World News Roundup: Botswana gets first test results on elephant deaths; Mayor of South Korean capital found dead and more

China says it will hit back against new U.S. sanctions over Uighur rights China said on Friday it would take "reciprocal measures" against the United States after Washington imposed sanctions on senior Chinese officials over alleged human rights abuses against the Uighur Muslim minority.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

China says it will hit back against new U.S. sanctions over Uighur rights

China said on Friday it would take "reciprocal measures" against the United States after Washington imposed sanctions on senior Chinese officials over alleged human rights abuses against the Uighur Muslim minority. Beijing described the new U.S. sanctions as "deeply detrimental" to mutual relations, already strained by differences over China's handling of the novel coronavirus outbreak and its tightening grip on Hong Kong.

WHO advance team on way to China to set up a probe into virus origin

An advance team from the World Health Organization (WHO) has left for China to organize an investigation into the origins of the novel coronavirus which sparked the global pandemic, a spokeswoman said on Friday. The virus is believed to have emerged in a wholesale market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year, since then closed, after jumping the species barrier from the animal kingdom to infect humans.

Hundreds gather for funeral of Palestinian shot by Israeli troops

Hundreds of people gathered in the occupied West Bank on Friday for the funeral of a Palestinian man shot by Israeli soldiers a day earlier. Israel's army said troops opened fire after the Palestinian and another man started throwing firebombs at a guard post near the town of Nablus.

Botswana gets first test results on elephant deaths

Botswana said on Friday it had received test results from samples sent to Zimbabwe to determine the cause of death of hundreds of elephants but is waiting for more results from South Africa next week before sharing findings with the public. Wildlife officials are trying to determine what is killing the elephants about two months after the first bodies were discovered. They have ruled out poaching and anthrax among possible causes.

Australia's national cabinet meets to consider a slowing number of citizens allowed to return

Australia's national cabinet will meet on Friday to discuss slowing the number of citizens allowed to return to the country from overseas, as authorities grapple with a COVID-19 outbreak in the country's second-most populous state. With heightened fears of a new national wave of infections, Prime Minister Scott Morrison earlier this week proposed the restriction in order to ease the pressure on state authorities who oversee the mandatory 14-day quarantine of anyone who returns to Australia.

Russia's Lavrov: U.S. domestic issues behind speculation of Moscow's ties with Taliban - Interfax

An internal political fight in the United States is behind "unscrupulous speculation" of Moscow's alleged ties with Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency on Friday. A top U.S. general said on Thursday that the United States believed Russia has given support to Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan in the past but does not have the intelligence to confirm it directed attacks against Americans or to corroborate that it paid bounties to kill U.S. troops.

Mayor of South Korean capital found dead after writing an apology to 'everyone'

One of South Korea's most prominent elected officials and longtime mayor of the capital, Seoul, was found dead on Friday after his daughter reported him missing amid a criminal investigation and media reports of alleged sexual harassment. Officers using drones and sniffer dogs found Mayor Park Won-soon's body at Mt Bugak, in northern Seoul, shortly after midnight following a search involving hundreds of police, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said.

Police dismantle a makeshift shelter camp in Calais

Police forces dismantled a makeshift shelter camp in the northern French port of Calais on Friday, removing hundreds of migrants in one of the biggest operations of its kind in the last several months. Since the easing of the coronavirus lockdown and the reopening of the borders within the European Union, migrants have begun to flock to Calais again, hoping to reach Britain via the Channel Tunnel.

Singapore extends voting hours as pandemic slows poll

Voting in Singapore's election was extended on Friday after coronavirus infection control measures led to long queues and delays at polling stations. Voting is mandatory in the affluent city-state, but many fretted about the risks as they lined up in masks for as long as an hour to cast their ballots, with jobs at the top of their agenda as the pandemic threatens to cause Singapore's worst-ever recession.

Britain's coronavirus quarantine rules end for many destinations

Quarantine measures for those traveling to Britain from around 70 countries and overseas territories, including France and Italy, no longer apply from Friday in a boost to the ailing aviation and travel industries hit by COVID-19. Those arriving from higher-risk countries will still have to self-quarantine for 14 days but many popular destinations are now exempt, meaning millions of Britons are able to take summer holidays without having to stay at home when they return.

(With inputs from agencies.)