World News Roundup: Ukrainian soldiers hope for Western arms to speed up counteroffensive; China braces for more harsh weather after tornado kills 10 and more

Ukraine brought the case to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the highest U.N. court for disputes between states, days after Russia launched a full scale war on its smaller neighbour on Feb. 24 last year. U.N. climate summit asks some countries to detail progress, as others face pressure Countries seen as taking strong action against climate change will speak Wednesday at a special climate summit, with the oil-exporting United Arab Emirates set to take the last slot.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Ukrainian soldiers hope for Western arms to speed up counteroffensive

Despite recent battlefield gains, Ukrainian soldiers fighting on the eastern front say they need more Western weapons to speed up their grinding counteroffensive against Russian forces. Kyiv says it has in recent fighting recaptured two villages south of Bakhmut which will help its forces advance on the shattered eastern city occupied by Russian forces since May.

China braces for more harsh weather after tornado kills 10

Chinese weather officials stepped up warnings about heavy rain and strong winds in several regions, state media said on Wednesday, a day after a violent tornado wreaked havoc in the eastern province of Jiangsu, killing 10 people. The latest incident in weeks of destructive and deadly weather spurred authorities to call for vigilance against strong winds in coastal areas near the Yellow Sea off Jiangsu.

India tells citizens in Canada to exercise caution as ties worsen

India urged caution on Wednesday by its nationals in Canada, and those planning to visit, as relations deteriorated after each nation expelled one of the other's diplomats in an escalating row over the murder of a Sikh separatist leader. Tension has grown since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday Canada was investigating "credible allegations" about the potential involvement of Indian government agents in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia in June.

Karabakh Armenians agree to ceasefire after Azerbaijan military operation

Ethnic Armenians in Azerbaijan's breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh agreed to a Russian proposal for a ceasefire on Wednesday, 24 hours after Azerbaijan began an offensive to take control of the enclave that killed dozens and injured hundreds. The separatist Armenian forces in Karabakh said Azerbaijan had broken through their lines and seized a number of heights and strategic road junctions while the world had stood by, doing nothing.

EU to ask China at UN to push Russia towards 'just peace' in Ukraine

European Council President Charles Michel will ask China directly at the United Nations Security Council to do more to push Russia towards a "just peace" in Ukraine, according to his draft speech seen by Reuters at the UNGA. At the Security Council meeting held on Wednesday during the annual high-level U.N. General Assembly in New York, Michel will call for "a just peace that respects the U.N. Charter and its core principles — the territorial integrity of a sovereign nation."

Analysis-Qatar pursues US-Iranian nuclear steps after detainee swap

Qatar wants to capitalise on a U.S.-Iranian detainee deal that it mediated during months of delicate diplomacy to find common ground on a more intractable issue between the two hardened adversaries: the dispute over Iran's nuclear programme.

Russia's war in Ukraine may have top billing at the U.N. General Assembly, but Iran's nuclear ambitions cast a shadow over the Middle East and worry the West. And as the dispute rumbles on, Tehran has steadily enriched more uranium and moved closer to Moscow by supplying drones to Russia's army.

With TikToks, memes and Musk comments, Argentina election battle goes viral

In a high-rise office in downtown Buenos Aires, a loose band of twenty-something influencers gather to plan how to propel Javier Milei to the Argentine presidency with TikTok videos, memes - and some help from Elon Musk. The group, who take the occasional break from filming and strategizing to hoverboard ride around the office, say they are unpaid volunteers who believe in Milei's libertarian ideas and "chainsaw" plan for the country's hard-hit economy. They are helping drive an online battle for votes that has contributed to making Milei the front-runner ahead of the Oct. 22 election.

Swedish appeals court upholds conviction in PKK funding case

A Swedish appeals court on Wednesday upheld the guilty verdict of a man charged with attempting to finance the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), in a ruling that could affect the likelihood of Turkey ratifying Sweden's NATO application. Ankara accuses Sweden of harbouring members of militant groups on its territory and has said it must crack down on them before it can join NATO.

Ukraine allies back Kyiv's genocide challenge against Russia at World Court

More than a dozen European states, as well as Australia and Canada, on Wednesday asked the World Court to decide it has jurisdiction in a case brought by Kyiv alleging that Russia abused the Genocide Convention to provide a pretext for the invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine brought the case to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the highest U.N. court for disputes between states, days after Russia launched a full scale war on its smaller neighbour on Feb. 24 last year.

U.N. climate summit asks some countries to detail progress, as others face pressure

Countries seen as taking strong action against climate change will speak Wednesday at a special climate summit, with the oil-exporting United Arab Emirates set to take the last slot. With this year's annual U.N. climate summit, COP28, set to take place later this year in the UAE city of Dubai, U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres has implored national policymakers to step up efforts to rein in climate-warming emissions.