World News Roundup: Ukraine takes tentative step towards EU membership as Donbas battles reach 'fearsome climax'; EU to grant Ukraine candidate status in 'signal to Moscow' and more

Before heading off to a European Union summit in Brussels, Macron late on Wednesday made a televised speech in which he acknowledged that this month's parliament elections had laid bare "deep divisions" across French society. EU to grant Ukraine candidate status in 'signal to Moscow' European leaders will formally accept Ukraine as a candidate to join the EU on Thursday, a bold geopolitical move triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine but a reminder that the 27-nation bloc will need a major overhaul as it looks to enlarge again.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Ukraine takes tentative step towards EU membership as Donbas battles reach 'fearsome climax'

Ukraine will be accepted as a candidate to join the European Union on Thursday, a move that will boost the country's morale as the battle with Russian troops for two cities in the east reached what one official called a "fierce climax". Although the approval of the Kyiv government's application by EU leaders meeting in Brussels is just the start of what will be a years-long process, it signifies a huge geopolitical shift and will irritate Russia as it struggles to impose its will on Ukraine.

EU to grant Ukraine candidate status in 'signal to Moscow'

European leaders will formally accept Ukraine as a candidate to join the EU on Thursday, a bold geopolitical move triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine but a reminder that the 27-nation bloc will need a major overhaul as it looks to enlarge again. Although it could take Ukraine and neighboring Moldova more than a decade to qualify for membership, the two-day EU summit decision will be a symbolic step that signals the bloc's intention to reach deep into the former Soviet Union.

G7 hopes to show unity on Ukraine despite darkening economic outlook

The Group of Seven rich democracies will seek to demonstrate their long-term support for Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression at a summit starting on Sunday even as the war's growing impact on the world economy tests their resolve. The leaders of the United States, Germany, France, Britain, Italy, Canada and Japan will discuss how to tighten the screws on the Kremlin at the three-day summit at Schloss Elmau, a luxury hotel in a Bavarian mountain valley.

Aid trickles into the Afghan earthquake zone, toll at 1,000 dead

Aid began arriving on Thursday in a remote part of Afghanistan where an earthquake killed 1,000 people but poor communications and a lack of proper roads are hampering relief efforts in a country already grappling with a humanitarian crisis. The magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck early on Wednesday about 160 km, (100 miles) southeast of Kabul, in arid mountains dotted with small settlements near the border with Pakistan.

WHO eyes decision on monkeypox 'emergency', Africa says it's long overdue

The World Health Organization will decide on Thursday whether to declare monkeypox a global health emergency, stirring criticism from leading African scientists who say it has been a crisis in their region for years. The deliberations and scrutiny of the WHO's response to the outbreak follow concerns over how the United Nations agency and governments worldwide handled COVID-19 in early 2020.

India to support crisis-hit Sri Lanka's economic recovery

India's top diplomat held talks with Sri Lanka's president and prime minister on Thursday as India signaled its willingness to go beyond the $4 billion in loans, swaps and aid that it has already provided its cash-strapped neighbor. Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis in seven decades, with a severe foreign exchange shortage hampering the import of essentials, including food, fuel, and medicines.

French parties brush off Macron's appeal to unblock parliament

French parties from left and right brushed off President Emmanuel Macron's appeal for help to overcome a hung parliament on Thursday, demanding he clarifies what compromises he was ready to make to win their backing. Before heading off to a European Union summit in Brussels, Macron late on Wednesday made a televised speech in which he acknowledged that this month's parliamentary elections had laid bare "deep divisions" across French society.

Germany triggers gas alarm stage, accuses Russia of 'economic attack'

Germany triggered the "alarm stage" of its emergency gas plan on Thursday in response to falling Russian supplies but stopped short of allowing utilities to pass on soaring energy costs to customers in Europe's largest economy. The measure is the latest escalation in a standoff between Europe and Moscow since the Russian invasion of Ukraine that has exposed the bloc's dependence on Russian gas supplies and sparked a frantic search for alternative energy sources.

U.S. long-range rocket systems arrive in Ukraine - minister

Ukraine said on Thursday it had received U.S. supplies of High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), a powerful long-range weapon system that Kyiv hopes can help turn the tide on Russia's invasion. Moscow's forces are advancing in Ukraine's east in a bid to capture the industrial heartland known as the Donbas where Ukraine fears some of its troops could be encircled in a Russian pincer.

Lick of paint for Yemen's historic Sanaa as truce holds

Yemeni architect Zaid al-Kuhlani watched his workers dab white paint around stained glass windows from scaffolds, part of a large-scale restoration effort of UNESCO-listed historic Old Sanaa that has endured years of bombings during the war. Others used pulleys and ropes to lift the city's distinctive brown mud to the top of its damaged unique tower houses as the sounds of traffic and honking car horns replaced warplanes' rumbling, thanks to a United Nations-brokered truce.

(With inputs from agencies.)