Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Explainer-Who is Brittney Griner and what is her fate in Russia?

Who is Brittney Griner and what is her fate? WHO IS BRITTNEY GRINER?

Zelenskiy seeking ‘direct talks’ with China’s Xi to help end Ukraine war- SCMP

Ukraine is seeking an opportunity to speak “directly” with Chinese leader Xi Jinping to help end its war with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, the South China Morning Post reported on Thursday. In an interview with SCMP, the Ukrainian leader urged China to use its outsize political and economic influence over Russia to bring an end to the fighting.

Tight-lipped Taliban leaders gather after U.S. says Zawahiri killed

Leaders of Afghanistan’s Taliban were holding discussions on Wednesday about how to respond to a U.S. drone strike in Kabul that the United States said killed al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, three sources in the group said. The United States killed Zawahiri with a missile fired from a drone while he stood on a balcony at his Kabul hideout on Sunday, U.S. officials said, in the biggest blow to the militants since Osama bin Laden was shot dead more than a decade ago.

Russian ceasefire and troop pullout must precede any talks, says Ukraine

Ukraine on Wednesday dismissed comments by former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder that Russia wanted a “negotiated solution” to the war and said any dialogue would be contingent on a Russian ceasefire and withdrawal of its troops. Schroeder, a friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin and increasingly derided in Germany for his pro-Russia stance, said last month’s agreement on grain shipments from Ukraine, aimed at easing a global food crisis, might offer a way forward.

Senegal opposition group says it will reject results of legislative vote, alleges fraud

A Senegalese opposition coalition, Yewwi Askane Wi (YAW), on Wednesday said it would not accept the results of legislative elections, alleging fraud. Official results of Sunday’s vote are expected on Thursday, but both President Macky Sall’s ruling party, Benno Bokk Yakaar (BBY), and the opposition have claimed victory, citing partial results.

With eye on Russia, U.S. Senate backs Finland and Sweden’s joining NATO

The U.S. Senate approved on Wednesday Finland and Sweden’s accession to NATO, the most significant expansion of the 30-member alliance since the 1990s as it responds to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Senate voted 95 to 1 to support ratification of the two countries’ accession documents, easily surpassing the two-thirds majority of 67 votes required to support ratification of the two countries’ accession documents.

Pelosi lauds Taiwan, says China’s fury cannot stop visits by world leaders

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi left Taiwan on Wednesday after touting its democracy and pledging American solidarity during her brief visit, adding that Chinese anger cannot stop world leaders from travelling to the self-ruled island claimed by Beijing. China demonstrated its outrage over the highest-level U.S. visit to the island in 25 years with a burst of military activity in surrounding waters, summoning the U.S. ambassador in Beijing and halting several agricultural imports from Taiwan.

Canada seizes ‘ghost guns,’ 3D-printed gun parts

Canada said on Wednesday it intercepted gun parts sent into the country through international mail, leading authorities to seize “ghost guns” and related 3-D printing equipment from two locations in British Columbia. Ghost guns are privately made firearms that are not marked with a serial number and are difficult for law enforcement to trace.

Basketball star Brittney Griner awaits fate in Russia drugs trial

U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner returns to a Russian court on Thursday as her drugs trial grinds towards a finale that could end with a 10-year prison sentence and a U.S.-Russia prisoner swap for one of the world’s most notorious arms dealers. Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medallist and a Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) star, was detained at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport on Feb. 17 with vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage.

Iran presses ahead with enrichment work -IAEA report

Iran has completed installing three advanced IR-6 centrifuge cascades at its Natanz fuel enrichment plant (FEP), according to an International Atomic Energy Agency report to member states on Wednesday seen by Reuters. Iran has also informed the agency it plans to install an additional six IR-2m cascades at the FEP in a new operating unit, the report said, as top Iranian and U.S. officials headed to Vienna for talks this week on reviving the 2015 nuclear pact.

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