World News Roundup: As Putin signs new law on draft, Russia says spring call-up is running as planned; Sudan paramilitaries say they have seized key sites in apparent coup bid and more

The proclamation of the law came after France's Constitutional Council on Friday approved the main pension-age increase and follows months of demonstrations against the plan, which the government forced through parliament without a final vote. Russia says Wagner fighters seize two more parts of Bakhmut Fighters of Russia's Wagner mercenary group have captured two more areas of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, Russia's Defence Ministry said on Saturday.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Sudan paramilitaries say they have seized key sites in apparent coup bid

Sudan's main paramilitary group said it had taken control of the presidential palace, the residence of the army chief and Khartoum international airport on Saturday in an apparent coup attempt as clashes erupted with the military. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which accused the army of attacking them first, also said they had seized the airports in the northern city of Merowe and in El-Obeid in the west.

As Putin signs new law on draft, Russia says spring call-up is running as planned

Russia's regular spring military draft campaign is proceeding as scheduled and there are no plans to send out mass electronic notices under a new system just signed into law by President Vladimir Putin, a top official said on Saturday. The announcement by Colonel Andrei Biryukov, an official in an armed forces department responsible for the draft, appeared aimed at quelling speculation that Russia may quickly use the new system to launch another mass call-up for the war in Ukraine.

U.S., Vietnam say they hope to boost ties as Blinken visits Hanoi

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday expressed a desire to deepen their ties, ideally in coming months, as Washington seeks to solidify alliances to counter an increasingly assertive China. In his first visit to the key southeast Asian country as the top U.S. diplomat, Blinken kicked off his trip with a meeting with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh. In brief remarks before their meeting, he said during the past decade there had been "extraordinary progress" in ties between the two countries.

Japan PM Kishida unhurt in 'smoke bomb' scare, resumes campaigning

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was evacuated unhurt after a suspect threw what appeared to be a smoke bomb at an outdoor speech in western Japan on Saturday. Kishida took cover after a loud explosion was heard while police subdued a man at the scene, Japanese media footage showed. A police officer suffered minor injuries in the incident, the Nikkei newspaper reported, citing Wakayama prefectural police.

Iran vows crack down on people who promote removing the veil

People who encourage women to remove the hijab will be prosecuted in criminal courts and will have no right of appeal against any conviction, Iran's deputy attorney general was quoted as saying on Saturday. His comments come as an increasing number of women have been defying Iran's compulsory dress code, appearing unveiled in malls, restaurants, shops, streets, and other public areas.

Eight dead in Sloviansk strike as Ukrainians said to pull back in Bakhmut

A Russian missile strike killed eight people in eastern Ukraine on Friday as a British assessment said Ukrainian troops had been forced to withdraw from parts of the city of Bakhmut, the focus of Moscow's slow advance through the region. Ukrainian troops have been doggedly defending Bakhmut, shattered after months of shelling and bombardment. Ukrainian military commanders this week rejected as exaggerated Russian statements that its forces now controlled 80% of the city.

France's Macron signs contested pension bill into law

French President Emmanuel Macron has signed into law a bill to raise the state pension age that sparked mass protests, the government's official journal showed on Saturday. The proclamation of the law came after France's Constitutional Council on Friday approved the main pension-age increase and follows months of demonstrations against the plan, which the government forced through parliament without a final vote.

Russia says Wagner fighters seize two more parts of Bakhmut

Fighters of Russia's Wagner mercenary group have captured two more areas of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, Russia's Defence Ministry said on Saturday. "On the Donetsk direction, the fiercest fighting has been continuing in the city of Artyomovsk," the ministry said in a daily statement, referring to the settlement by its Soviet-era name.

Polish government bans grain and food imports from Ukraine

The Polish government has decided to ban imports of grain and other food from Ukraine to protect the Polish agricultural sector, the leader of the ruling Law and Justice Party (PiS), Jaroslaw Kaczyński, said on Saturday. Large quantities of Ukrainian grains, which are cheaper than those produced in the European Union, have ended up staying in Central European states amid logistical bottlenecks, hitting prices and sales for local farmers.

China says hopes Germany supports peaceful Taiwan 'reunification'

China's top diplomat Wang Yi "hopes and believes" Germany will support China's "peaceful reunification" with Taiwan, the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday. Wang made the remarks at a meeting with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, who is visiting China until Saturday, adding that China once supported Germany's reunification.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)