World News Roundup: Poll shows UK's Sunak would lose leadership contest in final members' vote; France battles massive wildfires, Britain records highest ever temperature and more

Since Johnson said he would resign earlier this month after his scandal-ridden administration lost the support of many Conservatives, the remaining candidates have turned their fire on frontrunner, former finance minister Rishi Sunak. Ukraine's parliament votes to remove security chief and prosecutor general Ukraine's parliament dismissed the domestic security chief and prosecutor general on Tuesday, two days after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy suspended them for failing to root out Russian spies.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Poll shows UK's Sunak would lose leadership contest in final members' vote

Rishi Sunak, a frontrunner in the contest to become Britain's next prime minister, would lose to any of his remaining opponents if he makes it through to the final stage of the contest when rank and file party members get to vote, polling showed on Tuesday. The YouGov poll of Conservative Party members showed Sunak would lose a runoff vote against either Kemi Badenoch, Liz Truss or Penny Mordaunt. The polling was published by Sky News.

France battles massive wildfires, Britain records highest ever temperature

Firefighters in southwestern France battled on Tuesday to contain massive forest wildfires and Britain recorded its highest ever temperature as a heatwave rising from the south settled over western Europe. Southern and western Germany and Belgium were also braced for potentially record-breaking temperatures as the heatwave, which scientists attribute to climate change, edged north and east.

Russia strikes cities across Ukraine, gas supplies in focus

Russian forces kept up their bombardment of cities across Ukraine, with intense shelling of Sumy in the north, cluster bombs targeting Mykolaiv and a missile strike in Odesa in the south, authorities said on Tuesday. After failing to capture the capital Kyiv at the outset of the invasion on Feb 24, Russia has shifted to a campaign of devastating bombardments to cement and extend its control of Ukraine's south and east.

Analysis: The 2.5 seconds that sealed Shinzo Abe's fatal security lapses

Bodyguards could have saved Shinzo Abe if they shielded him or removed him from the line of fire in the 2.5 seconds between a missed first shot and the second round of gunfire that fatally wounded him, according to eight security experts who reviewed footage of the former Japanese leader's assassination.

The failure to protect Abe from the second shot followed what appeared to be a series of security lapses in the lead-up to the assassination of Japan's longest-serving prime minister on July 8, the Japanese and international experts said.

Spanish man burnt by wildfire as he tried to save town is now fighting for his life

A Spanish man who fled a wildfire with his clothes in flames after trying to dig a trench to protect his town was in serious condition in hospital but managed to communicate with his wife, a family friend told Reuters on Tuesday. Angel Martin Arjona ran out of towering flames after the wind changed direction and fire and smoke engulfed the digger he was operating in the northwestern town of Tabara in Zamora province, a scene caught on video by Reuters.

Italy's right rules out returning to government with 5-Star

Conservative parties in Italy's fractured coalition ruled out on Tuesday continuing to govern alongside the 5-Star Movement, complicating already difficult efforts to keep Prime Minister Mario Draghi's administration afloat. Draghi tendered his resignation last week after the populist 5-Star Movement refused to back the 18-month-old national unity government in a parliamentary confidence vote.

Race to replace UK's Boris Johnson heats up as end in sight

The race to replace ousted British Prime Minister Boris Johnson heated up on Tuesday, with four contenders offering more policies to try to climb to the top two in a leadership contest that is splitting the governing Conservative Party. Since Johnson said he would resign earlier this month after his scandal-ridden administration lost the support of many Conservatives, the remaining candidates have turned their fire on frontrunner, former finance minister Rishi Sunak.

Ukraine's parliament votes to remove security chief and prosecutor general

Ukraine's parliament dismissed the domestic security chief and prosecutor general on Tuesday, two days after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy suspended them for failing to root out Russian spies. Ivan Bakanov was fired from his position at the helm of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) by a comfortable majority, several lawmakers said on the Telegram messaging app.

Putin visits Iran on first trip outside former Soviet Union since Ukraine war

Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Tehran on Tuesday for talks with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Kremlin leader's first trip outside the former Soviet Union since Moscow's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine. In Tehran, Putin will also hold his first face-to-face meeting since the invasion with a NATO leader, Turkey's Tayyip Erdogan, to discuss a deal aimed at allowing the resumption of Ukraine's Black Sea grain exports as well as peace in Syria.

Sri Lanka's Wickremesinghe to face low-key lawmaker in tight race for president

Sri Lanka's main opposition leader withdrew from the presidential race on Tuesday and promised support to a low-profile politician from the ruling party who will take on acting president Ranil Wickremesinghe in a tight contest. The 225-seat parliament votes on Wednesday to choose the new president, who will lead efforts to address the country's economic and political collapse. The house finalized three candidates on Tuesday.