Reuters World News Summary

Thailand has been under a caretaker government since March and its new parliament has been deadlocked for weeks after anti-establishment election winners Move Forward were blocked by conservative lawmakers, leaving populist heavyweight Pheu Thai to lead a new effort. North Korea says Camp David agreements raise possibility of 'thermonuclear war' North Korea on Tuesday denounced the annual military drills between the United States and South Korea, warning of a "thermonuclear war" over recent trilateral agreements to deepen ties between the leaders of the U.S., South Korea and Japan at Camp David.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Biden surveys Maui wildfire damage, gets briefing in blackened Lahaina

U.S. President Joe Biden arrived in Maui on Monday, nearly two weeks after wildfires swept through the Hawaiian island and killed more than 114 people, for a brief visit where he will console victims and consult with local authorities. Biden arrived in the devastated city of Lahaina around midday, local time, after a helicopter tour of burned-out areas with first lady Jill Biden, Hawaii Governor Josh Green and Hawaii's two senators - Brian Schatz and Mazie Hirono - as well as local Representative Jill Tokuda.

West Africa's ECOWAS rejects Niger junta's proposed three-year delay for elections

West Africa's main regional bloc, ECOWAS, has rejected a proposal by Niger's military junta to hold elections within three years, extending a political impasse that could trigger a military intervention if no agreement is reached following a July coup. ECOWAS and other international powers have been seeking diplomatic solutions to the July 26 putsch in Niger, the seventh in West and Central Africa in three years.

Russia's Prigozhin posts first video since mutiny, hints he's in Africa

Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin posted his first video address since leading a short-lived mutiny in late June, appearing in a clip - possibly shot in Africa - on Telegram channels affiliated with the Wagner group on Monday. Prigozhin is seen standing in a desert area in camouflage and with a rifle in his hands. In the distance, there are more armed men and a pickup truck.

Saudi border guards killed hundreds of Ethiopian migrants, HRW says

Saudi Arabian border guards have killed hundreds of Ethiopian migrants, including women and children, who attempted enter the kingdom along its mountainous border with Yemen, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Monday. In a 73-page report, the rights group said Saudi guards used explosive weapons to kill some migrants and shot at others from close range. It compiled testimony from 38 Ethiopians who tried to cross the Yemen-Saudi border between March 2022 and June 2023, as well as four relatives or friends of migrants.

Thailand's Pheu Thai launches PM bid as fugitive figurehead Thaksin eyes return

Thailand's Pheu Thai Party will seek to form a new government with some of its biggest rivals in a parliamentary vote on Tuesday, coinciding with the promise of a historic return from 17 years of exile by its fugitive figurehead Thaksin Shinawatra. Thailand has been under a caretaker government since March and its new parliament has been deadlocked for weeks after anti-establishment election winners Move Forward were blocked by conservative lawmakers, leaving populist heavyweight Pheu Thai to lead a new effort.

North Korea says Camp David agreements raise possibility of 'thermonuclear war'

North Korea on Tuesday denounced the annual military drills between the United States and South Korea, warning of a "thermonuclear war" over recent trilateral agreements to deepen ties between the leaders of the U.S., South Korea and Japan at Camp David. South Korea and the United States began the Ulchi Freedom Shield summer exercises on Monday, designed to enhance their joint responses to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats. Pyongyang has long denounced the drills as a rehearsal for war.

Wildfire-hit British Columbia blanketed with hazardous smoke pollution

Millions of people in the western Canadian province of British Columbia were under air quality warnings on Monday as hundreds of wildfires filled the skies with smoke and turned the sun orange. In the cities of Kelowna and Kamloops, the air quality index (AQI) was above 350, a "hazardous" level, real-time air quality information platform IQAir showed. AQI measures major pollutants including particulate matter produced by fires.

North Korea to launch satellite over Yellow Sea -Japan Coast Guard

North Korea has said it will launch a satellite between Aug. 24-31 in the direction of the Yellow Sea and East China Sea, the Japanese Coast Guard said on Tuesday. Japan would cooperate with South Korea and the United States to monitor the launch, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's office said in a posting on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Trump faces $200,000 bond, order not to make threats, in Georgia election case

Donald Trump will face a $200,000 bond and orders not to send threatening social media messages as the former U.S. president awaits trial in Georgia on charges of trying to overturn his 2020 election loss, a court filing on Monday showed. The document, a bond agreement signed by Trump's attorneys and Fulton Country District Attorney Fani Willis, sets out release terms including restrictions on intimidating witnesses and obstructing justice.

Ukraine's Zelenskiy says F-16s make him 'confident' that Russia will lose the war

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told a crowd in Denmark on Monday that promised deliveries of U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets had made him confident Ukraine could end Russia's invasion. Denmark and the Netherlands on Sunday announced they would supply the first F-16s to Ukraine, with the initial six due to be delivered around New Year. Washington had approved the delivery of the jets ahead of Zelenskiy's trip to Copenhagen.

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