World News Roundup: Serbia, Kosovo presidents clash at summit over flare-up; Zelenskiy presses NATO case at Moldova summit close to Ukraine's border and more

"All allies agree that Moscow does not have a veto against NATO enlargement," Stoltenberg told reporters as NATO foreign ministers gathered in Oslo, seeking to dispel any signs of discord ahead of the summit. United States to open diplomatic station in Arctic Norway The United States will open its northernmost diplomatic station in the Norwegian town of Tromsoe, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told a news conference in Norway on Thursday.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Serbia, Kosovo presidents clash at summit over flare-up

The presidents of Serbia and Kosovo insisted on Thursday they want to defuse a violent crisis in northern Kosovo but showed little sign of backing down from their opposing positions. Arriving at a summit in Moldova of more than 40 European leaders, Serbia's Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo's Vjosa Osmani did not acknowledge each other even as they stood just metres apart on the red carpet.

Zelenskiy presses NATO case at Moldova summit close to Ukraine's border

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy pressed his case for Ukraine to be part of the NATO military alliance as he joined European leaders on Thursday in Moldova close to his nation's border ahead of an expected counter-offensive against Russia's invasion. Addressing leaders at the start of the gathering, Zelenskiy asked NATO members to take a clear decision on whether to admit Ukraine and also reiterated calls for Western fighter jets to protect Ukrainian skies after another deadly strike on Kyiv.

Russia says it is seeking third suspect over war blogger killing

Russian investigators said on Thursday they were seeking a third suspect over the April 2 killing of popular pro-war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky in an explosion at a cafe in St Petersburg. In a statement posted on the Telegram messenger app, the Investigative Committee, which probes serious crimes, said that Roman Popkov, a Ukraine-based Russian journalist who was previously a leader of Russia's banned ultranationalist National Bolshevik Party, was wanted on terrorism and explosives charges.

Russia says it repels border incursion, Kyiv hit kills three

Russia said on Thursday it had repelled more cross-border attacks from Ukraine while its relentless 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.

US questions Sudan parties' commitment to truce as clashes continue

A senior U.S. official said violations of a ceasefire in Sudan have led Washington to "seriously question" commitments by warring parties to allow access for humanitarian aid as clashes continued on Thursday in the capital Khartoum. Saudi Arabia and the United States have been monitoring a ceasefire deal meant to run until Saturday evening that had raised hopes of an end to a war between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Taiwan donates $5 million towards rebuilding Ukraine with Lithuania

Taiwan has donated five million dollars towards Lithuanian-led reconstructions projects in Ukraine, a Lithuanian government investment agency said on Wednesday. The funds will be spent towards rebuilding a school in Borodianka and a kindergarden in Irpin, Central Project Management Agency said in a statement.

Factbox-Governments race to regulate AI tools

Rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) such as Microsoft-backed OpenAI's ChatGPT are complicating governments' efforts to agree laws governing the use of the technology. Here are the latest steps national and international governing bodies are taking to regulate AI tools:

NATO squabbles over speedy accession of Ukraine as decisive summit looms

Moscow cannot stop Ukraine from becoming a NATO member, the alliance's chief Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday, as divisions among allies about the speed of Kyiv's accession became apparent only weeks before a decisive mid-July summit in Vilnius. "All allies agree that Moscow does not have a veto against NATO enlargement," Stoltenberg told reporters as NATO foreign ministers gathered in Oslo, seeking to dispel any signs of discord ahead of the summit.

United States to open diplomatic station in Arctic Norway

The United States will open its northernmost diplomatic station in the Norwegian town of Tromsoe, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told a news conference in Norway on Thursday. "To deepen our own engagement in the high north, I am announcing today the United States will be opening an American presence post in Tromsoe," Blinken told reporters after a two-day meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Oslo.

Royal wedding showpiece highlights Jordan's role as West's stable ally

The heir to Jordan's throne will marry amid much fanfare on Thursday, in a glittering ceremony that the country's leaders, long backed by the West as a stabilising influence in a volatile region, hope will reinforce local and global alliances.

The 28-year-old Prince Hussein, named as heir by his father King Abdullah in 2009, will tie the knot with Saudi architect Rajwa Al Saif, 29, who hails from a prominent family with links to her country's ruling dynasty.

(With inputs from agencies.)