a White House list of demands.

Polish nationalist Nawrocki wins presidency in setback for pro-EU government

Nationalist opposition candidate Karol Nawrocki narrowly won Poland's presidential election, results showed on Monday, delivering a big blow to the centrist government's efforts to cement Warsaw's pro-European orientation. In a victory for European conservatives inspired by U.S. President Donald Trump, Nawrocki secured 50.89% of the vote, election commission data showed. The outcome presages more political gridlock as he is likely to use his presidential veto to thwart Prime Minister Donald Tusk's liberal policy agenda.

Trump and Xi will likely speak this week, White House says

President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping will likely speak this week, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday, days after Trump accused China of violating an agreement to roll back tariffs and trade restrictions. Leavitt is the third top Trump aide to forecast an imminent call between the two leaders to iron out differences on last month's tariff agreement in Geneva, among larger trade issues.

Brazil's finance minister links potential IOF tax tweak to financial tax overhaul

Brazil's Finance Minister Fernando Haddad said on Monday that any changes to a recent increase in the tax on financial transactions (IOF) would be tied to broader corrections of what he described as distortions in financial taxation. The government last month hiked the IOF tax on some transactions to meet its fiscal targets, but the measure met with backlash and lawmakers signaled they could overturn it. Haddad suggested that discussion had opened the door to wider reforms.

Russia sets out punitive terms at peace talks with Ukraine

Russia told Ukraine at peace talks on Monday that it would only agree to end the war if Kyiv gives up big new chunks of territory and accepts limits on the size of its army, according to a memorandum reported by Russian media. The terms, formally presented at negotiations in Istanbul, highlighted Moscow's refusal to compromise on its longstanding war goals despite calls by U.S. President Donald Trump to end the "bloodbath" in Ukraine.

Exclusive-US pushes countries for best offers by Wednesday as tariff deadline looms

The Trump administration wants countries to provide their best offer on trade negotiations by Wednesday as officials seek to accelerate talks with multiple partners ahead of a self-imposed deadline in just five weeks, according to a draft letter to negotiating partners seen by Reuters. The draft, from the office of the United States Trade Representative, provides a window into how President Donald Trump plans to bring to a close unwieldy negotiations with dozens of countries that kicked off on April 9 when he paused his "Liberation Day" tariffs for 90 days until July 8 after stock, bond and currency markets revolted over the sweeping nature of the levies.

Three people reported killed and dozens wounded near aid site in Gaza, medics say

Israeli fire killed at least three Palestinians and wounded dozens of others near an aid distribution site operated by the U.S.-based Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, local health authorities said on Monday. The Israeli military said it was aware of reports of casualties and the incident was being thoroughly looked into.

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