Reuters World News Summary

Russia fired a new intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile known as "Oreshnik", or Hazel Tree, at Ukraine on Thursday in what Putin said was a direct response to strikes on Russia by Ukrainian forces with U.S. and British missiles. Trump expected to pick Bessent to be US treasury secretary, sources say President-elect Donald Trump is expected to pick prominent investor Scott Bessent to take on the role of U.S. Treasury secretary, sources told Reuters on Friday, putting him at the helm of a cabinet position with vast influence over economic, regulatory and international affairs.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Israel pounds southern Lebanon and Beirut outskirts, killing five medics

Israeli forces pounded southern Lebanon and the outskirts of the capital Beirut on Friday, killing at least five medics, and ground troops clashed with Hezbollah fighters in the south. Israel has pushed on with its intense military campaign against the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah, tempering hopes that efforts by a U.S. envoy will lead to an imminent ceasefire.

Ukraine steps up air defence development in response to Russian missile deployment, Zelenskiy says

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday that Ukraine was working on developing new types of air defence to counter "new risks" following Russia's deployment of a new medium-range missile in the 33-month war. Zelenskiy, in his nightly video address, said testing a new weapon for purposes of terror in another country was an "international crime" and issued a new call for a world-wide "serious response" to keep Russia from expanding the war.

Bolsonaro's coup indictment postponed by Brazil's top prosecutor, sources say

Brazil's top public prosecutor is not likely to issue any indictments until next year for former President Jair Bolsonaro, members of his government and military officers who allegedly planned a coup after his 2022 election defeat, four sources told Reuters. That is because General Prosecutor Paulo Gonet is planning to merge three Federal Police investigations into Bolsonaro's actions against Brazil's democratic system and produce one single global indictment against him, they said.

Russia says Kyiv returned 46 civilians taken to Ukraine after incursion

Russia said on Friday that Ukraine had returned 46 Russian citizens who were taken there after Ukrainian forces seized a chunk of Russia's western Kursk region in August. "The painstaking and lengthy negotiations for the return of our fellow countrymen to their homeland have brought results," Kursk regional governor Alexei Smirnov wrote on his Telegram channel. "They are receiving all necessary assistance."

Analysis-Calls for minister's firing could tip Israel into constitutional crisis

A petition by a group of non-governmental organizations for the Supreme Court to order the dismissal of far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has caused a rift in Benjamin Netanyahu's government and could plunge Israel into a constitutional crisis. In a letter to Netanyahu last week, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara asked the prime minister to consider firing the minister, citing evidence that he allegedly interfered directly in police operations and politicized promotions within the force, threatening its status outside politics.

Analysis-Putin sends a missile message to the West: 'Back off'

Vladimir Putin's hypersonic missile carried a simple message to the West over Ukraine: back off, and if you don't, Russia reserves the right to hit U.S. and British military facilities. Russia fired a new intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile known as "Oreshnik", or Hazel Tree, at Ukraine on Thursday in what Putin said was a direct response to strikes on Russia by Ukrainian forces with U.S. and British missiles.

Trump expected to pick Bessent to be US treasury secretary, sources say

President-elect Donald Trump is expected to pick prominent investor Scott Bessent to take on the role of U.S. Treasury secretary, sources told Reuters on Friday, putting him at the helm of a cabinet position with vast influence over economic, regulatory and international affairs. One source briefed by the Trump transition team and a donor briefed on the plans told Reuters of Trump's intention to pick Bessent. The Trump transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Putin says Russia will keep testing new missile in combat

President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia would keep testing its new Oreshnik hypersonic missile in combat and had a stock ready for use, while Ukraine said it was already at work to develop air systems to counter the weapon. Putin was speaking a day after Russia fired the new intermediate-range weapon into Ukraine for the first time, a step he said was prompted by Ukraine's use of U.S. ballistic missiles and British cruise missiles to hit Russia.

Trump may seek dismissal of hush money case, sentencing delayed

Donald Trump may seek dismissal of the criminal case in which he was convicted in May of 34 felony counts involving hush money paid to a porn star, a judge ruled on Friday, while also indefinitely delaying Trump's sentencing in light of his victory in the Nov. 5 U.S. presidential election. The sentencing had been scheduled to take place next Tuesday.

Little hope in Gaza that arrest warrants will cool Israeli onslaught

Gazans saw little hope on Friday that International Criminal Court arrest warrants for Israeli leaders would slow down the onslaught on the Palestinian territory, where medics said at least 24 people were killed in fresh Israeli military strikes. In Gaza City in the north, an Israeli strike on a house in Shejaia killed eight people, medics said. Three others were killed in a strike near a bakery and a fisherman was killed as he set out to sea. In the central and southern areas, 12 people were killed in three separate Israeli air strikes.

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