World News Roundup: Turkey's Erdogan to speak to Finland as NATO application row simmers; Saudi crown prince signals family unity as succession looms and more

There he greeted South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, a relative newcomer to politics, for the first time in person. Wife says Ethiopian general arrested after criticising government A prominent Ethiopian general who has been critical of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government was due in court on Friday after being arrested this week, his wife said.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Turkey's Erdogan to speak to Finland as NATO application row simmers

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said he will speak to Finland on Saturday while maintaining his opposition to Finnish and Swedish NATO membership bids over their history of hosting members of groups Ankara deems terrorists. Finland and Sweden formally applied to join NATO on Wednesday, following Russia's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine.

Saudi crown prince signals family unity as succession looms

An unlikely royal joined a Saudi delegation to the UAE this week, and readers of the Kingdom's political landscape are viewing the move as a message of family unity from its de facto ruler after fractious years spent building his power base. Prince Abdulaziz bin Ahmed is the eldest son of Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, the detained brother of the Saudi monarch, and has no official post.

Syrian man stabs wife and a man in Norway domestic dispute - police

A Syrian man stabbed and wounded his wife and another man in a small village in southeast Norway on Friday, police said, adding that the attack was a domestic dispute and there was no danger to others. The two victims and the attacker were all wounded in the attack, which had triggered a major response by emergency services fearing a larger incident, and one of the victims was in a critical condition, police said.

Thousands queue for petrol, gas in Sri Lanka amid warnings of food shortages

Thousands of people queued for cooking gas and petrol in Sri Lanka's commercial capital on Friday and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe warned of a food shortage as the island nation battles a devastating economic crisis. Lines formed in many parts of Colombo, a city of around 900,000 people, as residents tried to stock up on fuel, which is mostly imported and is in extremely short supply with the government running out of foreign exchange.

G7 to pledge billions in new lifeline for Ukraine economy

The Group of Seven's financial leaders are expected to unveil billions of dollars in new aid to Ukraine on Friday and promise enough money to keep the country's devastated economy afloat as long as it fights against Russia's invasion. The finance ministers and central bank governors of the United States, Japan, Canada, Britain, Germany, France, and Italy - the G7 democracies - also are discussing next steps on sanctions to pressure Russia to end the war launched on Feb. 24.

Russian forces step up east Ukraine campaign, more wounded leave Mariupol bastion

Russian forces bombarded areas of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region from land and air on Friday, destroying houses in residential districts and killing a number of civilians, Ukrainian officials said. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the assaults had turned the Donbas into "hell".

Hindu women press for access to Indian mosque, in the latest dispute

A court case started by five Hindu women in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's political constituency has become the latest battleground in India between the Hindu majority and minority Muslims over access to historically contested religious sites. The women, backed by an influential hardline Hindu group linked to Modi's party, said they were determined to secure the legal right for Hindus to pray daily to the idol of a goddess and relics that they say are inside a prominent mosque in Varanasi.

U.S.' Pelosi warns Britain: No trade deal unless you respect N.Irish peace deal

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi told Britain there could be no U.S.-UK trade deal if it proceeds with plans to unilaterally scrap some of the rules governing trade with Northern Ireland. Britain warned European Union authorities this week that it could discard post-Brexit regulations painstakingly negotiated with Brussels including border checks on some goods shipped from mainland Britain to Northern Ireland.

First stop Samsung: Biden touts S.Korean role in securing global supply chains

Joe Biden's first stop on his inaugural trip to Asia as U.S. president on Friday was a massive Samsung Electronics semiconductor plant, underscoring a message of economic security with an eye on China and the war in Ukraine. Biden landed at the U.S. military's Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul, and immediately drove to Samsung's nearby factory, the largest semiconductor plant in the world. There he greeted South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, a relative newcomer to politics, for the first time in person.

Wife says Ethiopian general arrested after criticizing government

A prominent Ethiopian general who has been critical of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government was due in court on Friday after being arrested this week, his wife said. Brigadier General Tefera Mamo commanded the Amhara region's military, which has backed Abiy's federal troops against rebellious forces in northern Tigray, until February when he was removed for unexplained reasons.

(With inputs from agencies.)