World News Roundup: No easy approval of EU stimulus deal, says parliament head; Russia sentences historian of Stalin-era crimes to 3.5 years in jail: Ifax and more

In the United States, which has the highest number of cases in the world with 3.91 million infections, President Donald Trump warned: "It will probably, unfortunately, get worse before it gets better." U.S. orders China to shut Houston consulate in move China calls 'unprecedented escalation' The United States has told China to close its consulate in Houston, both countries said on Wednesday, deepening a deterioration in bilateral relations, and a source said Beijing was considering shutting down the U.S. consulate in Wuhan.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

No easy approval of EU stimulus deal, says parliament head

The European Parliament will not rubber-stamp a European Union leaders' accord on a massive coronavirus stimulus, the assembly's head said on Wednesday, pledging to reverse research cuts and tie disbursements to democratic values. While welcoming the 750 billion euro ($865 billion) recovery fund agreed by leaders after five days of negotiations, parliament president David Sassoli said the assembly wanted to reshape the related 1.1 trillion euro ($1.27 trillion) EU budget.

Russia sentences historian of Stalin-era crimes to 3.5 years in jail: Ifax

A Russian court on Wednesday sentenced Yuri Dmitriev, a historian of Stalin-era crimes who was charged with sexually abusing his adopted daughter, to three and a half years in prison, the Interfax news agency cited his lawyer as saying. The verdict was closed to the public and full details of the court's ruling were not immediately clear.

Global coronavirus cases exceed 15 million: Reuters tally

Global coronavirus infections surged past 15 million on Wednesday, according to a Reuters tally, with the pandemic gathering pace even as countries remain divided in their response to the crisis. In the United States, which has the highest number of cases in the world with 3.91 million infections, President Donald Trump warned: "It will probably, unfortunately, get worse before it gets better."

U.S. orders China to shut Houston consulate in move China calls 'unprecedented escalation'

The United States has told China to close its consulate in Houston, both countries said on Wednesday, deepening a deterioration in bilateral relations, and a source said Beijing was considering shutting down the U.S. consulate in Wuhan. Washington had "abruptly demanded" closure of the Houston consulate on Tuesday, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said, and the editor of an official media outlet said on Twitter that China had been given 72 hours to do so.

Greek firefighters battle forest blaze near seaside village

Greek firefighters are battling to control a large forest fire fanned by strong winds near the seaside village of Kechries in the eastern Peloponnese, fire brigade officials said on Wednesday. Authorities said they had been forced to evacuate a residential settlement as the blaze, burning through pine trees, came close to a military camp where explosives were stored.

Brazil's Bolsonaro tests positive for the novel coronavirus again

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has had another positive result for the novel coronavirus in the third test he has taken since falling ill on July 7, a secretariat of the Communications Ministry said on Wednesday. "The test carried out on the president yesterday, on the 21st, showed a positive result," a statement said. "President Bolsonaro is still in good condition, accompanied by the presidency's medical team," it added.

UK's Prince Philip hands over patronage of the Rifles after 67 years

Prince Philip, the 99-year-old husband of Britain's Queen Elizabeth, made a rare public appearance on Wednesday to hand over his patronage of the Rifles to Prince Charles's wife, Camilla, after 67 years of association with the infantry regiment. A former naval officer renowned for his sometimes brusque manner and humour, Philip married Elizabeth in 1947, five years before she became queen. He is now by far the longest-serving consort of any British monarch.

After fatal UK crash, 'anomaly' over U.S. diplomatic immunity is removed

Britain has agreed with the United States to remove an "anomaly" which allowed the wife of a U.S. official to claim diplomatic immunity from criminal prosecution after she was involved in a road accident in which 19-year-old Briton Harry Dunn was killed. The crash last August has caused friction between London and Washington after Britain criticised the United States for refusing to extradite Anne Sacoolas.

Dismissed as 'poor things', three women try to unseat male president of Belarus

Dismissed by the incumbent as too fragile to run Belarus because of their gender, three women have joined forces to try to unseat President Alexander Lukashenko, a man the United States once called Europe's last dictator. Lukashenko, who has ruled the country for over a quarter of a century, has cracked down to try to snuff out rare and sustained protests against him ahead of a presidential election next month, jailing rivals and arresting dissenters.

Ethiopian Airlines cargo plane catches fire at Shanghai airport, no casualties

An Ethiopian Airlines' Boeing 777 cargo plane caught fire while loading cargo at Shanghai Pudong International Airport on Wednesday, the airline said, adding that fire has been contained and none of the crew or ground staff were harmed. The cause of the incident was under investigation, Ethiopian Airlines said in a Facebook post. The aircraft was on a regular scheduled cargo service from Shanghai to Sao Paulo-Santiago, it added.