World News Roundup: UK's Rishi Sunak says he regrets making Williamson a minister; Fresh wave of Ukrainian refugees expected as Russia targets power ahead of winter and more

Lebanon has had neither a head of state nor a fully empowered cabinet since Michel Aoun's term as president ended on Oct. 31 - an unprecedented vacuum even by the standards of a country that has enjoyed little stability since independence. Show us the money: Developing world at COP27 seeks finance details Finance took centre stage at the COP27 climate talks on Wednesday, with U.N. experts publishing a list of projects worth $120 billion that investors could back to help poorer countries cut emissions and adapt to the impacts of global warming.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

UK's Rishi Sunak says he regrets making Williamson a minister

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Wednesday that he regretted giving a ministerial role to Gavin Williamson who resigned on Tuesday after claims that he bullied colleagues.

"I obviously regret appointing someone who has had to resign in these circumstances," Sunak said during the weekly Prime Minister's Questions session in parliament.

Fresh wave of Ukrainian refugees expected as Russia targets power ahead of winter

Eastern European countries are preparing for a possible wave of Ukrainian refugees as Russia targets power and heating plants ahead of winter, with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy saying about 4 million people are already without power. Zelenskiy said 14 regions plus the capital Kyiv were without power and Ukraine's electrical grid operator Ukrenergo said scheduled hourly power outages would affect the whole of the country on Wednesday.

Germany acknowledges difficulties for LGBT people in Qatar but no travel warning

The situation for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Qatar is difficult, but Germany currently does not have a travel warning in place for the country, said a foreign ministry spokesperson in Berlin on Wednesday. The spokesperson also condemned comments by a Qatar World Cup ambassador in an interview with German television broadcaster ZDF that homosexuality was "damage in the mind", calling it an "unbelievably homophobic" incident.

Race for U.S. Congress is tight, no Republican 'red wave'

Republicans made modest gains in U.S. midterm elections but Democrats did better than expected, leaving control of Congress and the future of President Joe Biden's agenda unclear on Wednesday morning. Many of the most competitive races were too close to call and Republicans acknowledged that the election was not producing the sweeping "red wave" victory they had sought.

Analysis-Power vacuum adds to risks for crisis-hit Lebanon

Lebanon faces an indefinite government crisis that further complicates the path out of its financial meltdown, adding to risks of instability as hardship deepens and state institutions teeter on the brink of collapse. Lebanon has had neither a head of state nor a fully empowered cabinet since Michel Aoun's term as president ended on Oct. 31 - an unprecedented vacuum even by the standards of a country that has enjoyed little stability since independence.

Show us the money: Developing world at COP27 seeks finance details

Finance took centre stage at the COP27 climate talks on Wednesday, with U.N. experts publishing a list of projects worth $120 billion that investors could back to help poorer countries cut emissions and adapt to the impacts of global warming. A $3 billion water transfer project between Lesotho and Botswana and a $10 million plan to improve the public water system in Mauritius were among dozens of projects listed, including 19 in Africa.

North Korea fires another missile as South salvages parts of Soviet-era weapon

North Korea fired at least one ballistic missile into the sea on Wednesday, as South Korea said it had identified debris from an earlier launch as part of a Soviet-era SA-5 surface-to-air missile. Japan's Coast Guard said the ballistic missile appeared to have fallen into the sea minutes after the launch was reported.

Analysis-Bulgaria's eurozone entry threatened by-election stalemate

Bulgaria's longstanding political deadlock threatens to delay its plan to adopt the euro on Jan. 1, 2024, at a time when the eurosceptic and pro-Russian Revival party is increasingly vocal and Bulgarians themselves are deeply divided about the euro. Joining the eurozone would help Bulgaria, the European Union's poorest member state, attract more foreign investment and secure credit rating upgrades that could reduce its debt financing costs, economists say. The Balkan country has long pegged its lev currency to the euro.

U.S. basketball star Griner on way to Russian penal colony - lawyers

Russian authorities last week transferred U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner from a detention centre outside Moscow and she is now on her way to an undisclosed penal colony, her legal team said on Wednesday. The two-time Olympic gold medallist was arrested at a Moscow airport on Feb. 17, a week before Russia invaded Ukraine, where she was found to have vape cartridges containing cannabis oil, which is banned in Russia, in her luggage.

NATO leaders to meet for next summit in Vilnius on July 11-12

NATO leaders will gather for their next summit in Vilnius on July 11-12, the military alliance announced on Wednesday. The venue will be an opportunity for leaders to "agree further steps to strengthen our deterrence and defence and review significant increases in defence spending, as well as to continue our support for Ukraine," NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement.