World News Roundup: Qatar to host indirect Iran-US talks on reviving 2015 nuclear deal; G7: we will stand with Ukraine 'for as long as it takes' and more

The announcement came after Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, addressing G7 leaders at their summit in the Bavarian Alps via a video link, asked for weapons and air defences to gain the upper hand in the war against Russia within months. G7: we will stand with Ukraine 'for as long as it takes' Leaders of the Group of Seven wealthy democracies on Monday pledged to stand with Ukraine "for as long as it takes" by cranking up sanctions on Russia and backing security commitments for Kyiv in a post-war settlement.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Qatar to host indirect Iran-US talks on reviving 2015 nuclear deal

Qatar will host indirect talks between Iran and the United States in the coming days, Iranian media reported on Monday, amid a push by the European Union to break a months-long impasse in the negotiations to reinstate a 2015 nuclear pact. "Iran has chosen Qatar to host the talks because of Doha's friendly ties with Tehran," Mohammad Marandi, a media adviser to Iran's top nuclear negotiator, told the ISNA news agency on Monday.

G7: we will stand with Ukraine 'for as long as it takes'

Leaders of the Group of Seven wealthy democracies on Monday pledged to stand with Ukraine "for as long as it takes" by cranking up sanctions on Russia and backing security commitments for Kyiv in a post-war settlement. Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the global economic fallout such as soaring energy and food prices have dominated this year's summit of the leaders of Germany, the United States, France, Italy, Canada, Japan and Britain.

How Ukrainian defenders left Sievierodonetsk in boats under cover of night

One of the last Ukrainian defenders of Sievierodonetsk said he withdrew in a boat, bitter to be leaving after weathering a weeks-long Russian onslaught on the ruined city but happy to be alive as he and others crossed the river to higher ground. Russian forces fully occupied the frontline eastern city on Saturday, both sides said, confirming Kyiv's biggest battlefield setback for more than a month following some of the war's bloodiest fighting.

Pledging new sanctions, G7 to stand with Ukraine 'for as long as it takes'

The Group of Seven clubs of wealthy nations on Monday vowed to stand with Ukraine "for as long as it takes", promising to tighten the squeeze on Russia's finances with new sanctions that include a proposal to cap the price of Russian oil. The announcement came after Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, addressing G7 leaders at their summit in the Bavarian Alps via a video link, asked for weapons and air defences to gain the upper hand in the war against Russia within months.

'Systemic challenge' or worse? NATO members wrangle over how to treat China

NATO's first new strategy concept in a decade will cite China as a concern for the first time but member states remain at odds over how to describe the country with the world's largest military and its relationship with Russia, NATO diplomats say. Both a summit of the G7 rich industrial democracies now underway in Germany and a NATO summit to follow will tackle China's deepening ties with Russia after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, and what is seen as the growing inclination of China to flex its geopolitical muscle and coercive economic might abroad.

Ukraine's richest man sues Russia at Europe's top human rights court

Ukraine's richest man filed a lawsuit against Russia at Europe's top human rights court on Monday, seeking compensation over what he has said are billions of dollars in business losses since Russia's invasion. Rinat Akhmetov, owner of the Azovstal steelworks in the city of Mariupol where Ukrainian fighters defied weeks of Russian bombardment, sued Russia for "grievous violations of his property rights" at the European Court of Human Rights, his System Capital Management (SCM) holding company said.

Norway court names suspect in Oslo gay bar shooting ahead of Pride gathering

A Norwegian court on Monday identified the suspect in a deadly rampage at a gay bar in Oslo as Zaniar Matapour, a Norwegian citizen of Iranian origin, as the city prepared a demonstration of solidarity to honour the victims later on Monday. Matapour, whom police have described as a radicalised Islamist with a history of mental illness, is accused of killing two people and injuring 21 on Saturday, the day the city was due to celebrate its annual Pride parade.

Afghanistan earthquake survivors unsafe as aftershocks continue -official

Aftershocks continue to be felt in the area hit by a deadly earthquake in Afghanistan last week and the area remains unsafe for survivors, a senior Afghan official said on Monday, as authorities continued to grapple with the disaster's fallout.

Afghanistan's most destructive earthquake in decades struck a remote southeastern region near the Pakistani border on Wednesday last week, killing at least 1,000 people, injuring 3,000 and destroying 10,000 homes.

Ukraine pleads for air defence as Russia turns sights on Lysychansk

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday urged Western leaders to supply anti-aircraft defence systems to his embattled nation as Russian forces assaulted Lysychansk, the last big city still held by Ukrainian troops in eastern Luhansk province. Addressing the Group of Seven summit in the Bavarian Alps via video link, Zelenskiy also asked for help to export grain from Ukraine and for more sanctions on Russia, a European official said.

S.Africa says 21 teens were likely killed by something they drank, ate or smoked

South African authorities investigating 21 teenagers found dead at an east coast tavern over the weekend said on Monday the youths were probably killed by something they ate, drank or smoked, ruling out the earlier-touted possibility of a stampede. The still unexplained deaths of the teens, some of whom were celebrating the end of school exams and others a birthday party, have brought an outpouring of grief and shocked a nation accustomed to injuries linked to a binge-drinking culture.