World News Roundup:Blinken heads to Beijing hoping to calm fears of a US-China break; Early warnings and timely evacuation help India avert casualties from cyclone and more

He reported no deaths or big damage in the city but emergency services said four people, including a child, were hurt in the Kyiv region. NATO meeting fails to approve first defence plans since Cold War -sources NATO defence ministers meeting in Brussels have failed to reach agreement over the alliance's first defence plans since the end of the Cold War, two officials told Reuters on Friday.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Russia mounts 'desperate resistance' near Bakhmut, Ukraine says

Advancing Ukrainian troops are facing "desperate resistance" from Russian forces around the eastern city of Bakhmut, a senior Ukrainian commander said on Friday. Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, who is in charge of Ukrainian ground forces, said the situation in the east was tense and Russia was bringing its best divisions into the Bakhmut sector with backup from artillery and aircraft.

Blinken heads to Beijing hoping to calm fears of a US-China break

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken goes to Beijing this weekend with expectations low that he will make headway on the long list of disputes between the United States and China. But he and his Chinese counterparts can achieve at least one thing, say analysts - show that the world's most important bilateral relationship is not about to fall off the rails. Blinken will hold meetings in China on June 18-19 and may meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, sources said. He will be the highest-ranking U.S. government official to visit China since Biden took office in January 2021.

Early warnings and timely evacuation help India avert casualties from cyclone

Early warnings, accurate identification of vulnerable areas and timely evacuations helped India to avert major casualties from cyclone Biparjoy, which battered the west coast late on Thursday, authorities said. Biparjoy, which means 'calamity' in the Bengali language, hit the state of Gujarat with speeds of up to 125 kph (78 mph), blowing roofs off houses and uprooting trees and electricity poles.

NATO may remove some hurdles on Ukraine's path to membership - Germany

NATO allies may be ready to remove some hurdles from Ukraine's path to the military alliance, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Friday, a few weeks before a NATO summit that aims to bridge differences over Kyiv's accession. "There are increasing signs that everyone will be able to agree on this," Pistorius told reporters in Brussels when asked about reports that the U.S. is open to permitting Kyiv to forgo a formal candidacy process required of some other nations in the past.

African leaders start peace mission in Ukraine despite Russian missile barrage

A delegation of African leaders began a peace mission in Kyiv on Friday, undeterred by what Ukraine said was a volley of Russian missiles intended to greet them in the capital. At least two explosions rocked the capital but mayor Vitali Klitschko said they were caused by air defences. He reported no deaths or big damage in the city but emergency services said four people, including a child, were hurt in the Kyiv region.

NATO meeting fails to approve first defence plans since Cold War -sources

NATO defence ministers meeting in Brussels have failed to reach agreement over the alliance's first defence plans since the end of the Cold War, two officials told Reuters on Friday. "While regional plans were not formally endorsed today, we anticipate these plans will be part of a series of deliverables for the Vilnius Summit in July," a senior U.S. official said.

Putin extols Russian economic performance, defends military spending

President Vladimir Putin on Friday lauded the health of Russia's public finances and said additional defence spending had been needed to bolster national security as Moscow conducts what it calls a "special military operation" in Ukraine. Putin, speaking at the plenary session of Russia's flagship St Petersburg International Economic Forum, said the public finances were generally balanced, putting the $42-billion budget deficit so far this year largely down to the postponement of some planned expenditures.

Climate and Ukraine loom over supply-strained Paris Airshow

Global aerospace and defence companies will tout the cleaner transport and robotic weapons of the future as they also tackle urgent supply bottlenecks at next week's Paris Airshow, taking place under the shadow of climate fears and a war economy. The world's largest aviation trade show, which alternates with Farnborough in the UK, returns to Le Bourget for the first time in four years after the pandemic forced the 2021 edition to be cancelled.

Pope Francis leaves hospital 'in better shape than before'

Pope Francis was discharged from hospital on Friday morning, nine days after surgery to repair an abdominal hernia, and his doctor said he was stronger than before. The 86-year-old pontiff left Rome's Gemelli hospital in a wheelchair, smiling and waving to reporters and well-wishers at the main entrance as he was taken to a waiting car.

Emotional reunion amid despair as Greece searches for shipwreck survivors

A Syrian teenager who survived a shipwreck that killed at least 78 people was emotionally reunited with his elder brother on Friday, but there was no news for other relatives gathering in the southern Greek city of Kalamata to search for loved ones. Witness accounts suggested between 400 and 750 people had packed the 20- to 30 metre-long (65- to 100-foot) fishing boat that capsized and sank early on Wednesday morning about 50 miles (80 km) from the southern coastal town of Pylos.

(With inputs from agencies.)