Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Exclusive-US plans to shrink forces available to NATO during crises, sources say

The Trump administration is planning to tell NATO allies this week that it will shrink the pool of military capabilities that the U.S. would have available to assist the alliance's European nations in a major crisis, three sources familiar ​with the matter said. Under a framework known as the NATO Force Model, the alliance's member countries identify a pool of available forces that could be activated during a conflict or any other major crisis, such as a military attack on ​a NATO member.

WHO says 139 suspected Ebola deaths in Congo outbreak, numbers expected to rise

The World Health Organization said on Wednesday there were 600 suspected cases of ‌Ebola and 139 ​suspected deaths and numbers are expected to rise given the time the virus circulated before the outbreak in Congo and Uganda was detected. A WHO Emergency Committee met on Tuesday in Geneva and confirmed the latest Ebola outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus was a public health emergency of international concern but not a pandemic emergency, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

As Merz struggles, Germany's far-right AfD goes local to woo voters

As German Chancellor Friedrich Merz struggles to halt a relentless slide in approval ratings, Ulrich Siegmund, from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), is on a roll. Buoyed by polls putting his party up to 7 points ahead of Merz's conservatives nationwide, the 35-year-old expects to become Germany's first AfD state premier when the eastern region of Saxony-Anhalt votes in an ‌election in September.

Germany will deploy Patriot air defence system to southeast Turkey, Ankara says

Turkey said on Wednesday that Germany would send it a Patriot missile defence system for a six-month deployment from June to replace a system deployed as part of NATO measures in southeast Turkey to bolster air defences amid the war in Iran. In March, Ankara said a U.S. Patriot system was deployed to southeast Turkey, near a NATO radar base, in the face of missile threats from Iran. NATO defences shot down four ballistic missiles launched from Iran during the war.

British deputy ambassador in Washington has left post, UK foreign office says

Britain's second most senior diplomat in Washington, James Roscoe, has left his post, Britain's foreign office said early on Wednesday. It was not immediately clear why Roscoe, the deputy head of mission at the British embassy in Washington, left, and the UK foreign office did not provide further details.

Poland says US troop deployment delayed, not canceled

Poland's defence minister said no decisions have been made to reduce the number of American troops in the country and recent U.S. moves may only ‌temporarily delay their deployment, after meeting U.S. Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Christopher Mahoney. Vice President JD Vance told reporters on Tuesday a U.S. troop deployment to Poland had been delayed, but that it was not accurate to say the troops were being withdrawn from Europe.

Israel takes step toward snap election as Knesset votes to dissolve

Israel moved closer on Wednesday to a snap election after lawmakers gave an initial nod to dissolve parliament, with opinion polls showing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would lose ‌the first national vote since the 2023 Hamas attacks. Lawmakers voted almost unanimously for an early ballot in a preliminary reading of a bill to disband the 120-seat Knesset. If it receives final approval, a process that could take weeks, Israel could hold an election several weeks ahead of an October 27 deadline.

Vance or Rubio for 2028? The White House briefing room edition

The White House press briefing room has emerged as an informal audition stage this month in the intensifying race of who will succeed President Donald Trump in 2028. Taking the podium on Tuesday, two weeks after his possible rival Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President JD Vance worked to impress an audience of one.

Irish PM urges full investigation into death of Congolese man restrained outside store

Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin has called for a thorough investigation into the death of a Congolese-born man after he was restrained outside a Dublin department store, an incident that has shocked the country's small Congolese community. Irish police said the man was detained by security guards on Dublin's busy Henry Street last Friday in connection with an alleged shoplifting incident. He subsequently became unresponsive at the scene and was later pronounced dead, police said.

Philippine Supreme Court rejects bid to block arrest of senator wanted by ICC

The Philippine Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a bid ⁠by Senator Ronald dela Rosa for ​a temporary restraining order to prevent his arrest and transfer to the International Criminal Court. Dela Rosa, whose whereabouts are unknown, is wanted for alleged ⁠crimes against humanity over his role in a bloody "war on drugs" during Rodrigo Duterte's 2016-2022 presidency. He has denied involvement in illegal killings.

US offers new relationship to Cuba in Rubio message

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered to forge a new relationship between the U.S. and Cuba on Wednesday in a video message to the Cuban people, proposing $100 million in aid and blaming Cuba's leaders for shortages of electricity, food and fuel. "We in the U.S. are offering to help you not only alleviate the current crisis, but also to build a better future," Rubio said in a State Department message on Cuban Independence Day.

Nuclear energy, Taiwan and ⁠Trump's 'Golden Dome': key points from the Xi-Putin talks

China's Xi Jinping and Russia's Vladimir Putin on Wednesday hailed progress in their 'comprehensive partnership' and criticised U.S. President Donald Trump's Golden Dome project but did not announce a breakthrough on a major natural gas pipeline.

Just days after he greeted Trump in Beijing, Xi welcomed Putin in the same way, with an honour guard and a gun salute at the Great Hall of the People, as children waved Chinese and Russian flags. The pair are expected to take part in a tea ceremony.

US pursuing second criminal investigation into Maduro, sources say

The U.S. is pursuing ​a second criminal investigation into ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, raising the possibility that he could face additional charges, according to a Justice Department official and another source familiar with the matter. The second investigation, run out of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Miami, has been ongoing for months, according to the two sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a pending investigation.

Right-wing Fujimori holds narrow lead over Sanchez in Peru election poll

Right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori leads ⁠voter intentions in Peru's June 7 presidential runoff election against leftist Roberto Sanchez, a new Ipsos Peru poll showed on Wednesday. Fujimori would secure 39% of the votes, while Sanchez is predicted to obtain 35% in the runoff vote, according to the opinion poll, which was conducted May 16-17 and published in local newspaper Peru 21.

Fugitive Polish minister flew to US from Italy, prosecutors say

Fugitive former Polish justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro, who faces charges stemming mainly from his alleged misuse of money for political gain, flew to the United States from Milan airport on May 9, a spokesperson for Polish prosecutors said. Reuters reported this week, quoting three people familiar with the matter, that U.S. ⁠Deputy Secretary ​of State Christopher Landau instructed senior State Department officials to facilitate and approve a visa for Ziobro, allowing him to flee to the United States from Hungary.

'Am I out?' Drought and rising costs from Iran war deepen pain for US farmers

Scott Irlbeck crouched in a field of stunted wheat plants in a parched stretch of West Texas and slipped his hand into a crack wide enough to swallow it. Last autumn, Irlbeck planted a crop that barely grew because rain never came. He now hopes his insurance adjuster will declare it a total loss so he will not need to spend money on pricey fuel to harvest it next month.

Xi and Putin unite in criticism of US on nuclear, security issues

China and Russia condemned U.S. President Donald Trump's Golden Dome missile defence shield plans and Washington's "irresponsible" nuclear policy at a joint summit on Wednesday, a week after President Xi Jinping hosted Trump in Beijing. A statement from Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin said Trump's plan for a ground- and space-based missile interceptor system posed a threat to global ⁠strategic stability.

Iran threatens war 'beyond the region' if US attacks

Iran threatened on Wednesday to spread war beyond the Middle East if the United States attacks again, after President Donald Trump said he had come within an hour of restarting the military campaign. Six weeks since Trump paused Operation Epic Fury for a ceasefire, talks to end the war have largely stalled.

Gazans barred from Hajj, animal sacrifice as major Muslim festival nears

In a tent in southern Gaza, Najia Abu Lehia mourns not ⁠only her husband but also their failure to make the pilgrimage to Mecca, or Hajj, together before he died a year ago because of war and ⁠border closures. Mecca, in Saudi Arabia, is Islam's holiest city, and the Hajj is one of its Five Pillars, a mandatory duty for Muslims who are physically and financially able to undertake it at least once in their lifetime.

Chinese personnel swim, use boats to evacuate people in flood-hit areas

Rescue workers used boats or swam through floodwaters to evacuate people in waterlogged areas across central and southwest China on Wednesday after torrential rain killed at least 25 people and shut businesses, schools and transport links. Heavy rain is expected to continue across southern and central parts of the country, including Jiangxi, Anhui, Hunan, Hubei, Guizhou, Guangxi, Guangdong and Hainan, with high risks of landslides, flash floods and severe urban flooding and waterlogging, authorities said.

Gaza flotilla activists detained in Israel after interception, rights group says

Activists ‌who were aboard a Gaza-bound aid flotilla that was intercepted by Israeli naval forces are being ‌detained at an Israeli port before being taken to prison, an Israeli rights group and the flotilla's organisers said on Wednesday. The flotilla was making a renewed attempt to deliver aid to war-shattered Gaza after earlier missions were also intercepted by Israel in international waters. Video ​footage showed Israeli forces opening fire on at least two flotilla vessels on Tuesday, with Israel saying those were warning shots.

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