World News Roundup: Saudi king, 84, has successful surgery; China threatens to stop recognising BNO passports of Hong Kong residents and more

Starting from January 2021, those in Hong Kong with such status would be able to apply for special visas to live in Britain that could eventually confer citizenship, interior minister Priti Patel said this week. BN(O) eligible citizens have been offered a path to British citizenship following a row over new security laws imposed on Hong Kong.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Saudi king, 84, has successful surgery: state news agency

Saudi Arabia's 84-year-old ruler, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, underwent a successful operation to remove his gallbladder, state news agency SPA reported on Thursday, after he was admitted to hospital this week. The king, who has ruled the world's largest oil exporter and close U.S. ally since 2015, will stay in the hospital for some time to receive treatment, SPA reported.

China threatens to stop recognising BNO passports of Hong Kong residents

China threatened on Thursday to withdraw its recognition of British National Overseas passports held by residents of Hong Kong, in retaliation for the former colonial ruler's policy of easing their path to citizenship. Starting from January 2021, those in Hong Kong with such status would be able to apply for special visas to live in Britain that could eventually confer citizenship, interior minister Priti Patel said this week.

Tears for toddler's return to Israel after accidental coronavirus exile

Melaniya Petrushanska spent almost a sixth of her life in accidental exile after Israel sealed its borders while she was abroad on what was meant to be a short holiday. The three-year-old daughter of Ukrainian immigrants had a tearful reunion with her parents this week after an Israeli airline agreed to bring her back, with a special escort, from Kyiv, where she had flown with her grandmother in January.

EU states agree coronavirus standards for air travel, says Germany

European Union states have agreed on common hygiene standards such as social distancing and wearing face masks on planes and at airports to help curb the spread of the new coronavirus, German Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer said on Thursday. "I am pleased that the German proposal was accepted by my colleagues at the European level and that we could agree on these uniform standards," Scheuer told a European aviation conference.

UK trade deal unlikely for now: Britain, EU clash over post-Brexit ties

Britain and the European Union clashed on Thursday over the chances of securing a free trade agreement, with Brussels deeming it "unlikely" but London holding out hope one could be reached in September. Since Britain left the bloc in January, talks on the trade agreement and other future ties have all but stalled, with each side accusing the other of failing to compromise before a transition period runs out at the end of this year.

China says it will be forced to respond to Houston consulate closure

China warned on Thursday it will be forced to respond after the United States ordered the shutdown of its Houston consulate, a move the Chinese Foreign Ministry said had "severely harmed" relations. Washington gave China 72 hours to close the consulate "to protect American intellectual property and Americans' private information", marking a dramatic escalation of tension between the world's two biggest economies.

Prayers at Hagia Sophia will crown decades-long Muslim campaign

When Yunus Genc prays at Hagia Sophia on Friday it will mark the triumphant culmination of decades-long efforts by Islamist-rooted groups like his to convert the ancient monument, revered by both Christians and Muslims, to a mosque. Genc's Anatolian Youth Association (AGD) held protests and organized prayers outside the 1,500-year-old Hagia Sophia, while another group waged a series of failed legal campaigns until a top Turkish court last month finally ruled in their favor, annulling its status as a museum.

UK says British National (Overseas) passports are legitimate

Britain said that British National (Overseas) passports were a legitimate international travel document, responding to China's foreign ministry which said it would consider not recognising them. The BN(O) passports were issued to eligible Hong Kong citizens when Britain handed back the region to Chinese control. BN(O) eligible citizens have been offered a path to British citizenship following a row over new security laws imposed on Hong Kong.

Paris sewage reveals COVID still not flushed away

Samples of wastewater from the Paris sewage system have been showing traces of COVID-19 again since the end of June, having vanished when France imposed a lockdown, according to the head of the laboratory leading the research. Infection rates in France are subsiding, but officials this week made the wearing of masks in enclosed public spaces compulsory after a series of localised flare-ups. To date, COVID-19 has killed over 30,000 people in France.

Polish opposition seeks re-run of presidential election

Poland's biggest opposition party, the centrist Civic Platform(PO), said on Thursday it had petitioned the Supreme Court to declare the recent presidential election unfair to trigger an annulment and re-run. The nationalist incumbent Andrzej Duda, an ally of the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, won the July 12 vote against PO candidate Rafal Trzaskowski by 51% to 49%.