World News Roundup: Johnson launches UK racism commission; Fears for Philippines press freedom and more

Russia jails ex-U.S. marine for 16 years on spying charges A Russian court convicted former U.S. marine Paul Whelan of spying for the United States on Monday and sentenced him to 16 years in jail, a move the U.S. ambassador to Moscow called a violation of human rights that would damage ties.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

China's response to COVID-19 better than U.S.'s, global poll finds

Far more people around the world think China has responded well to the COVID-19 pandemic than those who think the United States has done a good job, a poll by the Alliance of Democracies Foundation showed on Monday. The survey of more than 120,000 people from 53 countries by the think tank and German polling data firm Dalia Research found that even in democratic countries, 45% of people thought their governments had limited too many freedoms during the pandemic.

Calls for action, not words, as Johnson launches UK racism commission

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson came under pressure on Monday to deliver action on racism after he launched a commission on the issue following Black Lives Matter protests. Johnson said a cross-government commission would examine racism and the disparities experienced by minority ethnic groups in education, health, and the criminal justice system.

Russia jails ex-U.S. marine for 16 years on spying charges

A Russian court convicted former U.S. marine Paul Whelan of spying for the United States on Monday and sentenced him to 16 years in jail, a move the U.S. ambassador to Moscow called a violation of human rights that would damage ties. Whelan, who holds the U.S., British, Canadian, and Irish passports, was detained by agents from Russia's Federal Security Service in a Moscow hotel room on Dec. 28, 2018, as he prepared to attend a wedding.

U.N. rights body to examine 'systemic' U.S. racism and police brutality

The top U.N. human rights body will hold an urgent debate on allegations of "systemic racism, police brutality and violence against peaceful protests" in the United States on Wednesday, a statement said. The decision by the U.N. Human Rights Council followed a request last week by Burkina Faso on behalf of African countries, it said in a statement on Monday.

Fears for Philippines press freedom as the court finds Maria Ressa guilty of libel

Veteran Philippine journalist Maria Ressa, whose website has put President Rodrigo Duterte under tough scrutiny, was convicted of libel on Monday and faces up to six years in jail, in a ruling widely seen as a blow to media freedom. Ressa, chief executive of Rappler and a former CNN journalist, was charged with "cyber libel" over a 2012 article that linked a businessman to illegal activities.

Chinese capital reinstates curbs as coronavirus resurfaces

Several districts of the Chinese capital put up security checkpoints closed schools and ordered people to be tested for the coronavirus on Monday after an unexpected spike of cases linked to the biggest wholesale food market in Asia. After nearly two months with no new infections, Beijing officials have reported 79 cases over the past four days, the city's biggest cluster of infections since February.

U.S. fighter plane crashes off English coast, pilot missing

A U.S. fighter plane crashed off the coast of northeast England on Monday, sparking a search and rescue operation for the pilot in the North Sea. The U.S. Air Force said the F-15C Eagle from the 48th Fighter Wing crashed at around 0940 local time (0840 GMT).

Russia says U.S. plans to lift curbs on drone sales would hurt arms pact: RIA

Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Monday U.S. plans to lift restrictions on heavy strike drones would land a severe blow to a 1987 arms control deal regulating the export of rocket technology, the RIA news agency reported. The Trump administration plans to reinterpret the deal between 34 nations in order to allow U.S. defense contractors to sell more American-made drones to various nations, three defense industry executives, and a U.S. official told Reuters.

Exclusive: Israel builds new Jerusalem road that will link settlements as government weighs West Bank annexation

Construction is underway on a major new ring road for Jerusalem that Israeli officials say will benefit all of its residents, but critics of the project say it is another obstacle to Palestinian hopes to make East Jerusalem the capital of a future state. The bypass, called The American Road, will connect Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank that are north and south of Jerusalem. The central and southern sections of the road are already being built, and tenders for the northernmost stretch – at a projected cost of $187 million – will be issued toward the end of the year, a Jerusalem municipality official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

Masked Germans touch down in Mallorca for tourism pilot

Hundreds of mask-wearing sunseekers from Germany landed on the Spanish island of Mallorca on Monday, the first tourists allowed into the country since borders were shut in March to tackle the coronavirus pandemic. More than 10,000 German holidaymakers will be welcomed in the Balearic Islands as part of a pilot project before Spain gradually opens up to tourism in the next weeks, keen to restart business in a sector that accounts for 12% of its economy.