Reuters World News Summary

Ecuadorean police have arrested six suspects who they say are all Colombians belonging to criminal groups. Niger junta says a dozen soldiers killed in militant attack At least a dozen Niger soldiers were killed following an attack by hundreds of armed insurgents on motorbikes in the country's southwest on Thursday morning, the West African nation's defence ministry said in a statement.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Israel reopens Gaza crossings, lets Palestinians back to work after two weeks

Israel reopened crossing points with Gaza on Thursday, allowing thousands of Palestinian workers to get to their jobs in Israel and the West Bank, after nearly two weeks of closure prompted by violent protests along the border. Around 18,000 Gazans have permits from Israeli authorities to work outside the blockaded enclave, providing an injection of cash amounting to some $2 million a day to the impoverished territory's economy.

Vietnam jails environmental activist for 3 years for tax fraud

A Vietnamese court has sentenced an environmental activist to three years in prison on charges of tax fraud, just days after the government discussed protecting human rights with U.S. President Joe Biden during a state visit. Hoang Thi Minh Hong, director of an environmental advocacy group that she started in 2013 and ran until 2022, was convicted of tax evasion after trial in Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday that lasted half a day, according to her lawyer Nguyen Van Tu.

Top Israeli court hears challenges to law limiting grounds for PM's removal

Israel's Supreme Court heard arguments on Thursday against a law passed by the ruling coalition limiting conditions for any removal of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from office, in the latest showdown among branches of government to grip the nation. Political watchdog groups and an opposition party have challenged the March 23 amendment to a quasi-constitutional "Basic Law," which Netanyahu's own attorney general described as designed to preserve his tenure amid a long-running graft trial.

US imposes fresh round of sanctions over instability in Sudan

The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on two companies, including one based in Russia, and one person it accused of exacerbating instability in Sudan as fighting has killed thousands and displaced millions of civilians. The action is the latest round of sanctions imposed by Washington after war between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) broke out in April over plans for a political transition and the integration of the RSF into the army, four years after long-time ruler Omar al-Bashir was overthrown in a popular uprising.

Migrants cross into Texas, undeterred by razor wire or new asylum rules

For the past several days large groups of migrants, mostly from Venezuela, have been wading across the Rio Grande river near a railroad bridge in Eagle Pass, Texas, undeterred by coils of razor wire laid along the banks. Reuters witnessed migrants crossing, sometimes dozens at a time and at times with small children, navigating strong currents to then make their way through the sharp wire put up by the Texas national guard. Once on U.S. soil they waited in the hot sun to turn themselves in to U.S. border officials for processing.

US soldier Travis King undergoes medical evaluation after North Korea release

U.S. Army Private Travis King arrived at a U.S. military hospital in Texas on Thursday where he will undergo medical evaluations, including for his mental health, following his expulsion from North Korea a day earlier, the Pentagon said. King, 23, was held in North Korea for over two months after his surprise dash across the heavily militarized border dividing the Korean peninsula.

US offers $5 million reward for information on killing of Ecuadorean presidential candidate

The U.S. is offering a $5 million reward for information leading to the arrest of those behind the killing of Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday. Villavicencio, a former lawmaker and crusading anti-corruption journalist, was gunned down in Quito on Aug. 9, less than two weeks before the presidential election. Ecuadorean police have arrested six suspects who they say are all Colombians belonging to criminal groups.

Niger junta says a dozen soldiers killed in militant attack

At least a dozen Niger soldiers were killed following an attack by hundreds of armed insurgents on motorbikes in the country's southwest on Thursday morning, the West African nation's defence ministry said in a statement. Seven soldiers were killed in combat while five others died in an accident while driving to reinforce the unit that had come under attack, the statement said.

Digital vandals hit Canadian websites amid tensions with India

A handful of Canadian websites were defaced and the site for the country's armed forces was briefly disrupted Wednesday amid simmering tensions with India. The low-level hacks were claimed by an obscure pro-India group going by the name "Indian Cyber Force," whose logo includes an American bald eagle with orange and green wings, the colors of the Indian flag.

Student gunman kills three in Rotterdam university shooting

A gunman killed three people in the Dutch city of Rotterdam on Thursday, shooting a local woman and her daughter in their home then storming into a classroom of Rotterdam's university hospital and opening fire on a male teacher. The 32-year-old suspect, a university student, shot dead a 39-year-old woman who lived in his neighbourhood, and shot her 14-year-old daughter. The girl died later in hospital, police said.

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