*) EU leaders agree on budget and virus recovery package

After four days of talks, EU leaders have agreed on a financial aid package of more than 850 billion dollars with a budget of two point one trillion dollars.

The discussions took an intense turn as leaders accused each other of deliberately hampering the talks.

The coronavirus has killed around 135,000 EU citizens, plunging its economy into an estimated contraction of 8.3 percent this year.

* ) Egypt’s parliament to send troops to Libya

Egypt’s parliament has voted in favour of sending troops to Libya.

Egypt supports warlord Khalifa Haftar whose illegal militia is facing UN-backed government forces that are set to retake the city of Sirte.

On Saturday, Italy, France and Germany threatened sanctions on any foreign actors who violate the arms embargo on Libya.

*) Oxford Covid-19 vaccine trial shows potential

The race for a coronavirus vaccine has ratcheted up after the first human trial of a vaccine showed some promise.

The vaccine from AstraZeneca and University of Oxford prompted no serious side effects and triggered antibody and T-cell immune responses.

At least 150 possible vaccines are in various stages of development, with US’ Pfizer and China's CanSino Biologics reporting positive developments.

*) Trump threatens to replicate federal response in Portland

US President Trump says he wants to replicate a heavy-handed federal crackdown on protests against racial inequality in Democrat-run cities.

Trump’s statement comes amid growing alarm over the treatment of protesters in Portland, Oregon.

Camera footage appears to show unmarked officers seizing demonstrators from city streets seemingly at random and whisking them away in vehicles.

And finally

*) Polar bears may be extinct by 2100

Climate crisis is starving polar bears into extinction and they could all but disappear within the span of a human lifetime, research says.

Polar bears in 12 of 13 sub-populations analysed in the research will have been decimated within 80 years by the pace of change in the Arctic.

This scenario foresees Earth's average surface temperature rising 3.3 degrees Celsius above the preindustrial benchmark.

*) EU leaders bicker over virus recovery package

EU leaders have failed so far to reach an agreement on the details of a 850-billion dollar coronavirus recovery fund.

Richer states want strict conditions attached to the funds but this has been rejected by Italy and Spain, both hard-hit by Covid-19.

Sunday's session ended on early Monday morning, and will resume later in the afternoon.

* ) Syria holds parliamentary elections

Syrians have begun voting to elect a new parliament, as the country grapples with international sanctions and war.

Without any real opposition, regime leader Bashar al Assad's Baath ruling party and its allies are expected to take most of parliament's 250 seats.

These are the third such polls since the war began nine years ago and come amid a crippling economic crisis.

*) South Africa virus death toll tops 5,000

South Africa's death toll from the coronavirus has passed the 5,000 mark with more than 364,000 confirmed cases.

The country’s health minister has appealed to South Africans to adhere to health regulations to curb the spread of the virus.

South Africa is now the fifth worst-affected country globally with its peak expected over the next few weeks.

*) Protests in India over rape, murder of teenage girl

Protests in eastern India have erupted over the alleged gang rape and murder of a teenage girl.

The girl went missing on Saturday and was found dead on Sunday, less than a kilometre from her home in West Bengal, local media says.

Protesters have blocked a highway and set police vehicles and public buses on fire.

And finally

*) UAE probe heads for Mars

A UAE spacecraft blasted off from Japan on a journey to Mars on the Arab world’s first interplanetary mission.

The unmanned probe named Al Amal – Arabic for Hope – will help provide a picture of the Mars’ atmosphere throughout the Martian year.

Amal is set to reach Mars in February 2021, the year the UAE celebrates 50 years since the country’s formation.

*) UK, US and Canada accuse Russia of hacking Covid-19 vaccine trials

Britain, the United States and Canada have accused Russia-linked hackers of targeting labs in their countries conducting Covid-19 vaccine research.

The three governments said a hacking group called APT29 was "almost certainly" linked to Russian intelligence.

London also said that "Russian actors" sought to disrupt UK’s general election in 2019 but Russia has rejected the claim as "groundless".

* ) Fresh clashes at Azerbaijan-Armenia border after brief respite

Azerbaijan and Armenia have accused each other of shelling military positions and villages after a brief ceasefire in border clashes.

The Azeri defence ministry said one of its soldiers died, while Armenia's defence ministry said a civilian was wounded in an Azeri drone strike.

The clashes that began on Sunday have so far killed 16 soldiers from both sides and one civilian.

*) Libya denounces Egyptian president's threats

Libya has slammed the Egyptian president over his comments suggesting Cairo could arm Libyan tribes against the UN-backed government.

Libya’s foreign ministry accused Sisi of once again blatantly interfering in Libyan affairs.

Since April 2019, attacks by warlord Khalifa Haftar’s militias in capital Tripoli and other parts of Libya have killed over 1,000 people, including civilians.

*) Judges rule Shamima Begum can return to UK for citizenship case

British judges have allowed UK-born Shamima Begum to return to the country to challenge the government's removal of her citizenship.

Begum was one of three east London schoolgirls who travelled to Syria in 2015. She then married a Daesh militant.

Britain stripped her of citizenship on security grounds as its domestic intelligence agency considered her a security threat.

And finally

*) Real Madrid clinch 34th La Liga title with game to spare

Real Madrid have clinched a record-extending 34th La Liga title with one game to spare by beating Villarreal 2-1 at home.

Real have 86 points after 37 games, seven more than deposed champions Barcelona who were beaten 2-1 at home to Osasuna.

Karim Benzema scored twice to give Madrid its 10th consecutive league victory.

*) Twitter accounts of Apple, Musk, Gates, others hit in major hack

The official Twitter accounts of Joe Biden, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Apple and many other influential US figures and entities were hijacked in a Bitcoin scam.

The fake tweets offered to send $2,000 for every $1,000 sent to an anonymous Bitcoin address.

Twitter responded by disabling the ability to tweet from validated and verified accounts for about two hours while working on fixing the issue.

*) Pompeo downplays possibility of summit with North Korea

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has downplayed the possibility of another summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Pompeo said Trump will only engage if there are real prospects of progress.

Repeated statements from Pyongyang have said Trump will no longer get high-profile meetings that he could pass off as foreign policy achievements.

*) Brazil's Bolsonaro tests positive for coronavirus, again

Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro has announced he still has the coronavirus after undergoing a new test the day before.

Bolsonaro said he is not experiencing symptoms and that his use of the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine was working.

The far-right president, whose anti-mask and anti-lockdown statements have caused much of the public to ignore coronavirus measures, first tested positive a week ago.

Pro-EU party claims win in North Macedonia polls

North Macedonia's pro-EU Social Democrats have declared victory after official election results showed a razor-thin win over nationalist rivals.

Wednesday’s vote was the first parliamentary election since the Social Democrats added "North" to the Balkan country's name last year.

Lacking an outright majority with only some 35.8 percent of the vote, the Social Democrats face tough coalition talks to form a government.

And finally

*) Banksy coronavirus graffiti removed from London tube

The London Underground has removed British street artist Banksy's latest work on coronavirus.

Banksy posted a video on social media in which he was seen in a boiler suit spray-painting stencils of his iconic rats inside a train, with one sneezing blue droplets.

Transport for London said the work was removed due to the company's strict anti-graffiti policy but appreciated the spirit of Banksy’s message.

Turkey marks fourth anniversary of failed July 15 coup and … can dogs smell coronavirus?

*) Turkey commemorates July 15th coup anniversary

Turkey is marking the fourth anniversary of the deadly July 15 coup attempt by the Fetullah Gulen Terror Organisation.

At least 251 Turkish people were killed and close to 2,200 others were injured as unarmed citizens poured into the streets againts the putsch.

Ceremonies marking the resistance are expected to take place across the country with speeches by officials, including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

*) Trump signs bill, order rebuking China

China has promised a “firm response” to US President Donald Trump's order that ended Hong Kong's special status.

While signing the order earlier, Trump made it clear his step was in retaliation to Beijing’s imposition of a new security law on the former British colony.

Trump’s administration has recently stepped up pressure on China on multiple fronts, including their response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

*) Death toll ticks up in Azerbaijan, Armenia border clashes

At least 11 troops and a civilian were killed in a third day of fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia, taking the three-day toll of clashes to 16.

Both countries blame each other for the worst outbreak of hostilities that began on Sunday on the border between the two South Caucasus nations.

Azerbaijan said it has lost 11 servicemen and one civilian in three days of fighting and Armenia said four of its troops were killed on Tuesday.

*) Covid-19 restrictions return in Hong Kong and India, eased in China

Lockdowns are being reimposed in parts of India as the country’s coronavirus caseload approaches one million.

India trails only the US, which has more than 3.5 million infections, and Brazil, which has 1.9 million cases.

Meanwhile, China, where the virus first originated in 2019, is further easing restrictions on domestic tourism after reporting no new local cases in nine days.

And finally

*) Chile trains dogs hoping they can sniff out Covid-19 symptom

Police in Chile have been training dogs to detect people who might be infected with the novel coronavirus by sniffing their sweat.

Fernando Mardones, a Universidad Catolica professor of veterinary epidemiology, says there is evidence dogs can detect tuberculosis, parasite infections and even the early stages of cancer.

France and the UK run similar programmes that employ canines as bio detectors.

WHO boss slams 'mixed messages' from leaders on coronavirus and Modern slaves? UK study finds there are thousands

*) WHO boss slams 'mixed messages' from leaders on coronavirus

The World Health Organization's chief has slammed government leaders for eroding public trust by sending mixed messages on the coronavirus.

Without calling out specific politicians, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “too many countries are headed in the wrong direction".

However, he acknowledged complete lockdowns were difficult for many governments, given the economic and social consequences.

*) Azerbaijan and Armenia blame each other for border clashes

At least four Azeri soldiers were killed and several others including Armenian soldiers were wounded in clashes at the Azerbaijan and Armenia border.

The fighting occurred around Tavush region in northeast Armenia with each side accusing the other of encroaching on territory.

The clashes were far from Nagorno-Karabakh, a breakaway territory which has been the cause of conflict between the two former Soviet republics for decades.

*) UN: Air strike in northwest Yemen kills 7 children, 2 women

An air strike in northwest Yemen has killed seven children and two women in Hajjah province, the United Nations reported.

Houthi rebels accused the Saudi-led coalition of striking civilian targets.

The Saudi-led coalition said it would investigate the strike “to consider the possibility of an accident.”

*) US accusations on South China Sea unjustified – China

China has described a US rejection of its maritime claims in the South China Sea as completely unjustified.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington said US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s statement deliberately distorted facts.

Pompeo earlier said the US considers all Chinese maritime claims outside its internationally recognised waters to be illegitimate.

And finally

*) UK has 100,000 modern slaves but most go undetected

Britain is home to at least 100,000 modern slaves, 10 times more than the official estimate, according to a new study.

Justice and Care, an anti-slavery charity, and The Centre for Social Justice say the real number could be even higher.

The new study warns that the coronavirus pandemic will likely push more people into forced labour at car washes and brothels.

*) UAE behind oil blockade as Libya halts oil exports again

Libya’s National Oil Corp has said that the United Arab Emirates has instructed its illegal militias to disrupt oil output and exports.

The NOC said Libya’s oil exports had resumed on July 10 but Haftar’s militias reimposed a blockade on exports on July 11 and stepped back from talks.

The allegations follow a statement by warlord Khalifa Haftar, saying output would continue to be interrupted if certain conditions were not met.

*) Millions of children affected by school closures

The British-based charity Save the Children has warned that the measures to curb Covid-19 have caused an "unprecedented education emergency."

It said some 10 million children who were shut out of schools face the risk of never going back to class.

The charity added that some 1.6 billion young people, or around 90 percent of the world's entire student population, couldn’t go to school and university in April.

*) Over 600,000 Hong Kongers cast 'protest' vote against new security laws

Hundreds of thousands of people have voted in an unofficial primary election in Hong Kong.

The polls will decide the strongest anti-Beijing candidates to contest Legislative Council elections in September.

Many people see the level of participation as a guide to popular opinion in the city of 7.5 million people.

*) Poland's Duda ahead by tiny margin in presidential run-off

Poland’s incumbent Andrzej Duda is leading by a small margin against his rival Rafal Trzaskowski in the presidential election, an exit poll showed.

Duda, a right-wing populist and close ally of US President Donald Trump, stands at 50.4 percent in the poll by Ipsos published after Sunday’s polls.

But the poll has a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points. Official results are expected today.

And finally

*) West Indies beat England as international cricket returns

International cricket has returned from the Covid-19 lockdown with West Indies beating England by four wickets in the first Test at Southampton.

Jermaine Blackwood made a superb 95, giving West Indies 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

The second and third tests will be played in Manchester without fans present in the stadium due to Covid-19 restrictions.

*) US Covid-19 cases rise by record 60,565 in single day

The United States has reported at least 60,565 new Covid-19 cases, a new daily record increase.

For the third day in a row, US deaths climbed by more than 800, the highest level seen since early June.

The pandemic has infected more than 12 million people across the world and killed over 557,000.

*) US sanctions Chinese officials over Uighur rights

The US has imposed sanctions on Chinese officials in the first major course of action to stop abuses against the Uighur Muslim minority.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the sanctions will target several senior government officials.

The move is likely to further add to tensions between Washington and Beijing.

*) Singaporeans go to polls amid virus pandemic

Singaporeans wearing masks and gloves are set to cast their ballots for a general election under the cloud of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Voters could be seen standing far apart due to virus fears at polling stations, which resulted in long queues.

Covid-19 has pushed Singapore’s economy towards its worst-ever recession, making saving jobs the focus of the election.

*) North Korean leader’s sister says Kim-Trump summit unlikely

The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has said she doesn’t expect her brother to meet US President Donald Trump this year.

Kim Yo-jong said there’s no reason for the North to give Trump access to high-profile meetings when it’s not being substantially rewarded in return.

She is seen as her brother’s closest confidant and has been recently confirmed his top official for inter-Korean affairs.

And finally

*) Johnny Depp denies beating actor Amber Heard

Johnny Depp has denied all claims of domestic violence brought forth by actor Amber Heard, his ex-wife.

The “Pirates of the Caribbean” star is suing British tabloid The Sun for a 2018 article that claimed he was a “wife-beater”.

Both Depp and Heard were in court as lawyers for The Sun questioned him about allegations of violence during the couple’s time together.

Russia's bid to reduce cross-border aid to Syria fails at UN

and Facebook busts networks tied to Bolsonaro staff and a Trump ally

*) Russia's bid to reduce cross-border aid to Syria fails at UN

Moscow's attempt to halve humanitarian aid deliveries from Turkey to Syria was voted down at the UN Security Council.

In the absence of a veto, Russia needed nine votes to get its resolution passed but received only four votes. Seven countries voted against it and four abstained.

Russia and China earlier vetoed a resolution to extend cross-border aid into Syria from Turkey.

*) Foreign interference in Libya reaching 'unprecedented levels'

UN chief Antonio Guterres has warned the conflict in Libya has entered a new phase "with foreign interference reaching unprecedented levels".

Guterres added the United Nations would continue working with the parties to reach a ceasefire and resume a political process.

The oil-producing country descended into chaos after the NATO-backed overthrow of leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

*) Virus cases jump in worst-hit trio US, Brazil and India

The US, Brazil and India account for more than 60 percent of new cases, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

The three worst-affected countries reported 59,000, 45,000 and 25,000 new cases of Covid-19, respectively, in the last 24 hours.

Some 12.1 million people have contracted Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic, with more than 4.5 million currently infected.

*) Heavy rain devastate Japan

Japanese emergency services and troops are scrambling to reach thousands of homes cut off by catastrophic flooding and landslides.

Torrential rains in the country have claimed dozens of lives and caused widespread damage during the past week.

Japan is in the middle of its annual rain season which often results in damaging floods and landslides.

And finally

*) Facebook busts networks tied to Bolsonaro staff, Trump ally

Facebook has suspended fake accounts linked to Trump ally Roger Stone, Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro and networks in Canada, Ecuador and Ukraine.

The accounts had violated Facebook rules against divisive political messages online and deceptive activity.

There was no evidence the politicians themselves had operated the accounts.

Russia and China veto UN extension of cross-border aid into Syria's northwest and Beatles' drummer Ringo Starr marks 80th birthday at online gig

*) Russia and China veto extension of cross-border aid into Syria's northwest

Russia and China cast vetoes to block the UN Security Council from extending its approval of aid deliveries to Syria from Turkey for a year.

Russia, a close ally of the Syrian regime, circulated a draft resolution to authorise the delivery of aid through a single crossing point from Turkey for six months.

Tuesday’s vote was the 15th time that Russia has used its veto since the start of the conflict in Syria in 2011, and the ninth for China.

*) Demonstrators storm Serbian parliament in protest over weekend lockdown

A group of opposition supporters stormed the Serbian parliament building in Belgrade to protest the government's handling of the Covid-19 crisis

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said stricter measures, including a lockdown of Belgrade, were needed to counter the rise in Covid-19 cases.

Opponents blame the increase on the government and say people should not have to pay the price for another lockdown.

*) US formally notifies UN on WHO withdrawal by July 2021

The Trump administration has formally notified the United Nations of its withdrawal from the World Health Organization.

The pullout will take effect on July 6, 2021, meaning it could be rescinded under a new administration or if circumstances change.

President Donald Trump had earlier vowed to terminate US participation in the WHO, blaming it for its response to the coronavirus pandemic and accusing it of bowing to Chinese influence.

*) China opens Hong Kong headquarters for its secret police

China has opened a new office for its intelligence agents to operate openly in Hong Kong for the first time under a tough new security law.

The new base is located in a converted hotel overlooking the city's Victoria Park, a location that has hosted anti-Beijing protests for years.

Beijing imposed a new security law on Hong Kong last week targeting acts of subversion, secession, terrorism and foreign collusion.

And finally …

*) Beatles drummer Ringo Starr marks 80th birthday

Ringo Starr recently held an online 80th birthday bash with a little help from his celebrity friends in aid of causes, including Black Lives Matter.

Fans hoping for a virtual reunion between Starr and fellow surviving Beatle Paul McCartney were left a little disappointed.

Normally, Starr marks each passing year with live performances that include fellow musicians and fans, but the pandemic forced a rethink this time.