World News Roundup: Exclusive-Islamists wield hidden hand in Sudan conflict, military sources say; Lukashenko says Putin wanted to 'wipe out' Prigozhin during mutiny attempt and more

Police said at least 61 people were wounded in Tuesday's missile strike, which turned the restaurant into a pile of twisted beams. Kremlin rejects U.N. report on child detentions in Ukraine; says army saved children The Kremlin on Wednesday dismissed allegations by the United Nations that Russia had violated children's rights in Ukraine and said that, on the contrary, its armed forces were rescuing children from conflict zones.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Exclusive-Islamists wield hidden hand in Sudan conflict, military sources say

Thousands of men who worked as intelligence operatives under former president Omar al-Bashir and have ties to his Islamist movement are fighting alongside the army in Sudan's war, three military sources and one intelligence source said, complicating efforts to end the bloodshed. The army and a paramilitary force have been battling each other in Khartoum, Darfur and elsewhere for 10 weeks in Africa's third largest country by area, displacing 2.5 million people, causing a humanitarian crisis and threatening to destabilise the region. Reinforcements for either side could deepen the conflict.

Lukashenko says Putin wanted to 'wipe out' Prigozhin during mutiny attempt

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said he persuaded Russian President Vladimir Putin not to "wipe out" mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, in response to what the Kremlin cast as a mutiny that pushed Russia towards civil war. Putin initially vowed to crush the mutiny, comparing it to the wartime turmoil that ushered in the revolution of 1917 and then a civil war, but hours later a deal was clinched to allow Prigozhin and some of his fighters to go to Belarus.

Ukraine names new head of state weapons company to push reforms, lift supplies

The Ukrainian government appointed a new head of state-owned weapons producer Ukroboronprom on Wednesday as Kyiv seeks to boost domestic weapons production and increase transparency. The appointment of Herman Smetanin, who has been serving as head of the Kharkiv Malyshev Plant in northeast Ukraine, as the new general director of Ukroboronprom is part of a broader transformation of the key industry, officials said.

Death toll rises to 10 in Russian attack on Ukraine's Kramatorsk

The death toll rose to 10 on Wednesday from a Russian missile strike on a crowded restaurant in Ukraine's eastern city of Kramatorsk the previous evening, with two more bodies including a fourth child pulled out of the wreckage. Police said at least 61 people were wounded in Tuesday's missile strike, which turned the restaurant into a pile of twisted beams.

Kremlin rejects U.N. report on child detentions in Ukraine; says army saved children

The Kremlin on Wednesday dismissed allegations by the United Nations that Russia had violated children's rights in Ukraine and said that, on the contrary, its armed forces were rescuing children from conflict zones. One report, released on Tuesday, accused Russia of detaining more than 800 civilians, some of them children, and of executing 77 civilians since the conflict began in February of last year.

Macron says police killing of teenager 'inexcusable' after Paris suburb riots

French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday described the shooting dead of a 17-year-old by police during a traffic stop near Paris as "inexcusable", in rare criticism of law-enforcement hours after the incident triggered riots. A police officer is being investigated for voluntary homicide for shooting the youth, who prosecutors say failed to comply with an order to stop his car early on Monday.

Top Singapore ministers cleared after probe into plush properties

Two Singapore cabinet heavyweights have been cleared of wrongdoing following an investigation into their rental of state-owned bungalows in an exclusive location, the government said on Wednesday. Law and home affairs minister, K Shanmugam and foreign minister, Vivian Balakrishnan, have been under public scrutiny in recent weeks over their use of colonial-era bungalows carrying hefty price tags, with several lawmakers demanding explanations. Both had denied any impropriety.

Nigeria's elections eroded public trust in voting-EU observers

Nigeria's elections early this year were marred by problems that reduced public trust in electoral processes, European Union observers said in a final report, urging reforms to enhance transparency and accountability. President Bola Tinubu won the disputed February vote, whose result is being challenged in court by his two main rivals.

Ukraine's Zelenskiy calls Russian leaders 'bandits', rules out frozen conflict

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy described Russia's political and military leaders as bandits on Wednesday, and ruled out any peace plan that would turn the war on Ukraine into a frozen conflict. Zelenskiy made his remarks in a speech to parliament on Ukraine's Constitution Day, a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin praised his troops for their handling of a mutiny by mercenaries led by Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin.

Most Americans support US arming Ukraine -Reuters/Ipsos

Solid majorities of Americans support providing weaponry to Ukraine to defend itself against Russia and believe that such aid demonstrates to China and other U.S. rivals a will to protect U.S. interests and allies, according to a Reuters/Ipsos survey. The two-day poll that was concluded on Tuesday charted a sharp rise in backing for arming Ukraine, with 65% of the respondents approving of the shipments compared with 46% in a May poll.