Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Putin says he sees no need for talks with Biden

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that he saw “no need” for talks with U.S. President Joe Biden. Speaking at a news conference in the Kazakh capital Astana, Putin said that he had not yet taken a decision on attending a Group of 20 summit in Bali, Indonesia next month.

Russia, under pressure in southern Ukraine, captures villages in east

Russian-backed forces have made some advances in eastern Ukraine, Britain said on Friday, even as Moscow’s hold weakens in the south, where a Russian-installed official has offered to help residents flee a region Russia claims to have annexed. A British intelligence update said forces led by the private Russian military company Wagner Group had captured the villages of Optyine and Ivangrad south of the fiercely-contested town of Bakhmut, the first such advance in more than three months.

Two Palestinian gunmen killed by Israeli forces in West Bank

Israeli forces killed two Palestinian gunmen during an operation in the city of Jenin on Friday, Palestinian officials said, as months of clashes in the occupied West Bank continued. An Israeli military statement said troops came under heavy fire during the operation, in which an armed operative of the militant Hamas group and two other people were arrested. It said troops returned fire and “hits were identified”.

UK’s Truss fires finance minister Kwarteng

British Prime Minister Liz Truss fired her finance minister Kwasi Kwarteng on Friday, shortly before she is expected to scrap parts of their economic package in a bid to survive the market and political turmoil gripping the country. Kwarteng said he had resigned at Truss’s request after rushing back to London overnight from IMF meetings in Washington. Truss, in power for only 37 days, will hold a news conference later on Friday, Downing Street confirmed.

A Kharkiv bomb shelter: the only home baby Zhenia has known

Wide-eyed and gripping a stuffed blue rabbit, six-month-old Zhenia settles into his pram before being walked along a Kharkiv factory forecourt – a treat to be savored for someone who has lived in a bomb shelter since he was born. Pushing the buggy is his mother, 39-year-old Olha Shevchenko. Seven months pregnant when the war broke out on Feb 24, her house in the Ukrainian village of Prudyanka was destroyed by shelling that same morning.

NATO to kick off nuclear drills involving B-52 bombers on Monday

NATO said on Friday it would launch its annual nuclear exercise “Steadfast Noon” on Monday, with up to 60 aircraft taking part in training flights over Belgium, the North Sea and Britain to practise the use of U.S. nuclear bombs based in Europe. The nuclear drills – which do not involve live bombs – are taking place amid heightened tensions after Russia repeatedly threatened nuclear strikes in Ukraine following major military setbacks on the battlefield there.

U.S. grants Philippines $100 million in foreign military financing

The United States has made available $100 million in foreign military financing to the Philippines, its ambassador in Manila said on Friday, part of efforts to boost the Southeast Asian country’s defense capabilities and military modernization.

The new military financing underscores improved defense ties between the treaty allies under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, whose predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, shifted his country’s foreign policy away from the United States to pursue warmer ties with China.

Iranian police deploy as unrest continues four weeks after Mahsa Amini death

Iranian police deployed heavily on Friday in a predominantly ethnic Arab city after activists called for protests, a witness said, as unrest showed no sign of abating four weeks since Mahsa Amini’s death in custody ignited nationwide demonstrations. With Iranians from all walks of life venting anger at their clerical rulers, the protests mark one of the boldest challenges to the Islamic Republic since the 1979 revolution, even if the unrest does not seem close to toppling the system.

Sanctions can target those who support Russia’s military complex, U.S. Treasury says

The United States can impose sanctions on people, countries and companies that provide ammunition to Russia or support its military-industrial complex, the U.S. Treasury Department said on Friday. Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo, in a meeting of officials from 32 countries to discuss sanctions on Russia, said the department will issue guidance to make clear that Washington is willing and able to impose such a crackdown, according to prepared remarks.

I won’t stop, says Polish abortion activist as court hearing adjourned

A court on Friday adjourned a hearing on whether a prominent activist broke Polish law by supplying pills to trigger an abortion, as she pledged to continue helping women terminate unwanted pregnancies. Along with Malta, Poland’s anti-abortion laws are among the most restrictive in Europe, and campaigner Justyna Wydrzynska faces up to three years in jail if convicted of facilitating a termination.

(With inputs from agencies.)