World News Roundup: A new model to help refugees built for Afghans, adapts to support Ukrainians; Putin boasts of Russian weapons prowess and says Moscow is ready to share it with allies and more

The five U.S. lawmakers, led by Senator Ed Markey, arrived in Taipei on an unannounced visit late on Sunday, the second high-level group to visit following that of U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi in early August, which set off several days of Chinese war games. Myanmar court jails Suu Kyi for six years for corruption - source A court in military-ruled Myanmar sentenced deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi to six years in prison on Monday after finding her guilty in four corruption cases, a source with knowledge of the proceedings said.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

A new model to help refugees built for Afghans, adapts to support Ukrainians

Since July, Dmitry Vorobiova, 39, his partner Olena, 36, and their dog have been living with 64-year-old Michael Glover, a software engineer who had extra space in his six-bedroom house after his wife passed away. Strangers before, Glover and the Ukrainian couple have together built a quiet routine in the three-story house in his small town in eastern New Hampshire: Dmitry and Glover jog in the evenings and occasionally the two cook Glover grilled chicken for dinner.

Putin boasts of Russian weapons prowess and says Moscow is ready to share it with allies

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that Moscow valued its ties with countries in Latin America, Asia and Africa and was ready to offer modern weapons to its allies. Putin used a speech at an arms show near Moscow to boast of Russia's advanced weapons capabilities and declare its willingness to share technology with like-minded countries.

Russian forces pound Ukraine's Donetsk region

Ukrainian forces reported heavy Russian shelling and attempts to advance on several towns in the eastern region of Donetsk that has become a key focus of the near six-month war, but said they had repelled many of the attacks. The General Staff of Ukraine's armed forces also reported Russian shelling of more than a dozen towns on the southern front - particularly the Kherson region, mainly controlled by Russian forces, but where Ukrainian troops are steadily capturing territory.

Angry China stages more drills near Taiwan as U.S. lawmakers visit

China's military said it carried out more exercises near Taiwan on Monday as a group of U.S. lawmakers visited the Chinese-claimed island and met President Tsai Ing-wen, who said her government was committed to maintaining stability. The five U.S. lawmakers, led by Senator Ed Markey, arrived in Taipei on an unannounced visit late on Sunday, the second high-level group to visit following that of U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi in early August, which set off several days of Chinese war games.

Myanmar court jails Suu Kyi for six years for corruption - source

A court in military-ruled Myanmar sentenced deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi to six years in prison on Monday after finding her guilty in four corruption cases, a source with knowledge of the proceedings said. The 77-year-old Nobel laureate and figurehead of Myanmar's opposition to military rule has been charged with at least 18 offenses ranging from graft to election violations, carrying combined maximum jail terms of nearly 190 years.

UK first to approve Omicron COVID shot with Moderna go-ahead

Britain, the first country to approve a coronavirus vaccine in late 2020, has now also given the first green light to a variant-adapted shot that targets both the original and Omicron version of the virus. The UK medicines regulator (MHRA) gave the so-called bivalent vaccine made by U.S. drug company Moderna conditional approval as a booster for adults on Monday.

Body of Philippine teen exhumed in fresh push for drug war justice

The body of a teenager killed in a high-profile shooting during the Philippines' war on drugs five years ago was exhumed for autopsy on Monday as his family seek to learn more about his death and hold others accountable. High school student Kian Delos Santos was 17 when police shot him in an act they said was self-defense.

Iran says Rushdie and supporters to blame for the attack

No one has the right to level accusations against Iran over Friday's attack on Salman Rushdie, for which he is to blame after denigrating the world's Muslims, the foreign ministry in Tehran said on Monday. The novelist, who has lived under a death threat for decades since enraging clerical authorities in Iran through his writing, is recovering after being repeatedly stabbed at a public appearance in New York state.

Brittney Griner's legal team appeals against Russian drugs sentenced

The defense team of Brittney Griner, the U.S. basketball star jailed for nine years in Russia on drugs charges, appealed on Monday against her conviction for narcotics possession and trafficking. Griner was convicted on Aug. 4 in a verdict that U.S. President Joe Biden called "unacceptable". Washington says she was wrongfully detained and has offered to exchange her for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer serving a 25-year prison sentence in the United States.

A year of Taliban rule gives Afghanistan security but little hope

The Taliban marked a year in power on Monday with small-scale celebrations by the group's fighters as Afghanistan struggles with rising poverty, drought, malnutrition and fading hope among women that they will have a decisive role in the country's future. Some people fired celebratory gunshots in the air in Kabul and Taliban fighters gathered, waving the group's black and white flag to mark a year since they marched into the capital after a stunning series of battlefield victories.

(With inputs from agencies.)