World News Roundup: More than 250 Ukrainian troops surrender as Kyiv orders Mariupol to yield; Former king to visit Spain after 2020 departure amid scandal and more

The admirer of former U.S. President Donald Trump, who was elected to the lower house last year, has surged in opinion polls ahead of Argentina's 2023 presidential election with attacks on the political mainstream and pledges for total economic freedom. Finnish president optimistic Turkey's NATO objections can be overcome Finland and Sweden should be able to reach an agreement with Turkey over Ankara's objections to the two Nordic countries joining the 30-nation NATO alliance, Finland's president said on Tuesday.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

More than 250 Ukrainian troops surrender as Kyiv orders Mariupol to yield

More than 250 Ukrainian fighters surrendered to Russian forces at the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol and Kyiv said it had ordered its entire garrison to evacuate, heralding the end of Europe's bloodiest battle in decades. Reuters saw buses leave the steelworks overnight and five of them arrive in the Russian-held town of Novoazovsk, where Moscow said they would be treated for wounds.

Former king to visit Spain after 2020 departure amid scandal

Spain's former King Juan Carlos will travel to his country this weekend for the first time since leaving for the United Arab Emirates in August 2020 under a cloud of scandal, the mayor of the town he is visiting for a boating event said on Tuesday. Juan Carlos, 84, said in March he was maintaining his residence in the UAE although he would visit Spain frequently after Spanish and Swiss prosecutors dropped a series of investigations into alleged fraud.

Uganda announces withdrawal of troops from east Congo

Uganda will pull troops from the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo in two weeks, the military said on Tuesday, after a joint operation against Islamist insurgents since late last year. President Yoweri Museveni's government sent hundreds of soldiers into eastern Congo in December to join the Congolese military in an assault on the bases of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF).

Azovstal siege ends as hundreds of Ukrainian fighters surrender

More than 250 Ukrainian fighters have surrendered after weeks holed up in the labyrinth of bunkers and tunnels below Mariupol's Azovstal steelworks as the most devastating siege of Russia's war in Ukraine draws to a close. Russian forces pummelled Mariupol, a major port on the Sea of Azov between Russia and Crimea, with artillery for weeks while some of the fiercest urban warfare of the conflict left much of the city a wasteland.

"Death was coming" - Bataclan band recalls Paris attack

The U.S. rock band Eagles of Death Metal were midway through their set when Islamist militants sprayed the Bataclan concert hall in Paris with gunfire, cutting down revelers, frontman Jesse Hughes recounted before a French court on Tuesday. Guitar technician Eden Galindo's first thought had been that the sound system was exploding, but Hughes said he knew instantly the venue was under attack.

Argentine libertarian channels inner Trump to 'blow up' political status quo

Javier Milei, an ebullient Argentine economist with wild hair and an avid fan base, was once known for his theatrical and acerbic televised takedowns of the country's political elite. Now he has a shot of taking them down at the ballot box. The admirer of former U.S. President Donald Trump, who was elected to the lower house last year, has surged in opinion polls ahead of Argentina's 2023 presidential election with attacks on the political mainstream and pledges for total economic freedom.

Finnish president optimistic Turkey's NATO objections can be overcome

Finland and Sweden should be able to reach an agreement with Turkey over Ankara's objections to the two Nordic countries joining the 30-nation NATO alliance, Finland's president said on Tuesday. Turkey surprised many NATO allies on Monday by saying it would not support membership for Sweden and Finland after the two countries took the widely anticipated step of agreeing to apply to join the U.S.-led alliance this week.

Shanghai hits prized 'zero COVID' status but lockdown lingers

Shanghai achieved its long-awaited milestone of three consecutive days with no new COVID-19 cases outside quarantine zones on Tuesday but most residents will have to put up with confinement for a while longer before resuming a more normal life.

For other cities in China that have been under lockdown, three days with no new cases in the community usually means "zero COVID" status and the beginning of the lifting of restrictions.

N.Korea mobilizes army, steps up tracing amid COVID wave

North Korea has mobilized its military to distribute COVID medications and deployed more than 10,000 health workers to help trace potential patients as it fights a sweeping coronavirus wave, state media outlet KCNA said on Tuesday. The isolated country is grappling with its first acknowledged COVID-19 outbreak, which it confirmed last week, fuelling concerns over a major crisis due to a lack of vaccines and adequate medical infrastructure.

MPs charged over Beirut blast re-elected, troubling families of victims

Two Lebanese lawmakers charged in connection with the 2020 Beirut port blast have been re-elected in the first poll since the catastrophe, leaving some families of victims fearing further delays in a stalled investigation into the explosion. Many in Lebanon blame the disaster, which killed more than 215 people, on safety failings by senior political and security officials. Accountability for the blast emerged as a main rallying issue for opposition candidates and voters.

(With inputs from agencies.)