World News Roundup: Trump to face criminal charges in Stormy Daniels hush money probe; Hong Kong rejects US report criticising crackdown on freedoms and more

The U.S.' 2023 Hong Kong Policy Act Report, published by the U.S. State Department, said Chinese and Hong Kong authorities "continued to use 'national security' as a broad and vague basis to undermine the rule of law and protected rights and freedoms." Pakistan army says 'terrorists' from Iran side kill four soldiers Pakistan's army said on Saturday that attackers from Iran killed four of its border patrol soldiers.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

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 in Stormy Daniels hush money probe

Donald Trump is due to be fingerprinted and photographed in a New York courthouse next week as he becomes the first former U.S. president to face criminal charges in a case involving a 2016 hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels.

Trump's expected appearance before a judge in Manhattan on Tuesday, as the Republican mounts a bid to regain the presidency, could further inflame divisions in the United States. A New York judge in a document unsealed on Friday authorized Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, to disclose that Trump had been indicted, but it was not clear when the specific charges would be made public.

Pope Francis leaves hospital, saying 'I'm still alive'

Pope Francis left hospital and returned to the Vatican on Saturday after being treated for bronchitis, making light of his illness by saying: "I'm still alive you know". The pope, 86, was taken to Rome's Gemelli hospital on Wednesday after complaining of breathing difficulties, but responded rapidly to an infusion of antibiotics, his medical team has said.

Hong Kong rejects US report criticising crackdown on freedoms

Hong Kong on Saturday "firmly rejected" findings in a new U.S. government report that said U.S. interests had been threatened and that Beijing continued to "undermine" the rule of law and freedoms in the territory under a national security crackdown. The U.S.' 2023 Hong Kong Policy Act Report, published by the U.S. State Department, said Chinese and Hong Kong authorities "continued to use 'national security' as a broad and vague basis to undermine the rule of law and protected rights and freedoms."

Pakistan army says 'terrorists' from Iran side kill four soldiers

Pakistan's army said on Saturday that attackers from Iran killed four of its border patrol soldiers. "A group of terrorists operating from Iranian side attacked a routine border patrol of Pakistani security forces operating along Pakistan-Iran Border," the army said in a statement.

Burkina Faso Muslims and Christians back unity amid insurgency

Scores of young Burkinabe Muslims and Christians gathered in Ouagadougou's public square as the sun set on Friday to break fast together, promoting religious tolerance during Ramadan and Lent as Burkina Faso grapples with a violent insurgency. Organised by a local interfaith youth group, the event saw Muslims and Christians sharing food and prayers in a symbolic act against militant forces seeking to exploit ethnic and religious divisions, participants said.

Germany's military gaps cannot be fully bridged by 2030, defence minister

Germany's military cannot completely fill its existing gaps by 2030, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius was quoted as saying, as Berlin seeks to revamp its armed forces after Russia's invasion of Ukraine following decades of neglect. "We all know that the existing gaps cannot be completely closed by 2030... It will take years. Everyone is aware of that," Pistorius said in an interview with Welt am Sonntag newspaper published on Saturday.

Exclusive-India regulator probing some Adani offshore deals for possible rule violations

India's market regulator is investigating possible violation of 'related party' transaction rules in the Adani Group's dealings with at least three offshore entities that have links to the brother of the conglomerate's founder, two people said. The three entities allegedly entered into several investment transactions with unlisted units of the ports-to-power conglomerate founded by billionaire Gautam Adani over the last 13 years, said the sources with direct knowledge of the matter.

US Republicans defend Trump by attacking criminal justice system

Many Republicans in the U.S. Congress have responded to Donald Trump's looming Tuesday arraignment by characterizing the criminal justice system as corrupt, in accusations that parallel their earlier broadsides against the nation's elections after the former president's 2020 defeat. Trump and his allies in the House of Representatives and Senate have used rhetoric that echoed his false claims of widespread election fraud in the build-up to the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol by his supporters.

Syria foreign minister makes first Egypt visit for more than a decade

Syria's foreign minister met his Egyptian counterpart in Cairo on Saturday, the first such visit in more than a decade and the latest sign of Arab states mending ties with President Bashar al Assad. Faisal Mekdad was embraced by Sameh Shoukry as he arrived at the Egyptian foreign ministry, the first official trip since before the uprising and conflict that began in Syria in 2011.

(With inputs from agencies.)