World News Roundup: Wuhan conducted 1,146,156 COVID-19 tests; Hong Kong police fire tear gas and more

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

China hopes U.S., North Korea can resume meaningful dialogue

China hopes the United State and North Korea can resume meaningful dialogue as soon as possible, the Chinese government's top diplomat Wang Yi said on Sunday. The United States should not to squander the hard-won outcomes of engagement, State Councillor Wang said at his annual news conference in Beijing.

Indonesia reports 21 new coronavirus deaths, 526 new cases

Indonesia confirmed on Sunday 526 new coronavirus infections, taking the total in the Southeast Asian country to 22,271 cases, said health ministry official Achmad Yurianto. Yurianto reported 21 new deaths, taking the total to 1,372.

U.S. Ambassador to Germany Grenell to step down: dpa

U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell is planning to step down in the coming weeks after little more than two years in the job, German news agency dpa reported on Sunday, without saying where it obtained the information. Robin Quinville, deputy chief of mission at the embassy, is expected to replace Grenell on an interim basis, the report said.

Fifty-three workers at AngloGold Ashanti mine in South Africa have coronavirus

Underground production at AngloGold Ashanti's Mponeng mine in South Africa will remain closed until further notice after 53 employees tested positive for the coronavirus, a provincial health department said in a statement on Sunday. The mine, the deepest in the world, restarted operations on April 22 after closing entirely during a nationwide lockdown, and was operating at 50% capacity.

China tells U.S. to stop wasting time in coronavirus battle

The United States should stop wasting time in its fight against the coronavirus and work with China to combat it, rather than spreading lies and attacking the country, the Chinese government's top diplomat Wang Yi said on Sunday. Sino-U.S. ties have nosedived since the outbreak of the new coronavirus, with the administrations of President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping repeatedly trading barbs over issues related to the pandemic, especially U.S. accusations of cover-ups and lack of transparency.

Hong Kong police fire tear gas as thousands protest security law

Hong Kong police fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse thousands who, in defiance of curbs imposed to contain the coronavirus, gathered on Sunday to protest against Beijing's plan to directly impose national security laws on the city. In a return of the unrest that roiled the financial hub last year, crowds thronged the bustling shopping area of Causeway Bay, where chants of "Hong Kong independence, the only way out," and other slogans echoed through the streets.

Factbox: Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

* The number of deaths in the United States from the new coronavirus reached 96,002, a rise of 1,852, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported on Saturday. It also reported 1,595,885 cases, an increase of 24,268 from its previous count.

Israel's Netanyahu, saying he's 'standing tall', goes on trial on corruption charges

Benjamin Netanyahu professed his innocence at the start of his corruption trial on Sunday, saying he was being framed but "standing tall" in the first criminal prosecution of a serving Israeli prime minister. Flanked by a clutch of cabinet ministers from his right-wing Likud party, and speaking forcefully, Netanyahu appealed to public opinion as he addressed television cameras in the courthouse hallway before appearing in front of a three-judge panel.

UK Conservative lawmakers call on PM's adviser to quit over lockdown drive

Lawmakers from Britain's ruling Conservatives Party on Sunday called for the resignation of Dominic Cummings, the senior adviser to Prime Minister Boris Johnson who traveled 400 km (250 miles) to northern England during the coronavirus lockdown. Cummings, who masterminded the 2016 campaign to leave the European Union, traveled from London to Durham in late March while his wife showed COVID-19 symptoms when measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus were in place.

China's Wuhan says conducted 1,146,156 COVID-19 tests on May 23

The city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak in China, conducted 1,146,156 nucleic acid tests on May 23, the local health authority said on Sunday, compared with 1,470,950 tests a day earlier. Wuhan began a campaign on May 14 to look for asymptomatic carriers - infected people who show no outward sign of illness - after confirming on May 9-10 its first cluster of COVID-19 infections since the city's release from a virtual lockdown on April 8.