World News Roundup: UK says China has questions to answer over coronavirus outbreak; Special Report: How Turkey’s courts turned on Erdogan's foes and more

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

UK says China has questions to answer over coronavirus outbreak

Britain said on Monday that China has questions to answer over the information it shared about the novel coronavirus outbreak, but refused to comment on reports that a U.S.-led intelligence consortium had a accused Beijing of a cover-up. The United States has scaled up its rhetoric over Chinese culpability for the novel coronavirus in recent days, with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo saying on Sunday there was evidence the disease emerged from a Chinese lab.

Special Report: How Turkey's courts turned on Erdogan's foes

It took 16 judges to convict Kurdish politicians Gultan Kisanak and Sebahat Tuncel of belonging to a terrorist organization last year. Their trial in Diyarbakir, the biggest city in Turkey's largely Kurdish southeast, was concluded in just a dozen sessions, but during that time the three-judge panel was in constant flux. The women, who maintain their innocence, were brought to court only once - to hear the "guilty" verdict.

Exclusive: Internal Chinese report warns Beijing faces Tiananmen-like global backlash over virus

An internal Chinese report warns that Beijing faces a rising wave of hostility in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak that could tip relations with the United States into confrontation, people familiar with the paper told Reuters. The report, presented early last month by the Ministry of State Security to top Beijing leaders including President Xi Jinping, concluded that global anti-China sentiment is at its highest since the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, the sources said.

Dutch confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 199 to 40,770: health authorities

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the Netherlands rose by 199 on Monday to 40,770, with 26 new deaths, health authorities said. Total deaths in the country rose to 5,082, the Netherlands Institute for Health (RIVM) said in its daily update. The RIVM cautioned that it only reports confirmed cases and deaths, and actual numbers are higher.

Netanyahu fate at stake as coalition deal challenged in top court

Israel's top court on Monday heard challenges to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bid to secure a governing coalition, with opposition figures arguing a deal on a new unity administration would unlawfully shield him in a corruption trial. The Supreme Court's 11-justice panel convened for a second day after hearing separate petitions on Sunday against Netanyahu's authority to form a government given his indictment on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust.

Trump administration pushing to rip global supply chains from China: officials

The Trump administration is "turbocharging" an initiative to remove global industrial supply chains from China as it weighs new tariffs to punish Beijing for its handling of the coronavirus outbreak, according to officials familiar with U.S. planning. President Donald Trump, who has stepped up recent attacks on China ahead of the Nov. 3 U.S. presidential election, has long pledged to bring manufacturing back from overseas.

Masked and gloved, Italy joins nations creeping out of lockdown

Italy was among a slew of countries easing lockdown restrictions on Monday to resurrect their economies, but officials cautioned against moving too swiftly as new coronavirus cases passed 3.5 million globally and deaths neared a quarter of a million. Italy, among the world's hardest-hit countries, started to relax the longest lockdown in Europe, allowing about 4.5 million people to return to work after nearly two months at home. Construction work can resume and relatives can reunite.

Swiss environmentalists demand 'green recovery' after coronavirus

Environmental activists delivered a petition to a special session of the Swiss parliament on Monday demanding that a government aid package should promote a "green recovery" from the coronavirus crisis. With some lawmakers wearing protective face masks, parliament convened at an exhibition centre rather than its normal building so members had extra space to maintain social distancing rules.

UK among European states not yet on COVID-19 downward slope: EU says

The head of the European Union agency for disease control said on Monday Britain was one of five European countries yet to begin a downward trend in its coronavirus outbreak, contradicting the British government's line. As of May 4, Britain had recorded nearly 190,000 coronavirus cases and almost 28,500 deaths. Only Italy in Europe has so far counted more deaths from COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

Global coronavirus cases surpass 3.5 million amid underreporting fears

Global coronavirus cases surpassed 3.5 million on Monday and deaths neared a quarter of a million, according to a Reuters tally, concerning experts who fear substantial underreporting even as the rate of fatalities and new cases slows. North America and European countries, where growth rates are easing, still accounted for most of the new infections reported in recent days.