World News Roundup: Ukraine says troops holding out in Sievierodonetsk after last bridge destroyed; China bank protest stopped by health codes turning red, depositors say and more

The island nation, which employs about one million people in its public sector, has been hit by a severe foreign exchange shortage, which has left it struggling to pay for critical imports of fuel, food and medicine. Israel says U.S. should helm Mideast build-up against Iran Israel and Arab countries that share its worries about Iran should build up their military capabilities under Washington's aegis, the Israeli defence minister said on Tuesday ahead of a visit to the region by U.S. President Joe Biden.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Ukraine says troops holding out in Sievierodonetsk after last bridge destroyed

Ukraine said on Tuesday its forces were still holding out inside Sievierodonetsk and trying to evacuate civilians after Russia destroyed the last bridge to the devastated eastern city in a potential turning point in one of the war's bloodiest battles. Russia said it would give Ukrainian fighters holed up in a chemical plant inside the city a chance to surrender on Wednesday morning. Fighters should "stop their senseless resistance and lay down their arms" from 8 a.m. Moscow time, Interfax news agency quoted ​Mikhail Mizintsev, head of Russia's National Defence Management Centre, as saying.

China bank protest stopped by health codes turning red, depositors say

A protest planned by hundreds of bank depositors in central China seeking access to their frozen funds has been thwarted because the authorities have turned their health code apps red, several depositors told Reuters. The depositors were planning to travel to the central province of Henan this week from across China to protest against an almost two-month block on accessing at least $178 million of deposits, which has left companies unable to pay workers and individuals unable to access savings.

Ukraine faces budget cut without $5 billion in monthly external aid - parliamentarian

Ukraine's budget revenues cover less than half of expenditures following Russia's invasion, and Kyiv will have to cut budget spending sharply if more external financial assistance does not arrive, the head of parliament's finance committee said. "We have to borrow $5 billion monthly. If we do not get it, we will have to cut spending," Danylo Hetmantsev told local television on Tuesday.

Ukraine has enough ammunition but needs long-range weapons -Zelenskiy

Ukraine's military has enough ammunition and weapons, but needs more long-range weapons, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told Danish journalists on Tuesday. "We have enough weapons. What we don't have enough of are the weapons that really hits the range that we need to reduce the advantage of the Russian Federation's equipment," Zelenskiy said at an online press briefing organized by Danish publishing house Berlingske Media.

Sri Lanka gives public workers extra day off to grow food

Sri Lanka has approved a four-day work week for public sector workers to help them cope with a chronic fuel shortage and encourage them to grow food, the government said on Tuesday, as it struggles with its worst financial crisis in decades. The island nation, which employs about one million people in its public sector, has been hit by a severe foreign exchange shortage, which has left it struggling to pay for critical imports of fuel, food, and medicine.

Israel says U.S. should helm Mideast build-up against Iran

Israel and Arab countries that share their worries about Iran should build up their military capabilities under Washington's aegis, the Israeli defense minister said on Tuesday ahead of a visit to the region by U.S. President Joe Biden. Biden's July 13-16 tour will include Israel, the Palestinian territories, and Saudi Arabia, a U.S. official said. According to Saudi state television, Biden will attend a summit with the leaders of Gulf states, Egypt, Jordan, and Iraq.

Jailed Kremlin critic Navalny transferred to unknown location

Jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny has been transferred out of his prison colony to an unknown location, a top aide said on Tuesday. "Where Alexei is now, and which colony he is being taken to, we don't know," Leonid Volkov, Navalny's chief of staff, said in a statement on the Telegram app.

Bangkok cannabis pop-up truck proves popular with tourists

"Amnesia", "Jack Haze", and "Night Nurse" are among marijuana strains on sale at a pop-up truck in Bangkok, as retailers cash in on demand for the newly decriminalized substance from foreigners and locals alike. Thailand last week became the first Asian country to legalize the growing of marijuana and its consumption in food and drinks by de-listing it as a narcotic.

India overhauls military recruitment, seeking younger troops

India's military is overhauling its recruitment process for personnel below officer rank, aiming to deploy fitter, younger troops on its front lines, many of them on shorter contracts of up to four years, defense officials said on Tuesday. India, which shares a heavily militarized border with Pakistan and is involved in a high-altitude Himalayan stand-off with China, has one of the world's largest armed forces with some 1.38 million personnel.

UK presses ahead with plan for first migrant deportation flight to Rwanda

Britain's first scheduled flight taking asylum seekers to Rwanda was set to depart on Tuesday, with the government warning that anyone who avoided it through last-minute legal challenges would be put on a later plane despite an outcry from critics. With just hours to go before the flight was due to depart from London, lawyers for human rights groups and campaigners took their case to the Supreme Court, only for the judge to reject it.