Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

IMF's board approves $625-million loan deal for Chad

The International Monetary Fund's executive board approved Chad's $625-million lending programme for four years, including an immediate disbursement of $38.5 million, the IMF said in a statement on Friday. The program, finalized in May between Central African officials and IMF staff, aims to ensure Chad's fiscal sustainability, create room for development projects, expand targeted social spending to fight poverty, and enhance governance and the business environment to promote private sector growth, the IMF said.

Two Southwest flight attendants injured after jet moved to avoid another aircraft

Two flight attendants on a Southwest Airlines flight departing from Burbank, California, were injured and being treated on Friday after pilots took evasive action to avoid another aircraft, the airline said. Southwest Flight 1496 sharply descended nearly 500 feet, according to flight tracking websites.

Exclusive-US diplomats asked if non-whites qualify for Trump refugee program for South Africans

In early July, the top official at the U.S. embassy in South Africa reached out to Washington asking for clarification on a contentious U.S. policy: could non-whites apply for a refugee program geared toward white South Africans if they met other requirements? President Donald Trump's February executive order establishing the program specified that it was for "Afrikaners in South Africa who are victims of unjust racial discrimination," referring to an ethnic group descended mostly from Dutch settlers.

Trump arrives in Scotland for golf and bilateral talks as EU trade deal nears

U.S. President Donald Trump, dogged by questions about his ties to disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, arrived in Scotland on Friday for some golf and bilateral talks that could yield a trade deal with the European Union. Trump told reporters upon his arrival that he will visit his two golf properties in Scotland and meet with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, whom he called a "highly respected woman."

Honduras mandates face masks again as respiratory illnesses spike

Over five years after the COVID-19 outbreak, Honduras has reinstated mandatory mask wearing in public spaces amid a spike in respiratory illnesses and as a variant of the virus spreads through the Central American country. Honduras' health ministry confirmed two deaths from the virus this week, among patients with underlying health conditions, bringing the country's total in 2025 to six.

Netanyahu, Trump appear to abandon Gaza ceasefire negotiations with Hamas

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump appeared on Friday to abandon Gaza ceasefire negotiations with Hamas, both saying it had become clear that the Palestinian militants did not want a deal. Netanyahu said Israel was now mulling "alternative" options to achieve its goals of bringing its hostages home from Gaza and ending Hamas rule in the enclave, where starvation is spreading and most of the population is homeless amid widespread ruin.

Brazil scrambles as U.S. tariff deadline looms, talks stall

Brazil is scrambling to avert punishing 50% U.S. tariffs in a week's time, but high level talks are stalled and U.S. companies are reluctant to confront U.S. President Donald Trump over the issue, officials and industry leaders say. Trump linked the tariffs, which he has said would come into effect on Aug. 1, to Brazil's treatment of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is on trial over charges of plotting a coup to stop President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking office. Lula has called the threatened duty "unacceptable blackmail."

Trump administration to release over $5 billion school funding that it withheld

President Donald Trump's administration will release more than $5 billion in previously approved funding for K-12 school programs that it froze over three weeks ago under a review, which had led to bipartisan condemnation. KEY QUOTES

Thailand favours direct talks to end Cambodia conflict, rather than mediation

Thailand favours bilateral negotiation rather than third-party mediation to resolve its military conflict with Cambodia, two Thai officials said on Friday, as fighting along their disputed border continued unabated. Simmering border tensions between Thailand and Cambodia have flared into open hostilities at multiple locations along the frontline in the heaviest fighting between the Southeast Asian neighbours in over a decade. There were exchanges of artillery for a second straight day on Friday.

Israeli military says it intercepted missile from Yemen toward Israel

The Israeli military said on Friday it had intercepted a missile from Yemen towards Israeli territory. The IDF also said sirens were activated in several areas in Israel.

Tunisians protest aginst President Saied, call country an 'open-air prison'

Hundreds of Tunisian activists protested in the capital on Friday against President Kais Saied, denouncing his rule as an "authoritarian regime" that has turned the country into an "open-air prison". Under the slogan "The Republic is a large prison," protesters marched along Habib Bourguiba Avenue. They demanded the release of jailed opposition leaders, journalists, and activists.

UK backs future Palestinian statehood but only as part of peace deal

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Friday the British government would recognise a Palestinian state only as part of a negotiated peace deal, disappointing many in his Labour Party who want him to follow France in taking swifter action. President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday France would recognise a Palestinian state, a plan that drew strong condemnation from Israel and the United States, after similar moves from Spain, Norway and Ireland last year.

At least 652 children died from malnutrition in Nigeria in last six months, MSF says

At least 652 children died from malnutrition in the Nigerian state of Katsina in the first six months of 2025, Mèdecìns Sans Frontières said on Friday, an outcome it said it was due to funding cuts by international donors. Katsina, in the north of the country, is plagued by insecurity.

US, China confront each other on Ukraine at United Nations

The United States told China at the United Nations on Friday it should "stop fueling Russia's aggression" in Ukraine, as China accused Washington of trying to shift blame and spark confrontation. Acting U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Dorothy Shea urged all countries, specifically naming China, to stop exports to Russia of dual-use goods that Washington says contribute to Russia's war industrial base and enable its drone and missile attacks on Ukraine.

Hospitals in Syria's Sweida struggling after sectarian clashes, WHO says

The main hospital in the southern Syrian city of Sweida is overwhelmed with trauma patients and working without adequate power or water after the local Druze minority clashed almost two weeks ago with Bedouin and government forces. "Inside of Sweida, it's a grim picture, with the health facilities under immense strain," the World Health Organization's Christina Bethke told reporters in Geneva via video link from Damascus.

UN aid chief demands evidence after Israel accuses staff of links to Hamas

United Nations aid chief Tom Fletcher has demanded that Israel provide evidence for its accusations that staff with the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs were affiliated with Palestinian militants Hamas, according to a letter seen by Reuters on Friday. At a U.N. Security Council meeting on Wednesday, Israel's U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon declared that Fletcher and OCHA were no longer neutral and that hundreds of OCHA employees would undergo security vetting. Israel would also restrict OCHA visas to one month, he said.

Three-Michelin-star Paris restaurant Arpege switches to plant-based dishes

French chef Alain Passard, known for his mastery of roasting techniques, has decided to drop almost all animal products from the menu at his three-Michelin-star restaurant, Arpege. The decision follows his earlier move to eliminate red meat from Arpege's dishes in the early 2000s. Passard's updated menu excludes meat, fish, and dairy, although honey sourced from the restaurant's own beehives will remain an exception.

US judge reaffirms nationwide injunction blocking Trump executive order on birthright citizenship

A federal judge in Massachusetts ruled on Friday that a nationwide injunction he issued in February that blocked President Donald Trump's executive order limiting birthright citizenship should remain in place. In a written ruling, U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin in Boston said his earlier nationwide injunction was the only way to provide complete relief to a coalition of Democratic-led states that brought the lawsuit before him, rejecting the Trump administration's argument that a narrower ruling was warranted because of a June decision from the U.S. Supreme Court.

EU, US could reach framework trade deal this weekend, EU officials say

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will meet U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday in Scotland after EU officials and diplomats said they expected to reach a framework trade deal this weekend. The deal would likely include a 15% baseline tariff on all EU goods entering the United States and probably a 50% tariff on European steel and aluminium, the officials and diplomats said.

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