Here is a summary of current global news briefs.

Iran’s nuclear chief says Tehran handed documents over pending issues to IAEA

Iran has handed over documents related to outstanding issues to the UN’s nuclear watchdog, Iran’s nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami said on Wednesday, as Tehran demands the closure of the agency’s investigation into uranium particles found at three undeclared sites. Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) agreed last month on a three-month plan to try to resolve a long-standing problem over uranium particles found at ancient sites but not declared in the country. Fixing the problem would remove an obstacle to reviving a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.

Burkina Faso: ex-pres Compaoré sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Sankara

Burkina Faso’s former president Blaise Compaore has been sentenced to life imprisonment for complicity in the 1987 killing of his predecessor Thomas Sankara in a coup, a military court ruled on Wednesday. Charismatic Marxist revolutionary Sankara was shot dead aged 37 in Ouagadougou, the West African nation’s capital, four years after he seized power in a previous coup.

Russian forces shell key towns as Ukraine demands tougher sanctions

Artillery pounded key towns in Ukraine on Wednesday as its president urged the West to act decisively by imposing tougher new sanctions being prepared against Russia in response to the killings of civilians widely condemned as war crimes. Western sanctions against the Russian invasion gained further momentum this week when civilians shot at close range were found in the town of Bucha after it was recaptured from Russian forces.

In stunning reversal, protests leave Sri Lanka’s ruling dynasty reeling

In 2020, Mahinda Rajapaksa won the elections to become Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, in the service of his brother and President Gotabaya. In 2021, another brother, Basil, was appointed finance minister, strengthening the family’s grip on power. Less than a year later, the country’s preeminent political dynasty is in trouble, as protesters take to the streets making demands that would have been unthinkable before the economic crisis hit: that the president step down.

Shanghai eases child separation under COVID policy but extends lockdown

Shanghai on Wednesday made concessions on an unpopular COVID isolation policy that separated children from their parents and sparked a public outcry, but extended a citywide lockdown that left some residents struggling to buy food. the food.

The lockdown in China’s most populous city, which began in parts of Shanghai 10 days ago and has now confined nearly all of its 26 million residents to their homes, has massively disrupted daily life and business.

The United States and its allies ban investment in Russia and sanction banks

The United States and its allies will target Russian banks and officials with a ‘sanctions package’ on Wednesday and ban new investment in Russia, the White House said, after Washington and kyiv accused Moscow of committing crimes of war in Ukraine. The new sanctions will impose additional restrictions on financial institutions and state-owned companies in Russia and target Russian government officials and their families, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Tuesday.

Ukraine says two civilians were killed at east aid distribution point under heavy fire

Russian artillery fire killed at least two people and injured five at a humanitarian aid distribution point on Wednesday as Moscow forces shelled towns in eastern Ukraine, local officials said. Authorities in the eastern Lugansk region have urged civilians to evacuate “as long as it is safe”, warning that Russian shelling could cut off escape routes.

UK set to cancel global LGBT+ conference over trans conversion therapy dispute

Britain is set to drop plans to hold a flagship conference designed to promote LGBT+ rights around the world following a dispute over conversion therapy for transgender people that prompted organizations charities and organizations to boycott the event. Britain was due to host the Safe to Be Me conference in London in June to urge governments to tackle inequality and discrimination and enable people to live free from prejudice.

Hong Kong deputy leader says he plans to run for city’s top job

Hong Kong Chief Secretary John Lee, a security official during the 2019 protracted and often violent pro-democracy protests in the global financial hub, said on Wednesday he had resigned in a bid to stand for re-election in Hong Kong. May to become the new leader of the city. Lee, 64, a former deputy police commissioner, was promoted to No. 2 in the global financial center in 2021, which some political analysts said signaled that Beijing’s priorities for Hong Kong were security rather than the economy.

Russian far-right politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky dies at 75

Russian far-right politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky, known for his provocative stunts and anti-Western tirades that kept him in the public eye for more than three decades, has died after a long and serious illness , the President of Parliament announced on Wednesday. Zhirinovsky, 75, was admitted to hospital earlier this year after contracting COVID-19, according to Russian media.

(With agency contributions.)