World News Roundup: Biden criticizes Trump; Global coronavirus cases exceed 10 million and more

Wearing face masks, French voters return to delayed municipal elections Voters in France donned face masks to cast their ballots on Sunday in a delayed second round of country-wide municipal elections, a mid-term test for President Emmanuel Macron and his ruling party which could fail to win a single big city.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Biden criticizes Trump for inaction over reported Russian bounties

The White House on Saturday denied that President Donald Trump was briefed on reported U.S. intelligence that Russia's military offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants to kill U.S. troops in Afghanistan, with Democratic rival Joe Biden criticizing Trump for failing to take action against Moscow. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement that "neither the president nor the vice president (Mike Pence) was briefed on the alleged Russian bounty intelligence." The statement, McEnany said, did not address the "merit of the alleged intelligence" reported on Friday by the New York Times.

Beijing ramps up testing capacity, reaching a third of the city's population so far

Beijing has ramped up coronavirus testing efforts and has tested about a third of the Chinese capital's population so far, a city official said on Sunday, as authorities seek to control an outbreak stemming from a wholesale market in mid-June. As of Sunday noon, Beijing had collected 8.29 million patient samples for testing and completed 7.69 million tests, Zhang Qiang, an official from Beijing's municipal committee, told a press conference.

'Get Britain moving again', PM Johnson to unveil new infrastructure plan

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will launch a plan this week to get Britain "moving again" after the coronavirus lockdown when the government will set out measures to boost infrastructure construction, interior minister Priti Patel said on Sunday. Johnson will make a speech on Tuesday to set out plans to fast-track building projects such as hospitals, schools, housing, and road and rail infrastructure, part of efforts to try to stem a fall in support for his government.

Global coronavirus cases exceed 10 million

Global coronavirus cases exceeded 10 million on Sunday according to a Reuters tally, marking a major milestone in the spread of the respiratory disease that has so far killed almost half a million people in seven months. The figure is roughly double the number of severe influenza illnesses recorded annually, according to the World Health Organisation.

Masked and distanced, Spanish PM Sanchez hits the campaign trail

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez wore a mask and avoided shaking hands with supporters at a political rally on Sunday as the coronavirus pandemic prompted changes to campaign ahead of regional elections. Polls in the Basque Country and Galicia on July 12 will be the first since Spain went into lockdown in March. Restrictions were eased on June 21, and Spaniards have been adapting to social distancing and precautionary measures in everyday life.

Congo PM threatens government resignation over minister's arrest

Democratic Republic of Congo's prime minister protested on Sunday over the brief arrest of the justice minister, saying the coalition government could resign over the issue and calling on the president to guarantee cabinet members' legal protections. Justice Minister Celestin Tunda was detained by police on Saturday evening and released following several hours of questioning by prosecutors at the court of cassation, triggering a political storm within the ruling coalition.

Giant rainbow flag unfurled in front of Taiwan autocrat's memorial hall

Hundreds of people thronged a central square in Taiwan's capital Taipei for a Pride event on Sunday, unfurling a giant rainbow flag in front of the main memorial hall for late autocratic leader Chiang Kai-shek before being ushered away by police. Proudly democratic Taiwan is a bastion of liberal values in a part of the world wherein many countries homosexuality remains illegal or taboo. Taiwan legalized same-sex marriage last year, the first in Asia.

Dozens arrested as Hong Kongers protest planned national security laws

Hong Kong police arrested at least 53 people on Sunday after scuffles erupted during a relatively peaceful protest against planned national security legislation to be implemented by the mainland Chinese government. Armed riot police were present as a crowd of several hundred moved from Jordan to Mong Kok in the Kowloon district, staging what was intended as a "silent protest" against the planned law.

Wearing face masks, French voters return to delayed municipal elections

Voters in France donned face masks to cast their ballots on Sunday in a delayed second round of country-wide municipal elections, a mid-term test for President Emmanuel Macron and his ruling party which could fail to win a single big city. A year ago Macron had hoped the local elections would help anchor his young centrist party in towns and cities across France, including Paris, ahead of an anticipated 2022 re-election bid. But more recently, presidential aides have been playing down expectations.

Poles face long lines, coronavirus limits in presidential vote

Poles stood in long lines to vote on Sunday in a closely-fought presidential election that could reshape Poland's tense relationship with the European Union and the ruling nationalists' socially conservative agenda. The ballot takes place seven weeks later than originally scheduled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, although Poland has had relatively few cases and deaths.