World briefs: US to consult EU on Putin talks, says Poland premier

Nigeria’s cocoa exports rise in first half

Abuja — Nigeria’s non-oil exports rose 19.6% to $3.225bn in the first half of 2025, its export promotion agency said on Monday, citing global demand for products such as cocoa and urea, as well as government trade initiatives and regional trade deals.

Products such as cocoa beans, urea/fertiliser and cashew nuts dominated exports, with cocoa accounting for about 35% of total export value. 

“Cocoa and its derivatives topped Nigeria’s non-oil exports, driven by rising global demand, higher prices, and increased local processing capacity,” Nonye Ayeni, chief of Nigerian’s Export Promotion Council, said.

The African Continental Free Trade Area also bolstered Nigeria’s exports, providing wider market access and tariff relief, while government-backed initiatives like training programmes helped exporters meet international standards.

The Netherlands, US and India were the top export destinations, with the Netherlands taking 18.64% of total exports. Reuters

Swarm of jellyfish force France nuclear plant to shut 

Paris — Four reactors at France’s Gravelines nuclear power plant were shut down late Sunday due to a swarm of jellyfish in the filter drums that pull in cooling water, operator EDF said on Monday.

The plant in northern France is one of the largest in the country and cooled from a canal connected to the North Sea. Its six units produce 900MW of power each, or 5.4GW in total.

Reactors 2, 3, and 4 stopped automatically when the filter drums of the pumping stations became packed with a “huge and unpredictable” swarm of jellyfish, and reactor 6 went offline shortly after, EDF said. Reuters

US to consult EU on Putin talks, says Poland premier

Brussels — Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that the US had pledged to consult with Europe ahead of a summit with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, as European ministers prepare for discussions amid fears Washington may dictate unfavourable peace terms to Ukraine.

EU foreign ministers were due to hold a video conference on Monday afternoon to discuss their support for Kyiv and the upcoming meeting.

US President Donald Trump announced last week he would meet Putin on Friday in Alaska to negotiate an end to the war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbour.

“The American side has promised that it will consult with European partners on its position before the meeting in Alaska,” Poland’s Tusk told a press conference.

“I will wait ... for the effects of the meeting between presidents Trump and Putin. I have many fears and a lot of hope,” he said. Reuters

Fires force evacuations in northern Spain

Cubo de Benavente — Extreme heat and strong winds caused “fire whirls” as a blaze burnt several houses and forced the evacuation of hundreds of people from near a Unesco-listed national park in northern Spain, authorities said on Monday.

Thirteen fires broke out in the north of the Castile and Leon region, with about 700 people told to abandon their homes in half a dozen villages.

Four fires were still live, Juan Carlos Suarez-Quinones, chief of environment for the regional government, said on Monday morning. Firefighters had extinguished the other nine.

High temperatures on Sunday had caused the so-called fire whirls near Las Medulas park, forcing firemen to retreat and burning some houses in the nearby village, according to Suarez-Quinones.

“This occurs when temperatures reach about 40°C in a very confined valley and then suddenly (the fire) enters a more open and oxygenated area. This produces a fireball, a fire whirl,” he said. Reuters

India chides Pakistan for reckless nuclear threats

New Delhi — India on Monday accused its neighbour Pakistan of “sabre rattling” and “irresponsibility” after media reports on remarks about nuclear threats in South Asia made by Pakistan's army chief while on a visit to the US

Indian media reports, citing sources, quoted Pakistan Field Marshal Asim Munir as saying: “We are a nuclear nation. If we think we are going down, we'll take half the world down with us”.

Pakistan’s military and foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Munir’s says. An excerpt of his speech shared by Pakistani security officials did not include the “nuclear nation” remarks.

Munir reportedly made the remarks at a black-tie dinner hosted by a Pakistani-origin businessman in Florida on Saturday, where he spoke to a crowd of more than 100 people. Reuters could not independently verify the remarks. Reuters

China bans Spanish poultry imports due to bird flu

Beijing — China banned imports of poultry and related products from Spain on Monday due to an avian influenza outbreak. 

Spain’s agriculture ministry said in a statement there was no effective impact from the ban, which came into effect on August 7, because exports of poultry from Spain to China had not yet started. 

A protocol between the two countries for the export of certain poultry products including turkey and chicken feet from Spain to China was signed in April and applications by companies wishing to export were still being studied, the ministry said. Reuters

Wikipedia loses UK court challenge

London — The operator of Wikipedia on Monday lost a legal challenge to parts of the UK’s Online Safety Act, which sets tough new requirements for online platforms — but has been criticised for potentially curtailing free speech.

The Wikimedia Foundation took legal action at London’s high court over regulations made under the law, which it said could impose the most stringent duties on Wikipedia.

The foundation said if it was subject to so-called Category 1 duties — which would require Wikipedia’s users and contributors’ identities to be verified — it would need to drastically reduce the number of users who can access the site.

Judge Jeremy Johnson dismissed its case on Monday, but said the Wikimedia Foundation could bring a further challenge if regulator Ofcom “[impermissibly] concludes that Wikipedia is a Category 1 service”. Reuters