World News Roundup: Russian hackers tried to sabotage Ukrainian power grid - officials, researchers; Analysis-Even with sanctions, Russia can afford to feed its war machine and more

With a quarter of the population under what brokerage Nomura described as "full or partial lockdowns," China's leadership is taking increasing steps to ease the economic toll of its "zero-COVID" strategy, but remains reluctant to risk larger waves of infection. UK issues more than 50 fines for Downing St lockdown parties British police said on Tuesday they would issue at least another 30 fines for people who attended gatherings in Prime Minister Boris Johnson's offices and residence in breach of strict coronavirus lockdown rules.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Russian hackers tried to sabotage the Ukrainian power grid - officials, researchers

Russian hackers attempted to launch a destructive cyberattack on Ukraine's electricity grid last week, Ukrainian officials and cybersecurity researchers said on Tuesday. The group, dubbed "Sandworm" by security researchers and previously tied to destructive cyberattacks attributed to Russia, deployed destructive and data-wiping malware on computers controlling high voltage substations in Ukraine, the Computer Emergency Response Team of Ukraine (CERT-UA) said in a statement on its website.

Analysis-Even with sanctions, Russia can afford to feed its war machine

Russia can afford to wage a long war in Ukraine despite being hammered by Western sanctions aimed at crippling its ability to sustain the campaign, defense experts and economists say. Russia's invasion has driven up the price of the oil, gas, and grain it exports, providing it with a substantial windfall to fund its "special military operation" - now entering a new phase as Moscow focuses on the eastern Donbas region after failing to break Ukraine's defense of the capital Kyiv.

UK says 'all options are on the table' if Russia uses chemical weapons in Ukraine

All options would be on the table in how the West responds to any use of chemical weapons in Ukraine by Russia, British armed forces minister James Heappey said on Tuesday. British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said on Monday Britain was working with its partners to verify the details of reports that Russian forces may have used chemical agents in an attack on the southeastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol, where thousands are believed to have died during a near-seven week siege.

Shanghai eases COVID curbs for some even as factory halts widen

Some Shanghai residents were able to leave their homes for the first time in more than two weeks on Tuesday as the city took tentative steps towards easing a COVID-19 lockdown amid mounting worries over the economic impact of the strict curbs. With a quarter of the population under what brokerage Nomura described as "full or partial lockdowns," China's leadership is taking increasing steps to ease the economic toll of its "zero-COVID" strategy, but remains reluctant to risk larger waves of infection.

UK issues more than 50 fines for Downing St lockdown parties

British police said on Tuesday they would issue at least another 30 fines for people who attended gatherings in Prime Minister Boris Johnson's offices and residence in breach of strict coronavirus lockdown rules. Police are investigating 12 gatherings at Downing Street and the Cabinet Office after an internal inquiry found Johnson's staff had enjoyed alcohol-fuelled parties, with the British leader attending a few of the events himself.

Russian court dismisses appeal of jailed former U.S. Marine Trevor Reed

A Moscow court declined on Tuesday to rule on an appeal from a jailed former U.S. marine, who is seeking to overturn a nine-year sentence for an attack on two Russian police officers which he denies. Trevor Reed, 30, from Texas, is serving out his term after being convicted in 2019 of endangering the lives of two police officers while drunk on a visit to Moscow. The United States has called his trial a "theatre of the absurd".

Macron's offer to soften pension reform is 'maneuver' to seduce left-wing voters - Le Pen

Emmanuel Macron's offer to soften planned pension reforms is a "maneuver" to lure voters ahead of the second round of France's presidential election, but he would still execute the original plans if re-elected, far-right candidate Marine Le Pen said. "It's a maneuver by Emmanuel Macron to try to win over, or at least to mitigate the opposition of the left-leaning voters", said Le Pen on Tuesday, speaking in an interview with France Inter radio.

UK PM Johnson and finance minister to be fined for lockdown breaches

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and finance minister Rishi Sunak will be fined by police for breaching COVID-19 lockdown rules, the government said on Tuesday. Police said earlier on Tuesday they would issue at least another 30 fines for people who attended gatherings in Johnson's offices and residence in breach of strict coronavirus lockdown rules, taking the total to more than 50.

Mexican cartels swap arms for cocaine, fueling Colombia's violence

Mexican drug cartels appear to be shipping high-powered weapons to Colombia to purchase shipments of cocaine, a trade Colombian authorities say is fueling the deadly struggle between rival traffickers for control of the nation's drug routes. A bevy of machine guns, assault rifles and semi-automatic handguns are flowing into the South American country, a dozen Colombian law enforcement officials told Reuters.

Putin defends 'noble' war amid allegations of chemical weapons use

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday defended the war in Ukraine as a "noble" mission that would achieve its goals as his troops massed for a new offensive amid allegations of rape, brutality against civilians, and possible use of chemical weapons. Ukrainian officials urged civilians to flee eastern areas ahead of the anticipated offensive, while the battle for the southern port city of Mariupol was reaching a decisive phase, with Ukrainian marines holed up in the Azovstal industrial district.

(With inputs from agencies.)