Reuters World News Summary

The sackings of SBU chief Ivan Bakanov, a childhood friend of Zelenskiy, and Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova, who has played a key role in the prosecution of Russian war crimes, were announced in executive orders on the president's website. Zelenskiy says raised Ukraine stance on Russia gas turbine with Trudeau President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he had told Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Sunday that Ukrainians would never accept Canada's decision to return a gas turbine intended for a Russian pipeline because it would encourage more sanctions violations.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Sudan protesters decry violence in southern state

Security forces fired tear gas as Sudanese protesters marched in the capital Khartoum on Sunday against the country's military leadership, holding it responsible for an outbreak of violence in Blue Nile State. More than 30 people were killed and 100 injured in tribal clashes that started last week between the Hausa and Fung tribes in the southeastern state, close to the border with Ethiopia, according to Sudanese officials and the United Nations.

EU's chief executive heads to Azerbaijan in search of gas deal

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will travel to Baku on Monday to seek more natural gas from Azerbaijan, the EU's executive said, as the European Union seeks to reduce its reliance on Russian energy. "Amid Russia's continued weaponisation of its energy supplies, diversification of our energy imports is a priority for the EU," the Commission said on Twitter. "President von der Leyen and (Energy) Commissioner Kadri Simson will be tomorrow in Azerbaijan to further strengthen the cooperation."

'Climate change affects everyone': Europe battles wildfires in intense heat

Authorities across southern Europe battled on Sunday to control huge wildfires in countries including Spain, Greece and France, with hundreds of deaths blamed on soaring temperatures that scientists say are consistent with climate change. In Spain, helicopters dropped water on the flames as heat above 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) and often mountainous terrain made the job harder for firefighters.

Russia prepares for next Ukraine offensive in face of new Western weapons

Russia is preparing for the next stage of its offensive in Ukraine, a Ukrainian military official said, after Moscow said its forces would step up military operations in "all operational areas". As Western deliveries of long-range arms begin to help Ukraine on the battlefield, Russian rockets and missiles have pounded cities in strikes that Kyiv says have killed dozens in recent days.

Macron decries anti-Semitism on 80th anniversary of Jewish deportations

French President Emmanuel Macron warned against anti-Semitism and historical revisionism on Sunday as he commemorated victims of the Holocaust on the 80th anniversary of the Vel d'Hiv roundup of Jewish families. On July 16-17, 1942, around 13,000 people were taken to the Winter Velodrome, the Vel d'Hiv, in Paris before being sent on to concentration camps across Europe. It was the largest mass detention of Jewish people by French police in collaboration with the Nazi German occupiers.

Ukraine's president fires spy chief and top state prosecutor

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Sunday abruptly fired the head of Ukraine's powerful domestic security agency, the SBU, and the state prosecutor general, citing dozens of cases of collaboration with Russia by officials in their agencies. The sackings of SBU chief Ivan Bakanov, a childhood friend of Zelenskiy, and Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova, who has played a key role in the prosecution of Russian war crimes, were announced in executive orders on the president's website.

Zelenskiy says raised Ukraine stance on Russia gas turbine with Trudeau

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he had told Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Sunday that Ukrainians would never accept Canada's decision to return a gas turbine intended for a Russian pipeline because it would encourage more sanctions violations. Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address that he had talked to Trudeau earlier and thanked him for his support. "However I stressed separately that Ukrainians will never accept Canada's decision regarding the Nord Stream turbine," he said. Handing it to Germany violated sanctions, he added.

Pope hopes Canada trip will help heal 'evil' done to indigenous people

Pope Francis said on Sunday his trip to Canada next week will be a "pilgrimage of penance" that he hopes can help heal the wrongs done to indigenous people by Roman Catholic priests and nuns who ran abusive residential schools. The July 24-30 trip will include at least five encounters with native people as Francis makes good on a promise to apologise on their home territory for the Church's role in the state-sanctioned schools, which sought to erase indigenous cultures.

Russia's Medvedev: Attack on Crimea will ignite 'Judgement Day' response

The refusal of Ukraine and Western powers to recognise Moscow's control of Crimea poses a "systemic threat" for Russia and any outside attack on the region will prompt a "Judgment Day" response, former president Dmitry Medvedev said on Sunday. Russia annexed the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 after a pro-Moscow president in Kyiv was toppled amid mass street protests. Moscow then also backed pro-Russian armed separatists in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.

British prime minister contenders clash over tax cuts in TV debate

The five Conservative contenders still vying to be Britain's next prime minister clashed over tax cuts in a second televised debate on Sunday, with the two frontrunners - Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss - stepping up their battle on the economy. With no clear candidate to succeed Boris Johnson who is stepping down after a series of scandals, the battle to be the next leader remains unpredictable and increasingly fractious, exposing rifts in the ruling Conservative Party.