World News Roundup: Air strikes hit Khartoum's outskirts as Sudan's war enters sixth week; Iran says it executes leader of women trafficking network and more

He's also Ukrainian-American and can't stomach Trump's criticism of aid payments to war-torn Ukraine nor his habit of complimenting Vladimir Putin. Ukraine's Zelenskiy meets world leaders on sidelines of G7 summit Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy received a warm welcome in Japan on Saturday after arriving to attend the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Hiroshima for back-to-back bilateral meetings with world leaders.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Trump or DeSantis? Neither, say Ukrainian-American voters angry at war stance

George Stawnyczyj voted for Donald Trump twice. On domestic policy, he gives the former president top marks. But he'll stay home on Election Day should Trump win his party's nomination to take on Joe Biden in 2024. Stawnyczyj is an official in the Republican Party in rural Carbon County, Pennsylvania. He's also Ukrainian-American and can't stomach Trump's criticism of aid payments to war-torn Ukraine nor his habit of complimenting Vladimir Putin.

Ukraine's Zelenskiy meets world leaders on sidelines of G7 summit

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy received a warm welcome in Japan on Saturday after arriving to attend the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Hiroshima for back-to-back bilateral meetings with world leaders. Zelenskiy has so far met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, France's President Emmanuel Macron, and Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak among others.

Syria's Assad wins warm welcome at Arab summit after years of isolation

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was given a warm welcome at an Arab summit on Friday, winning a hug from Saudi Arabia's crown prince at a meeting of leaders who had shunned him for years, in a policy shift opposed by the U.S. and other Western powers. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman shook hands with a beaming Assad as the summit got underway in Jeddah, turning the page on enmity towards a leader who drew on support from Shi'ite Iran and Russia to beat back his foes in Syria's civil war.

G7 tightens Russia sanctions, looks to cut China trade reliance

Leaders of the world's richest democracies acted on Friday to stiffen sanctions against Russia, while a draft communique to be issued after their talks in the Japanese city of Hiroshima stressed the need to reduce reliance on trade with China. The Group of Seven (G7) leaders, to be joined this weekend by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, pledged to restrict any exports to Russia that could help President Vladimir Putin's invasion of his neighbour and to stop sanctions-busting.

'War is not an option', Taiwan president says amid China tensions

Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen vowed on Saturday to maintain the status quo of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait amid high tensions with China, which has stepped up military pressure on the democratically governed island. Taiwan will not provoke and will not bow to Chinese pressure, Tsai said in a speech in the presidential office in Taipei marking the seventh anniversary of her governance.

Air strikes hit Khartoum's outskirts as Sudan's war enters sixth week

Air strikes hit outer areas of the Sudanese capital Khartoum overnight and on Saturday morning, as fighting that has trapped civilians in a humanitarian crisis and displaced more than a million entered its sixth week. The fighting between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has led to a collapse in law and order with looting that both sides blame the other for. Stocks of food, cash, and essentials are rapidly dwindling.

After fleeing conflict, displaced women face rape in east Congo

Four men with machetes were hard on their heels as a group of women raced through the dense forest surrounding east Congo's city of Goma, desperate to reach a displacement camp they had left to collect firewood. One tripped on a stone and fell. She had no time to react before one of the men caught up.

Iran says it executes leader of women trafficking network

Iran’s judiciary said on Saturday that it had executed the head of a network that trafficked Iranian women to neighbouring countries for prostitution. It said Shahrooz Sokhanvari, a man known as "Alex”, was the leader of an “escort and trafficking network of Iranian women and girls to some countries in the region”, the judiciary's Mizan news agency reported.

No joke: China's backlash against stand-up stirs fear of comedy clampdown

One joke by a Chinese comedian about the nation's military has spurred online uproar, a $2 million fine, a police probe, a sweep of cancelled shows and fears for the survival of Chinese stand-up comedy, a rare refuge for somewhat free speech.

The furore over Li Haoshi's wisecrack in Beijing last weekend marks the biggest scandal yet for a form of entertainment that, despite China's tightening censorship regime, had managed to gain popularity with performances in small groups and material that managed to just toe the line.

White House: Biden to discuss Ukraine with Brazil's Lula, India's Modi

U.S. President Joe Biden aims to speak this weekend with Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi about Ukraine and the "sacrosanct" issue of sovereignty and territorial integrity, U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Saturday. Lula and Modi are attending a summit of the Group of Seven (G7) rich nations in Hiroshima at the invitation of Japan, this year's host of the G7, which also includes the U.S., Germany, Britain, France, Italy and Canada.

(With inputs from agencies.)