World News Roundup: Nobel-winning Russian editor: "I know Gershkovich, he's no spy"; In Germany, King Charles honours victims of WWII allied bombings and more

He was diagnosed with bronchitis and has responded well to an infusion of antibiotics, the medical team has said. Ukrainian war zone children are in temporary Russian care, not adopted or abducted - envoy Moscow's envoy to the United Nations in New York has denied that Russia has deliberately taken children out of Ukraine or allowed them to be adopted in Russia, rejecting charges brought against President Vladimir Putin by the International Criminal Court.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Nobel-winning Russian editor: "I know Gershkovich, he's no spy"

A Nobel prize-winning Russian journalist said on Friday he did not believe that arrested American reporter Evan Gershkovich was a spy, and that he hoped diplomacy could bring about his quick release. Dmitry Muratov told Reuters the case against Gershkovich - a Wall Street Journal reporter facing espionage charges that carry up to 20 years in jail - was part of a wider trend to make journalism a "dangerous profession" in Russia.

In Germany, King Charles honours victims of WWII allied bombings

King Charles laid a wreath in memory of the victims of the allied bombing in World War Two during a visit to Hamburg's St Nikolai memorial, the remains of a church in Germany's northern port city severely damaged by the air raids. The gesture comes on the last day of Charles' three-day tour of Germany, his first overseas state trip since ascending the British throne last year designed to strengthen bilateral and European ties.

Russia's isolation over Ukraine grows with US reporter arrest, NATO expansion

Russia has charged an American journalist with spying while Finland moved closer to becoming a NATO member, deepening tensions between Moscow and the West as the war in Ukraine reached its 400th day on Friday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy spoke in his Thursday evening video address of the "tremendous path" his country had taken in 400 days since Russia's invasion on Feb. 24, 2022.

Trump to face criminal charges, sending US into uncharted waters

Donald Trump, the ex-president and frontrunner to be Republican nominee in 2024, is set to face a mug shot, finger-printing and court appearance next week after being indicted over a probe into hush money paid to a porn star in a historic U.S. first. The possible spectacle of Trump's appearance in Manhattan on Tuesday before a judge as the first sitting or former president to face criminal charges could further divide the world's most powerful country.

Embattled Macron heads to China, leaving burning Paris behind

French President Emmanuel Macron will head to China next week for a rare visit to the rising superpower, in an awkward balancing act between his global statesman ambitions and his struggle to contain embarrassing pension protests at home. The French leader, whose decision to ram much-disputed pension legislation through parliament earlier this month sparked clashes and violence in French cities, is trying to keep his busy diplomatic schedule on track.

Pope Francis set to leave hospital, attend Easter service, Vatican says

Pope Francis is expected to leave hospital on Saturday pending the results of his latest medical tests and is scheduled to take part in a Palm Sunday service the following day, the Vatican said on Friday. The pope, 86, was taken to Rome's Gemelli hospital two days ago after complaining of breathing difficulties. He was diagnosed with bronchitis and has responded well to an infusion of antibiotics, the medical team has said.

Ukrainian war zone children are in temporary Russian care, not adopted or abducted - envoy

Moscow's envoy to the United Nations in New York has denied that Russia has deliberately taken children out of Ukraine or allowed them to be adopted in Russia, rejecting charges brought against President Vladimir Putin by the International Criminal Court. The ICC two weeks ago accused Putin and his children's commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova of the war crime of unlawful deportation of people, in particular children, and their transfer from areas of Ukraine occupied by Russian forces.

Tunisia introduces water quota system due to severe drought

Tunisia on Friday introduced a quota system for potable water and banned its use in agriculture until Sept. 30 in response to a severe drought that has hit the country, the agriculture ministry said. Tunisia, which is suffering a fourth straight year of serious drought, recorded a drop in its dam capacity to around 1 billion cubic meters, or 30% of the maximum, due to a scarcity of rain from September 2022 to mid-March 2023, senior agriculture ministry official Hamadi Habib said.

Ex-Kosovo guerrilla chief, president Thaci faces war crimes trial on Monday

Former Kosovo president Hashim Thaci, considered a hero by compatriots for leading the 1998-99 insurgency against Serbian rule that led to independence, will go on trial on Monday for alleged war crimes during the conflict. A special Kosovo court set up in The Hague indicted Thaci in November 2020 on 10 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity including persecution, murder, torture and enforced disappearance of people among other things during the uprising.

Syphilis cases in babies skyrocket in Canada amid healthcare failures

The numbers of babies born with syphilis in Canada are rising at a far faster rate than recorded in the United States or Europe, an increase public health experts said is driven by increased methamphetamine use and lack of access to the public health system for Indigenous people. While syphilis has made a global resurgence over the last five years, Canada is an outlier among wealthy nations in its rate of increase: 13-fold over five years, according to Health Canada. The incidence of babies born with syphilis reached 26 per 100,000 live births in 2021, the most recent year available, up from 2 in 2017, according to the Health Canada data.

(With inputs from agencies.)