World News Roundup: Outgoing Israeli government partners vow to block Netanyahu comeback; Moscow fumes after EU cuts off shipments to the Baltic outpost and more

'mercenaries' The Kremlin said on Tuesday it did not know the location of two Americans captured while fighting in eastern Ukraine, but that they were mercenaries and could be sentenced to death in Russian-backed breakaway territories.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Outgoing Israeli government partners vow to block Netanyahu comeback

Two members of Israel's outgoing coalition government vowed on Tuesday to prevent a comeback by ex-premier Benjamin Netanyahu, their fellow right-winger, as the country braced for a fifth election in three years with polling predicting no clear winner. Sapped by infighting that ended his razor-thin parliamentary majority, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Monday announced he would move to dissolve the Knesset, with Foreign Minister Yair Lapid assuming top office in a caretaker capacity.

Moscow fumes after EU cuts off shipments to the Baltic outpost

Russia summoned the European Union's ambassador in Moscow on Tuesday, fuming over what it calls an illegal rail blockade of a Russian outpost on the Baltic Sea, the latest standoff over sanctions imposed over the war in Ukraine. On the ground in eastern Ukraine, Russia's separatist proxies said they were advancing towards Kyiv's main battlefield bastion. A Ukrainian official described a lull in fighting there as the "calm before the storm".

Ukraine on course for EU candidacy at the summit, EU says

Ukraine is set to become an official candidate for European Union membership on Thursday in a symbolic but morale-boosting decision following Russia's invasion, ministers and diplomats said on Tuesday. EU leaders in Brussels are expected to sign off on last week's recommendation by the European Commission, the EU executive. After several days of internal EU discussions, no opposition among the 27 member states has surfaced, three diplomats told Reuters.

French opposition tells 'arrogant' Macron: compromise to win support

French President Emmanuel Macron refused to accept his prime minister's resignation and met with opposition leaders on Tuesday as he sought a way out of a political predicament after losing his parliamentary majority. Disaffected voters angry over spiraling inflation and Macron's perceived indifference towards hard-up families delivered a hung parliament in Sunday's election, leaving the president's centrist alliance several dozen seats short of a ruling majority.

S.Korea's second space rocket launch successfully puts satellites in orbit

South Korea's second test launch of its domestically produced Nuri rocket successfully placed several satellites in orbit on Tuesday, officials said, taking a major step in efforts to jumpstart its space program after a first test failed last year. The rocket lifted off from Naro Space Center on the southern coast of South Korea at 4 p.m. (0700 GMT). A 162.5-kg (358 lb)satellite designed to verify the rocket's performance successfully made contact with a base station in Antarctica after entering orbit, officials said.

In pro-Russian Serbia, a few Russians and Ukrainians unite to oppose war

Each week about a dozen Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian expatriates opposed to Russia's invasion of Ukraine meet local Serbs in a Belgrade cafe to discuss the war and plan protest rallies. Serbia's open borders to Russia have made the Balkan country a destination for thousands of Russians, including some fleeing sanctions or conscription and others opposed to the government in Moscow. Thousands of Ukrainians fleeing the war also arrived.

Thousands walk out in Britain's biggest rail strike in 30 years as Johnson vows to stay firm

Tens of thousands of workers walked out on the first day of Britain's biggest rail strike in 30 years on Tuesday with passengers facing further chaos as both the unions and government vowed to stick to their guns in a row over pay. Some of the more than 40,000 rail staff who are due to strike on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday gathered at picket lines from dawn, causing major disruption across the network and leaving major stations deserted. The London Underground metro was also mostly closed due to a separate strike.

Kremlin says it does not know the location of captured U.S. 'mercenaries'

The Kremlin said on Tuesday it did not know the location of two Americans captured while fighting in eastern Ukraine, but that they were mercenaries and could be sentenced to death in Russian-backed breakaway territories. Americans Alexander Drueke, 39, and Andy Huynh, 27, went missing this month while fighting near Kharkiv. Russian state media later showed video interviews with the pair, saying they had been captured by Russian-backed forces.

Burkina Faso tells civilians to evacuate vast zones ahead of military operations

Burkina Faso's army has ordered civilians to evacuate two large "military interest zones" in its northern and southeastern regions ahead of anticipated operations against Islamist insurgents, it said. The announcement was made late on Monday, with few details about how long people have to evacuate or where they should go.

Floods swamp more of Bangladesh and India, and millions marooned

Floodwaters inundated more of Bangladesh and northeast India on Tuesday, officials said, as authorities struggled to reach more than 9.5 million people stranded with little food and drinking water after days of intense rain. Particularly heavy monsoon rain has brought the worst floods in more than a century in some parts of low-lying Bangladesh and have killed at least 69 people over the past two weeks there and in northeast India's Assam state.

(With inputs from agencies.)