World News Roundup: 'The stakes couldn't be higher': EU recovery plan summit under way; U.S. immigration officials spread coronavirus with detainee transfers and more

U.S. targets Chinese Communist Party members in possible travel ban: source The Trump administration is considering banning travel to the United States by all members of the Chinese Communist Party and their families, a person familiar with the matter said on Thursday, an idea that China dismissed as absurd.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

'The stakes couldn't be higher': EU recovery plan summit under way

European Union leaders met on Friday for tense summit talks on a multi-billion-euro plan to breathe life into their economies, their first face-to-face meeting since the coronavirus pandemic plunged the bloc into its latest crisis. The 27 leaders, all masked up, greeted each other with elbow bumps rather than their customary cheek kisses and handshakes, and there were birthday gifts for German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa.

U.S. immigration officials spread coronavirus with detainee transfers

Public health specialists have for months warned the U.S. government that shuffling detainees among immigration detention centers will expose people to COVID-19 and help spread the disease. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has continued the practice, saying it is taking all necessary precautions.

British PM Johnson: Normal life won't come until November at the earliest

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday that normal life would not return in full until November at the earliest, cautioning that nightclubs and soft play areas needed to remain closed while wedding receptions would have to remain capped. Johnson said that from October, audiences at sports stadiums would be allowed. But he said that the government would look for a more significant return to normality from November.

Netanyahu ally wants West Bank 'cultivation' now, not annexation

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's top coalition partner wants Israel to shelve planned West Bank annexations and instead focus on improving conditions for Jewish settlers and Palestinians in the occupied territory, two cabinet ministers said on Friday. Centrist ex-general Benny Gantz and the conservative Netanyahu agreed to begin discussing annexations as of July 1, but the plan -- already dogged by diplomatic blowback -- has been sidelined by a resurgence of coronavirus.

Over 1 million: India joins U.S., Brazil in grim coronavirus club

India on Friday became the third country in the world to record more than one million cases of the new coronavirus, behind only the United States and Brazil, as infections spread further into the countryside and smaller towns. Given India's population of around 1.3 billion, experts say, one million is relatively low but the number will rise significantly in the coming months as testing increases, further straining a healthcare system already pushed to the brink.

Turkey's Erdogan says Egypt's actions in Libya are illegal

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan denounced Egypt and the United Arab Emirates on Thursday for supporting forces based in eastern Libya, after Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met Libyan tribesmen who called for Cairo to intervene in the civil war. Turkey has been providing military aid to the Tripoli-based government in the Libya conflict, while Egypt, the UAE and Russia have backed its foes in a rival administration based in the east.

Hong Kong demands Taiwan officials sign 'one China' document for visa renewal, source says

Taiwanese officials in Hong Kong have been told their visas will not be renewed unless they sign a document supporting Beijing's claim to Taiwan under its "one China" policy, a person with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. The move comes after Taipei criticized a new security law imposed on Hong Kong by Beijing, and opened an office in Taipei this month to help people who may want to leave the Asian financial center.

U.S. targets Chinese Communist Party members in possible travel ban: source

The Trump administration is considering banning travel to the United States by all members of the Chinese Communist Party and their families, a person familiar with the matter said on Thursday, an idea that China dismissed as absurd. Senior officials discussing the matter had begun circulating a draft of possible presidential order, but deliberations were at an early stage and the issue had not yet been brought to President Donald Trump, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Hong Kong police arrest pro-democracy politician set to run for legislature

Hong Kong police arrested on Friday pro-democracy politician Tam Tak-chi, who is expected to run for a seat in the legislature in September's election, on charges including incitement to participate in an unlawful assembly. Tam, 47, the vice-president of the People Power Party and a former radio host, won an unofficial primary poll organized by the opposition to select candidates for the Legislative Council vote.

Veteran U.S. diplomat Richardson fails to secure release of Americans jailed in Venezuela

Veteran U.S. diplomat Bill Richardson was not able to secure the release of American citizens held as prisoners in Venezuela during his visit to the country, his foundation said in a statement late on Thursday. On his trip to Venezuela, which he called a private humanitarian mission conducted at the request of "several American prisoners' families," Richardson met Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and the Venezuelan vice president.