World News Roundup: Ukraine urges civilians to flee from east as rail attack toll rises; Shanghai official says handling of COVID outbreak needs to improve and more

The island nation of 22 million people has been hit by prolonged power cuts, with drugs, fuel and other items running short, bringing angry protesters out on the streets and putting President Gotabaya Rajapaksa under mounting pressure. President Raisi says Iran will not retreat from nuclear rights Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said on Saturday Tehran would not give up its right to develop its nuclear industry for peaceful purposes, and all parties involved in talks to revive the 2015 nuclear accord should respect this, state media reported.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Ukraine urges civilians to flee from east as rail attack toll rises

Ukraine on Saturday called on civilians in the eastern Luhansk region to flee from amassing Russian forces after officials said more than 50 civilians trying to evacuate by rail from a neighboring region were killed in a missile attack the previous day. Air-raid sirens sounded in cities across eastern Ukraine, which has become the focus of Russian military action in recent weeks following a withdrawal from areas close to Kyiv.

Shanghai official says handling of COVID outbreak needs to improve

Shanghai's vice mayor admitted to shortcomings in the city's handling of its COVID-19 outbreak as a record 23,600 new cases were reported on Saturday. Deputy Mayor Zong Ming was speaking after the United States said it was allowing non-essential staff and their families to leave its consulate in the city.

Pakistan vote on ousting PM Khan delayed, uncertainty continues

Pakistan's parliament abruptly adjourned before a planned vote on ousting Prime Minister Imran Khan and had not reconvened as scheduled on Saturday as political uncertainty continued to grip the nuclear-armed country. Members of Khan's party had suggested on Friday they would try to delay the vote as much as possible. The cricket star-turned politician has vowed to "struggle" against any move to replace him, the latest twist in a crisis that has threatened political and economic stability in the South Asian nation of 220 million people.

UK Labour Party calls on Sunak to explain offshore trusts claim

Britain's opposition Labour Party called on finance minister Rishi Sunak on Saturday to respond to claims in a newspaper report that he was listed as a beneficiary of offshore trusts linked to his wife's family business interests. The Independent said trusts in the British Virgin Islands and the Cayman Islands were created to help manage the tax and business affairs of Sunak's wife Akshata Murty, whose father is an Indian billionaire, and some of them noted Sunak as a beneficiary in 2020.

UK says Russia continues to hit Ukrainian non-combatants

Russia continues to hit Ukrainian non-combatants, such as the civilians killed in Friday's rocket strike on Kramatorsk railway station in eastern Ukraine, British military intelligence said on Saturday. "Russian operations continue to focus on the Donbas region, Mariupol and Mykolaiv, supported by continued cruise missile launch into Ukraine by Russian naval forces," the Ministry of Defence said, adding that Russia's ambitions to establish a land corridor between Crimea and the Donbas continue to be thwarted by Ukrainian resistance.

Israeli forces kill Palestinian militant in W.Bank clash

Israeli soldiers killed a Palestinian militant on Saturday in clashes that broke out in the occupied West Bank during a raid in the hometown of a gunman who had carried out a deadly shooting attack in Tel Aviv, Israeli and Palestinian sources said. Israeli-Palestinian tensions have soared in the run-up to the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, with both sides warning against escalation. Deadly incidents have since surged.

Philippines' Duterte, China's Xi call for restraint in South China Sea

Philippines' Rodrigo Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed the need to exercise restraint to maintain peace in the South China Sea, Manila's presidential office said on Saturday. The two leaders held an hour-long telephone summit on Friday, discussing a broad range of topics including concerns over the Ukraine crisis and COVID-19 pandemic responses.

Iran imposes sanctions on 15 U.S. officials as nuclear talks stall

Iran said on Saturday that it had imposed sanctions on 15 more U.S. officials, including former Army Chief of Staff George Casey and former President Donald Trump's attorney Rudy Giuliani, as months of talks to revive a 2015 nuclear deal have stalled. Almost all the officials named served during Trump's administration which imposed sanctions on Iranian officials, politicians, and companies and withdrew the United States from Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers.

Exclusive-Sri Lanka seeking $3 billion in months to stave off crisis - finance minister

Sri Lanka will need about $3 billion in external assistance within the next six months to help restore supplies of essential items, including fuel and medicines, to manage a severe economic crisis, its finance minister told Reuters on Saturday. The island nation of 22 million people has been hit by prolonged power cuts, with drugs, fuel and other items running short, bringing angry protesters out on the streets and putting President Gotabaya Rajapaksa under mounting pressure.

President Raisi says Iran will not retreat from nuclear rights

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said on Saturday Tehran would not give up its right to develop its nuclear industry for peaceful purposes, and all parties involved in talks to revive the 2015 nuclear accord should respect this, state media reported. Eleven months of indirect talks between Iran and the United States in Vienna have stalled as both sides say political decisions are required by Tehran and Washington to settle the remaining issues.