Reuters World News Summary

The U.S. Treasury Department said it targeted two companies linked to the army, including the country's largest defence enterprise, and two companies tied to the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, including one involved in gold mining. BRICS ministers put on show of strength as Putin arrest warrant looms large BRICS foreign ministers on Thursday asserted their bloc's ambition to rival Western powers but their talks in South Africa were overshadowed by questions over whether Russia's president would be arrested if he attended a summit in August.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Kosovo, Serbia presidents meet under EU pressure to defuse crisis

The presidents of Kosovo and Serbia held talks on Thursday on resolving a political crisis that has spiralled into violence, with the leaders of France and Germany pressing them to take swift steps to reduce tensions. Kosovo's Vjosa Osmani and Serbia's Aleksandar Vucic met briefly in the presence of French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the European Union's foreign policy chief on the sidelines of a summit in Moldova.

Russia says it repels border incursion, strikes on Kyiv kill three

Russia said on Thursday it had repelled more cross-border attacks from Ukraine while its aerial assaults on Kyiv killed another three people including a nine-year-old girl and her mother locked out of an air raid shelter. Both sides are trying to sap morale and weaken military capacity ahead of a long-promised Ukrainian counter-offensive against Russia's 15-month-old invasion.

Biden says Sweden will 'soon' join NATO at U.S. Air Force address

U.S. President Joe Biden predicted on Thursday Sweden will join NATO "soon", speaking at the U.S. Air Force Academy days after he hinted at a possible deal to overcome Turkey's opposition to admitting the Nordic country to the alliance. Biden, in a flag-waving commencement address in Colorado Springs, Colorado, warned graduates they will enter service in an increasingly unstable world, citing challenges from Russia and China.

In Moldova, Zelenskiy presses NATO bid, seeks interim guarantees

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy pressed his case on Thursday for Ukraine to be part of the NATO military alliance and urged the alliance to provide security guarantees if membership was not possible for now. Joining a meeting of European leaders in Moldova, the Ukrainian leader was seeking to bolster Western support ahead of his country's expected counter-offensive against Russia's invasion.

Japan braces for torrential rain as typhoon nears

Japan braced for torrential rains on Friday as Typhoon Mawar neared, bringing wind and heavy rain to a wide swathe of the main islands. Mawar, which wreaked havoc on Guam earlier this week, has weakened to tropical storm strength from its earlier super typhoon status, and the main body of the storm was expected to pass south of the main island of Honshu as it moved into the Pacific.

US imposes sanctions on companies tied to Sudan forces as fighting rages

The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on companies it accused of fuelling the conflict in Sudan, stepping up pressure on the army and a rival paramilitary force to stop fighting raging in Khartoum and other regions. The U.S. Treasury Department said it targeted two companies linked to the army, including the country's largest defence enterprise, and two companies tied to the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, including one involved in gold mining.

BRICS ministers put on show of strength as Putin arrest warrant looms large

BRICS foreign ministers on Thursday asserted their bloc's ambition to rival Western powers but their talks in South Africa were overshadowed by questions over whether Russia's president would be arrested if he attended a summit in August. South Africa's foreign minister Naledi Pandor said her country was mulling options if Vladimir Putin, the subject of a war crimes arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC), came to the planned BRICS summit in Johannesburg.

US calls for UN meeting on North Korea's attempted satellite launch

The United States has called for a U.N. Security Council meeting on Friday to discuss North Korea's attempted satellite launch this week, the spokesperson for the U.S. mission to the United Nations said. The launch on Wednesday was an attempt by North Korea to put its first spy satellite into space, but it ended in failure, with the booster and payload plunging into the sea.

Crowds clash with riot police as Senegal's Sonko sentenced to jail

Supporters of Senegal opposition leader Ousmane Sonko threw rocks at riot police and set fire to busses on Thursday after a court sentenced him in absentia to two years in jail, casting serious doubt on his chances of running for president next year. Sonko, 48, did not attend the hearing. But Justice Minister Ismaila Madior Fall said the opposition leader could now be taken to prison at any time and police had been stationed around his home in the capital Dakar on public safety grounds.

South Korea slaps sanctions on North's hacking group after failed satellite launch

South Korea on Friday announced new sanctions against a North Korean hacking group, Kimsuky, it accused of being involved in the North's latest satellite launch attempt. The United States and South Korea also issued a joint advisory saying the group conducts "large-scale" cyber attacks at think tanks, academic institutions and news outlets.

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