Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

COVID-19 special envoy David Nabarro dies at 75

David Nabarro, the World Health Organization's special envoy for COVID-19 since the early stages of the outbreak in 2020, has died at the age of 75, the WHO said on Saturday. "David was a great champion of global health and health equity, and a wise, generous mentor to countless individuals," World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said of the Briton in a post on X.

Two Southwest flight attendants hurt after jet dives to avoid mid-air collision

Two flight attendants on a Southwest Airlines flight departing Burbank, California, were injured on Friday after pilots took evasive action to dodge another aircraft on takeoff, the airline said. Southwest Flight 1496 sharply descended nearly 500 feet, according to flight tracking websites, marking the second time in a week that a U.S. commercial jet was forced to make abrupt flight maneuvers to avoid a potential mid-air collision.

Hungary's Orban says he will not back EU budget unless funds released

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban threatened on Saturday to torpedo the European Union's new seven-year budget unless Brussels unlocks all suspended EU funds. The nationalist leader has for years clashed with Brussels over migration, LGBTQ rights and what critics see as eroding democracy in Hungary. The EU has suspended billions of euros earmarked for Hungary while a rule-of-law dispute drags on.

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."

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.

Italy's Meloni: Recognising Palestinian state before it is established may be 'counterproductive'

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Saturday that recognising the State of Palestine before it is established could be counterproductive. "I am very much in favour of the State of Palestine but I am not in favour of recognising it prior to establishing it," Meloni told Italian daily La Repubblica.

Nine killed in courthouse attack in Iran's Sistan-Baluchestan province, Iranian media report

At least nine people were killed in an armed attack by the Sunni Jaish al-Adl Baluch group on a courthouse in Iran's restive Sistan-Baluchestan province on Saturday, including three of the assailants, state media reported. Another 22 were injured, according to the report.

Indian firm says it shipped non-military explosives to Russia

An Indian firm that shipped $1.4 million worth of an explosive compound with military uses to Russia in December said on Saturday it complies with Indian rules and the substance it had shipped was for civilian industrial purposes. Reuters reported on July 24 that Ideal Detonators Private Limited shipped the compound, known as HMX or octogen, to two Russian explosives manufacturers despite U.S. threats to impose sanctions on any entity supporting Russia's Ukraine war effort.

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.

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.

Beijing warns of geological disasters as storms lash Baoding again

Beijing issued on Saturday a warning for geological disasters including landslides and mudslides after intense rainfall the day before, with storms circulating China's north unleashing for a second time a year's rain on nearby Baoding. The Beijing meteorological agency's alert for 10 of the city's 16 districts came as local authorities also warned of flash floods in mountainous areas.

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.

Frustration, Gaza alarm drove Macron to go it alone on Palestine recognition

President Emmanuel Macron's announcement that France would become the first Western member of the United Nations Security Council to recognise a Palestinian state in September has caused diplomatic ructions from the Middle East through Europe to Washington. But it did not come out of the blue.

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