Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs. Palestinians look to a digital future to connect with their past

Virtual reality tours have replaced flag-waving rallies as Palestinians facing coronavirus restrictions create digital spaces to lament the loss of their physical homeland in 1948. Cellphone apps and Zoom video chats are among the other online tools Palestinians are using to mark the Nakba, or "Catastrophe", when they and their descendants were forced from their villages or fled in the war that surrounded Israel's creation. We will not give up our independence to EU, UK cabinet agrees

Prime Minister Boris Johnson's top team of ministers agreed on Thursday that Britain will not give up its rights as an independent state by bending to the demands of the European Union in its talks on a future relationship. At a cabinet meeting, Johnson's team was updated on the talks by negotiator David Frost who told them that Britain was not asking for "anything special, bespoke or unique" in the talks, just a free-trade agreement. U.N. warns of global mental health crisis due to COVID-19 pandemic

A mental illness crisis is looming as millions of people worldwide are surrounded by death and disease and forced into isolation, poverty and anxiety by the pandemic of COVID-19, United Nations health experts said on Thursday. "The isolation, the fear, the uncertainty, the economic turmoil - they all cause or could cause psychological distress," said Devora Kestel, director of the World Health Organization's (WHO) mental health department. Japan lifts emergency in most areas but not in Tokyo, Osaka

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe lifted a state of emergency in large parts of the country on Thursday but said it would remain in place in Tokyo until the novel coronavirus is contained. Abe lifted the emergency in 39 of Japan's 47 prefectures but left it in force in the capital and in the second-largest urban area of Osaka, as he tries to cushion the economic blow while stopping the virus. Spain's daily coronavirus death toll rises above 200 on Thursday

Spain's daily coronavirus death toll rose on Thursday above 200 for the first time since May 8, the health ministry reported. The overall death toll from the disease rose to 27,321 on Thursday from 27,104 as 217 people reportedly died overnight, the ministry said. Taiwan says WHO has 'forgotten' neutrality by barring island

The World Health Organization (WHO) has "forgotten" its professionalism and neutrality in locking Taiwan out of the body for political reasons, Taiwan Vice President Chen Chien-jen said on Thursday. Taiwan says China and the WHO have conspired for political purposes to keep it out of key meetings, that the WHO has not responded to requests for coronavirus information and has misreported the number of its infections. Iran dismisses U.S. threat to trigger return of U.N. sanctions

Iran's Foreign Minister on Thursday dismissed as "foolish claims" U.S. threats to trigger a return of all United Nations sanctions if the U.N. Security Council does not extend an arms embargo on Tehran, state media reported. The U.S. special envoy for Iran, Brian Hook, on Wednesday publicly confirmed the strategy two weeks after an official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Washington had notified Britain, France and Germany of its plan. China says it will step up testing to prevent COVID-19 rebound

China said on Thursday it will step up COVID-19 testing and screening to prevent a rebound of the coronavirus epidemic that has killed more than 4,600 in its mainland territories. National Health Commission spokeswoman Song Shuli made the remarks during a daily press briefing. China's task to prevent rebound in local coronavirus cases remains arduous

China's task to prevent rebound in local coronavirus cases remains arduous, the ruling Communist Party's politburo said on Thursday, state television reported. The government should step up targeted prevention and control measures for clusters coronavirus cases in northeastern Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces, it said quoting the politburo meeting chaired by President Xi Jinping. China calls U.S. accusation of hacking in COVID-19 research "slander"

China's foreign ministry, asked about China-linked hackers breaking into U.S. COVID-19 research, said China opposed what it called slander from the United States. Foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian added on Thursday that any action online to sabotage efforts against the disease should be condemned.