World News Roundup: Sri Lanka says IMF talks near end after declaring state of emergency; Exclusive-Russia's Gazprom declares force majeure on some gas supplies to Europe and more

The probe by Thai human rights group iLaw, Southeast Asian internet watchdog Digital Reach and Toronto-based Citizen Lab, followed a mass alert from Apple Inc in November informing thousands of iPhone users, including in Thailand, that they were targets of "state-sponsored attackers". Malaysia seizes six tonnes of illegally trafficked animal parts Malaysian authorities on Monday seized a massive haul of trafficked animal parts, including elephant tusks, rhino horns, pangolin scales and tiger bones worth around 80 million ringgit ($17.9 million), officials said at a news briefing.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Sri Lanka says IMF talks near end after declaring state of emergency

Sri Lanka's acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Monday that the country had almost concluded negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), a day after he declared a state of emergency in the island nation. "The acting president further explained that negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) were nearing conclusion, and discussions for assistance with foreign countries were also progressing," Wickremesinghe's office said in a statement.

Exclusive-Russia's Gazprom declares force majeure on some gas supplies to Europe

Russia's Gazprom has declared force majeure on gas supplies to Europe to at least one major customer, according to the letter from Gazprom dated July 14 and seen by Reuters on Monday. The letter said Gazprom, which has a monopoly on Russian gas exports by pipeline, could not fulfil its supply obligations owing to "extraordinary" circumstances outside its control.

S.Korean government calls on strikers to end 'illegal' siege of Daewoo shipyard

The South Korean government on Monday called on striking workers at Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) to end their month-long siege of a dock at the company's biggest shipyard, which has paralysed production and is delaying delivery of new vessels. Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho called the occupation "outright illegal" and pledged a "stern response based on law and order."

Zelenskiy sidelines close allies in Kyiv's biggest purge of war

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy sidelined his childhood friend as head of Ukraine's security service, and another close ally as top prosecutor, in Kyiv's biggest internal purge of the war, citing their failure to root out Russian spies. The careers of SBU security service chief Ivan Bakanov and Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova had personified Zelenskiy's policy of putting young loyalists in charge of fighting corruption since the former TV comic came to power in 2019.

Putin: West cannot isolate Russia and send it back in time

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that it was impossible to cut Russia off from the rest of the world, and that sanctions imposed by Western countries would not turn the clock back on Russia's development. Since sending troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, Russia has been hit with a barrage of Western sanctions, designed to isolate it from the global economy, that have deprived it of access to goods including commercial electronics, semiconductors and aircraft parts.

Pegasus phone spyware used to target 30 Thai activists, cyber watchdogs say

At least 30 political activists in Thailand have been hacked using Israeli surveillance spyware Pegasus, according to a joint investigation by human rights and cyber monitoring groups, which suspect the attacks were launched locally. The probe by Thai human rights group iLaw, Southeast Asian internet watchdog Digital Reach and Toronto-based Citizen Lab, followed a mass alert from Apple Inc in November informing thousands of iPhone users, including in Thailand, that they were targets of "state-sponsored attackers".

Malaysia seizes six tonnes of illegally trafficked animal parts

Malaysian authorities on Monday seized a massive haul of trafficked animal parts, including elephant tusks, rhino horns, pangolin scales and tiger bones worth around 80 million ringgit ($17.9 million), officials said at a news briefing. Authorities discovered around six tonnes of ivory tusks and other animal parts at the western port in Selangor state on Sunday. The animal parts were believed to be shipped from Africa, Malaysian Customs Director General Zazuli Johan said at the briefing.

Southern Europe battles wildfires as heatwave spreads north

A heatwave sweeping southern Europe that has caused hundreds of deaths and huge wildfires in past weeks showed some signs of abating on Monday but continued to move north, including towards Britain where authorities issued an extreme weather warning. Much of Europe is baking in a heatwave that scientists say is consistent with climate change and has pushed temperatures into the mid-40s Celsius (over 110 Fahrenheit) in some regions, with wildfires raging across the tinder-dry countryside in Portugal, Spain and France.

Increasingly bitter race to replace UK PM Johnson set to narrow down

Another leadership hopeful will be knocked out of the race to become Britain's next prime minister on Monday, leaving four remaining candidates in what has become an acrimonious and divisive contest to replace Boris Johnson. Since Johnson said he would resign earlier this month after his scandal-ridden administration lost the support of many in his ruling Conservative Party, the race to replace him has taken an ugly turn with several contenders turning their fire on the frontrunner, former finance minister Rishi Sunak.

'My dream came true: Indian woman to revisit Pakistan home after 75 years

When 92-year-old Indian citizen Reena Varma visits her childhood home in Pakistan this week, for the first time in 75 years, she will be the only one of her family to make it back home since they left shortly before the partition divided the two nations. "My dream came true," she said, adding her sister had died without ever being able to fulfill her wish to return to the home in the city of Rawalpindi they left when Varma was 15 years old.