World News Roundup: Exclusive-Qatar prime minister, Taliban chief hold secret Afghan talks -source; North Korea satellite plunges in sea in 'rushed' failure; more launches expected and more

While Finland joined the military alliance in April, Sweden's bid has been held up by Turkey despite a deal struck in Madrid last year to meet its security concerns. South Korea uses AI to measure North Korean leader's weight, lawmaker says North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is believed to weigh over 140 kg (308 lb) according to an artificial intelligence (AI) estimate, a South Korean lawmaker said on Wednesday in a remark reflecting abiding interest in the health of the North's secretive ruler.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Exclusive-Qatar prime minister, Taliban chief hold secret Afghan talks -source

The Qatari prime minister held secret talks with the supreme leader of the Taliban this month on resolving tension with the international community, a source briefed on the meeting said, signaling a new willingness by Afghanistan's rulers to discuss ways to end their isolation. The May 12 meeting in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar between Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani and Haibatullah Akhunzada is the first the reclusive Taliban chief is known to have held with a foreign leader.

North Korea satellite plunges in sea in 'rushed' failure; more launches expected

A North Korean satellite launch on Wednesday ended in failure, sending the booster and payload plunging into the sea, North Korean state media said, and the South's military said it had recovered parts of the launch vehicle. The new "Chollima-1" satellite launch rocket failed because of instability in the engine and fuel system, state news agency KCNA reported.

Russia reports hits on oil refineries and town near Ukraine

Moscow said Ukrainian artillery had hit a town inside Russia for a third time this week and reported drone strikes on two Russian oil refineries on Wednesday, while Ukrainian shelling in Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine killed five people.

There was no immediate comment from Ukraine on the Russian reports, in a week when both countries accused each other of spreading terror in their capitals with air attacks as Ukraine prepares a Western-backed push to end Russia's invasion.

Sudanese army suspends ceasefire talks, diplomatic source says

Sudan's army suspended talks with a rival paramilitary force on Wednesday over a ceasefire and aid access, a Sudanese diplomatic source said, raising fears the six-week-old conflict will push Africa's third largest nation deeper into a humanitarian crisis. The negotiations with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which began in early May, had produced a declaration of commitments to protect civilians and two short-term ceasefire deals, although those deals were repeatedly violated.

New anti-terror law should convince Turkey to back NATO bid, Swedish minister says

New anti-terrorism legislation which comes into force this week should pave the way for Sweden to join NATO in coming weeks and overcome a Turkish veto, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said on Wednesday. Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. While Finland joined the military alliance in April, Sweden's bid has been held up by Turkey despite a deal struck in Madrid last year to meet its security concerns.

South Korea uses AI to measure North Korean leader's weight, lawmaker says

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is believed to weigh over 140 kg (308 lb) according to an artificial intelligence (AI) estimate, a South Korean lawmaker said on Wednesday in a remark reflecting abiding interest in the health of the North's secretive ruler. The health of North Korean leaders is typically a tightly held state secret, and speculation about the condition of the current leader Kim, believed to be 39 years old, has been recurring due to his heavy smoking, apparent weight gain and family history of cardiovascular problems.

China military says U.S. reconnaissance plane deliberately intruded into training area

China's military said a U.S. reconnaissance plane deliberately intruded into its training area on May 26 and that the move seriously undermined regional peace and stability. During routine training in the South China Sea with several ships of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy, one RC-135 reconnaissance plane of the U.S. military deliberately broke into in the training area, a spokesperson for the Southern Theatre Command said in a statement on Wednesday.

NATO-led troops guard town hall in northern Kosovo

NATO peacekeepers stood behind a razor-wire barrier that prevented the approach of protesters outside a municipal hall in ethnically divided northern Kosovo, where days of unrest have prompted NATO to send additional troops to stave off violence. Following clashes on Monday in Zvecan, another northern town, during which 30 NATO troops and 52 ethnic Serbian protesters were hurt, NATO said it would send 700 more troops to Kosovo to boost its 4,000-strong mission. It was not clear when the soldiers would arrive.

Turkey's Erdogan faces struggle to meet Syrian refugee promise

President Tayyip Erdogan played up his plans to repatriate a million Syrian refugees as he rode a wave of nationalism to his third decade in power, but he could struggle to make good on the promise as conflict lingers on in neighbouring Syria. Erdogan, long seen as an ally by Syrian opponents of President Bashar al-Assad, emphasised refugee repatriation during bitter campaigning for Sunday's run-off against Kemal Kilicidaroglu, who took an even tougher stance on the issue.

Low-income countries to be left behind without action on jobs - ILO

A global employment divide between high-income and low-income countries is worsening as rising debt levels hit developing countries disproportionately, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) said on Wednesday. It urged nations to offer global financial support on job creation and social protection to help narrow the gap.

(With inputs from agencies.)