World News Roundup: UK confident it can overturn legal ban on Rwanda plan; Brazil police arrest second suspect in case of missing journalist and more

Russia had told Ukrainian forces holed up in a chemical plant in the shattered city to stop "senseless resistance and lay down arms" from Wednesday morning, pressing its advantage in the battle for control of eastern Ukraine. Ukraine says Russia eyes a 'vast area from Warsaw to Sofia' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged the European Union on Wednesday to let his country start on the road to membership of the bloc, warning that Russia's territorial ambitions stretched from Warsaw to Sofia.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

UK confident it can overturn legal ban on Rwanda plan

Britain pressed on with its plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda on Wednesday despite a last-minute intervention by European judges that grounded the first flight minutes before it was due to depart. The government had been forced to fight a series of legal challenges in London courts, and believed it was ready to deport a handful of migrants on a charter plane to Rwanda on Tuesday night before the European Court of Human Rights (ECHO) stepped in.

Brazil police arrest second suspect in case of missing journalist

Brazilian police on Tuesday arrested a second suspect in the investigation of the disappearance of British journalist Dom Phillips and indigenous expert Bruno Pereira in the Amazon rainforest in western Brazil. Oseney da Costa de Oliveira, also known as "Dos Santos," aged 41, was under temporary arrest on suspicion he was involved in the case with his brother Amarildo da Costa de Oliveira, who was arrested last week, the federal police said a statement.

The Baltic states want more NATO. They won't get all they seek

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have been calling for their region to receive the biggest build-up of combat-ready NATO forces in Europe since the end of the Cold War, to be agreed at a summit on June 28-30 in Madrid. It will not happen, interviews with seven senior diplomats and officials from leading NATO allies show.

Saudi pro-government commentators relish Biden's about-face on kingdom

Saudi pro-government commentators are gloating over U.S. President Joe Biden's planned visit next month, saying the U.S. leader's about-turn on his vow to make Saudi Arabia a "pariah" reflected the kingdom's importance in global affairs. After the White House confirmed on Tuesday that Biden would meet de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on a trip to the region, the commentators took to social media to praise the prince for his handling of the crisis in U.S.-Saudi ties.

Up to 1,200 civilians may be in plant in eye of Ukraine battle, separatist says

Up to 1,200 civilians may be holed up in the shelters of the Azot chemical plant in the eastern Ukrainian city where one of the fiercest battles of the war has been raging between Russian and Ukrainian forces, a Russian-backed separatist said. Russian forces are trying to grind down Ukrainian resistance in the eastern city of Sievierodonetsk, part of a wider push to drive Kyiv's forces out of two separatist regions which Russia backs and has recognized as independent states.

Ukraine defies Russia's Sievierodonetsk ultimatum

Ukraine ignored a Russian ultimatum to surrender the eastern city of Sievierodonetsk on Wednesday as NATO defense ministers gathered in Brussels to discuss sending more heavy weapons to replenish Kyiv's dwindling stocks. Russia had told Ukrainian forces holed up in a chemical plant in the shattered city to stop "senseless resistance and lay down arms" from Wednesday morning, pressing its advantage in the battle for control of eastern Ukraine.

Ukraine says Russia eyes a 'vast area from Warsaw to Sofia'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged the European Union on Wednesday to let his country start on the road to membership of the bloc, warning that Russia's territorial ambitions stretched from Warsaw to Sofia. In a speech to both chambers of the Czech parliament via a video link, Zelenskiy also called for more EU sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24.

EU sues UK after plan to override deal on Northern Ireland

The European Commission launched two new legal proceedings against Britain on Wednesday after London published plans to override some post-Brexit rules governing Northern Irish trade, and resumed another challenge it had previously paused. The proceedings could result in the European Court of Justice (ECJ) imposing fines, although these would likely be more than a year away.

S.Korea truckers return to work after strike deal; shares rally

South Korea's unionized truckers headed back on the roads on Wednesday after the union and the transport ministry reached a tentative late-night agreement, ending a nationwide strike that crippled ports and industrial hubs. The transport ministry and truckers union agreed on late Tuesday to extend the truckers' minimum freight rates and continue discussing expanding a guarantee of minimum pay for carrying cargo to cover additional products. The transport ministry will also review expanding fuel subsidies.

UN experts probing possible war crimes in Ukraine say no contact yet with Russia

A U.N. commission set up to investigate possible war crimes in Ukraine during the Russian invasion said on Wednesday it had not yet not managed to establish contact with Russia. Erik Mose, who heads the independent panel, told a news conference during a visit to Kyiv that efforts to start dialogue with Russia's mission in Geneva had "not been successful" but that the commission would keep trying to make contact.