World News Roundup: In tears at the border, Ukrainians say they held on until they had to flee; Mexican president poised to win a historic, polarizing referendum on his rule and more

China's government last month described Taiwan's humanitarian aid for Ukraine and sanctions on Russia as "taking advantage of other's difficulties", after the island announced it was sending funds donated by the public for refugees. Turkish ministry to approve request to transfer Khashoggi case to S.Arabia Turkey's justice minister said on Friday his ministry would approve a request to transfer a trial over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi to Saudi Arabia, as Ankara seeks to mend ties with Riyadh.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

In tears at the border, Ukrainians say they held on until they had to flee

Valery Petrovich Sorokin, 66, didn't want to leave his home outside of Kharkiv. He suffers from arthritis and struggles to move. But, a month into the war, as Russian bombs fell around him, his family told him he had to go to Poland with them. "There are planes all the time and the sound of bombing all the time, it's very loud," he told Reuters tearfully as his family huddled under green tents set up to protect refugees from the rain as they waited at the Shehyni border crossing in Ukraine.

Mexican president poised to win a historic, polarizing referendum on his rule

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is this month poised for victory in a referendum on his rule that could fortify his authority during the final stretch of his administration even as critics dismissed the vote as a sideshow. The recall referendum on April 10 has given the popular leftist Lopez Obrador a focal point for his constant broadsides against the opposition, which is struggling to capitalize on the troubles he has had delivering on promises.

Moscow says Ukraine hit a fuel depot inside Russia

Russia accused Ukraine of carrying out an airstrike against a fuel depot in the Russian city of Belgorod on Friday, an incident the Kremlin said set an unfavorable tone for peace talks with Kyiv. Ukraine's foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, said he could not confirm or deny reports of Ukrainian involvement in the strike as he did not have military information. The Ukrainian Defence Ministry and the general staff did not respond to requests for comment.

Russia lets gas flow to Europe after Putin deadline; peace talks resume

Russia allowed gas to keep flowing to Europe on Friday despite a deadline for buyers to pay in roubles or be cut off, and peace talks resumed, with Moscow saying it would respond to a Ukrainian offer. An order by President Vladimir Putin to cut off gas buyers unless they pay in roubles from Friday had caused alarm in Europe, where it was seen as Moscow's strongest card to play to retaliate for Western financial sanctions. Germany, the biggest buyer, rejected the demand as "blackmail".

Pope apologizes to Canadian indigenous for wrongs at residential schools

Pope Francis apologized to Canadian indigenous peoples on Friday for the Roman Catholic Church's role in residential schools that sought to erase their cultures and where many children suffered abuse. Francis, in an address to the native leaders at the end of a week of private meetings with individual groups of delegates from various indigenous nations, also said he would like to make a trip to Canada this July, confirming what Vatican sources had said earlier.

N.Korea may be preparing new nuclear tests to improve arsenal, U.S. and allies say

There are increasing signs that North Korea could soon test a nuclear weapon for the first time since 2017 in a bid to improve its arsenal and increase political pressure, U.S. and South Korean officials and analysts said. Two U.S. officials told Reuters that there were indications, including activity near the Punggye-ri nuclear site, that Pyongyang may be preparing for some sort of test, though the exact timing was unclear.

'From our heart': Taiwan rejects China's criticism over Ukraine aid

Taiwan's foreign minister on Friday strongly rejected criticism of its relief efforts for Ukraine from China, saying the aid came "from our heart" and was not an exercise in political manipulation. China's government last month described Taiwan's humanitarian aid for Ukraine and sanctions on Russia as "taking advantage of other's difficulties", after the island announced it was sending funds donated by the public for refugees.

Turkish ministry to approve the request to transfer Khashoggi case to S.Arabia

Turkey's justice minister said on Friday that his ministry would approve a request to transfer a trial over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi to Saudi Arabia, as Ankara seeks to mend ties with Riyadh. Khashoggi's fiancee Hatice Cengiz and rights groups condemned the move, saying Saudi Arabia could not be expected to hold a fair trial.

China's Xi calls on EU to view China 'independently' -state media

China's President Xi Jinping said on Friday he hopes the European Union can form its view of China "independently", state broadcaster CCTV reported. Xi was speaking to the presidents of the European Commission and European Council, Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel at a video summit.

As Shanghai expands COVID lockdown, life on hold in city of 26 million

China's commercial hub of Shanghai ground to halt on Friday after the government locked down most of the city's 26 million residents to stop the spread of COVID-19, even as official numbers put local cases falling for the second day in a row. The city government late on Thursday extended an existing lockdown in eastern districts, just as western parts of the city were shut down as scheduled.