World News Roundup: Ukraine Azovstal steelworks evacuation focuses on wounded, medics; Hong Kong's next leader endorsed by pro-Beijing elites and more

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Ukraine Azovstal steelworks evacuation focuses on wounded, medics

Evacuation efforts will focus on getting the wounded and medics out of Mariupol's bombed-out Azovstal steelworks after all the women, children and elderly trapped in the plant were brought to safety, said Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Ukrainian resistance fighters in the plant have vowed not to surrender and Russian forces are seeking to declare a victory in the prolonged battle for the vast plant in time for Monday's Victory Day celebrations in Moscow, which commemorate when the Soviet Union triumphed over Nazi Germany in World War Two.

Hong Kong's next leader endorsed by pro-Beijing elites

Hong Kong's leader-in-waiting, John Lee, was endorsed for the city's top job on Sunday by a committee stacked with pro-Beijing loyalists, as the financial hub attempts to relaunch itself after several years of political upheaval. Lee, the sole candidate, received the votes of 1,416 members of a pro-Beijing election committee on Sunday morning, granting him the majority required to anoint him as Hong Kong's next leader. Eight voted to "not support" him.

'Stop asking why': Shanghai tightens COVID lockdown, Beijing keeps testing

Shanghai authorities were tightening the city-wide COVID lockdown they imposed more than a month ago, prolonging into late May an ordeal that China's capital Beijing was desperate to avoid by turning mass testing into an almost daily routine. The commercial hub of 25 million was making a fresh push to bring case numbers outside the areas that were facing the strictest curbs to zero by the second half of May, people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Explainer-How the U.S. could tighten sanctions on Russia

The United States has imposed several rafts of sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine in February, targeting its central bank, major lenders, oligarchs and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Here are some ways in which the United States could further increase sanctions on Russia.

Two Palestinians who killed 3 in Israeli town apprehended - Israeli statement

Two Palestinians who killed three Israelis in an attack in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish town on Israel's Independence Day on Thursday were apprehended on Sunday, Israeli security forces said. The attack was the latest in a recent upsurge of Israeli-Palestinian violence that has raised fears of a slide back to wider conflict.

Tunisian president's backers rally to demand clampdown on opposition

Hundreds of Tunisians demonstrated to support President Kais Saied on Sunday and to back his rewriting of the constitution that opponents say will entrench his one-man rule. Saied's supporters, whose rally in central Tunis was smaller than recent opposition protests, said the president's opponents were corrupt and called for opposition parties to be banned.

The Philippines on high alert as all systems go for election

The Philippine police and military said on Sunday they were on high alert as last-minute preparations continued for the country's general election, even as the overall situation remained "relatively peaceful". Filipinos vote on Monday to choose President Rodrigo Duterte's successor, a vice president, 12 senators, hundreds of congressmen and thousands of governors, mayors and provincial and city councilors.

Sri Lanka in talks for $100 million emergency funding from Beijing-backed bank

The China-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank is considering granting $100 million in emergency support to Sri Lanka, the country's finance ministry said on Sunday. Sri Lanka has requested foreign-exchange liquidity support for state banks from the lender, it said in a statement.

Mumbai mosques turn volume down on call to prayer after Hindu's demands

Sitting in an office lined with books overlooking a giant prayer hall, Mohammed Ashfaq Kazi, the main preacher at the largest mosque in Mumbai, checked a decibel meter attached to the loudspeakers before he gave the call to worship. "The volume of our azaan (call to prayer) has become a political issue, but I don't want it to take a communal turn," said Kazi, one of the most influential Islamic scholars in the sprawling metropolis on India's western coast.

On World War Two anniversary, Zelenskiy says evil has returned

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday evil has returned to Ukraine as he gave an emotional address for Victory Day, when Europe commemorates the formal surrender of Germany to the Allies in World War Two. The life that soldiers fought for in that war came to an end on Feb. 24 when Russian forces invaded, he said in a video message.

(With inputs from agencies.)