World News Roundup: Shanghai aims to reopen more COVID-shut businesses, Beijing battles on; Analysis-Neutral Switzerland leans closer to NATO in response to Russia and more

Near the northeastern city of Kharkiv, where Ukrainian forces have been on the attack since early this month, commanders said they believed Russia had been withdrawing troops to reinforce positions around Izium to the south. Finnish president confirms country will apply to join NATO Finland's President Sauli Niinisto confirmed on Sunday that his country would apply for membership of the NATO military alliance, in a historic policy shift prompted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Shanghai aims to reopen more COVID-shut businesses, Beijing battles on

Shanghai will gradually begin reopening businesses such as shopping malls and hair salons in China's financial and manufacturing hub from Monday after weeks in strict COVID-19 lockdown, while Beijing battles a small but stubborn outbreak. All but shut down for more than six weeks, Shanghai is tightening curbs in some areas that it hopes marks a final push in its campaign against the virus, which has infuriated and exhausted residents of China's largest and most cosmopolitan city.

Analysis-Neutral Switzerland leans closer to NATO in response to Russia

Switzerland's fabled neutral status is about to face its biggest test in decades, with the defense ministry tilting closer to Western military powers in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The defense ministry is drawing up a report on security options that include joint military exercises with NATO countries and "backfilling" munitions, Paelvi Pulli, head of security policy at the Swiss defense ministry told Reuters.

Front lines shift in Donbas as Ukraine mounts counteroffensive

The front lines in Ukraine had shifted on Sunday as Russia made advances in the fiercely contested eastern Donbas region and Ukraine's military waged a counteroffensive near the strategic Russian-held city of Izium. Near the northeastern city of Kharkiv, where Ukrainian forces have been on the attack since early this month, commanders said they believed Russia had been withdrawing troops to reinforce positions around Izium to the south.

Finnish president confirms country will apply to join NATO

Finland's President Sauli Niinisto confirmed on Sunday that his country would apply for membership of the NATO military alliance, in a historic policy shift prompted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Moscow, which shares a 1,300 km (800 mile) border with Finland, has said it would be a mistake for Helsinki to join the 30-strong transatlantic alliance and that it would harm bilateral ties.

Indonesian president's rating hits six-year low as prices rise

Indonesian President Joko Widodo's approval rating has hit a six-year low amid dissatisfaction over soaring cooking oil prices and the perceived failure of an export ban to swiftly reduce the rising cost of goods, a new poll showed on Sunday. Figures released by pollster Indikator Politik Indonesia showed that satisfaction with the nation's president, widely known by as Jokowi, fell to 58.1% this May.

Lebanon holds first parliament election since the financial collapse, blast

Lebanese voted on Sunday in the first parliamentary election since the country's economic collapse, with many saying they hoped to deal a blow to ruling politicians they blame for the crisis even if the odds of major change appear slim. The election, the first since 2018, is seen as a test of whether the heavily armed, Iran-backed Hezbollah and its allies can preserve their parliamentary majority amid soaring poverty and anger at parties in power.

Ireland calls on UK to cool Brexit tensions over Northern Ireland

Ireland's foreign minister Simon Coveney urged British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Sunday not to introduce new post-Brexit trade laws in the coming days that he said could undermine the peace process in Northern Ireland. Top officials from Johnson's government have warned they might take unilateral action over the rules for goods going in and out of the British-run province, raising alarm in the European Union.

Palestinian militant dies of wounds, days after clashes with Israeli troops

A Palestinian gunman, brother of a prominent militant in the occupied West Bank, died in an Israeli hospital on Sunday, two days after being wounded in clashes with Israeli forces. The Palestinian Health Ministry announced Daoud Zubeidi's death, citing information from Israeli authorities, and armed groups vowed revenge.

German Chancellor Scholz's SPD party faces test in key state vote

Germans went to the polls in Germany's most populous state on Sunday in a vote that poses an early test for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats five months after he took office with a domestic policy focus that was quickly eclipsed by the Ukraine conflict. The center-left Social Democrats (SPD) have dominated North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) -- home to more than a fifth of Germany's population and to the rust-belt Ruhr region -- for most of the past half-century.

Pope declares 10 new saints, including Dutch priest killed by Nazis

Pope Francis on Sunday declared 10 people saints of the Roman Catholic Church, including an anti-Nazi Dutch priest murdered in the Dachau concentration camp and a French hermit monk assassinated in Algeria. The 85-year-old pope, who has been using a wheelchair due to knee and leg pain, was driven to the altar at the start of the ceremony, which was attended by more than 50,000 people in St Peter's Square. It was the one of the largest gatherings there since the easing of COVID restrictions earlier this year.

(With inputs from agencies.)