World News Roundup: Shenzhen mall in lockdown after suspected coronavirus case; U.S. requires Confucius Institute center to register as foreign mission and more

But as the months ticked closer to the end of his sentence for healthcare fraud and distributing controlled substances, including OxyContin, his family convinced him that a visit could be the first step toward what his nephew Doug Hunt liked to call his "new life." U.S. requires Confucius Institute center to register as foreign mission Washington said on Thursday it was requiring the center that manages Chinese government-funded Confucius Institutes in the United States to register as a foreign mission, in a further sign of deteriorating bilateral relations.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

'They beat everyone': Belarus releases protesters as EU weighs sanctions

Belarusian authorities released detained demonstrators on Friday after issuing a rare public apology in an effort to quell nationwide street protests that pose the biggest challenge yet to strongman leader Alexander Lukashenko's 26-year rule. Their release comes ahead of a meeting of European Union foreign ministers later on Friday which is due to discuss possible new sanctions on the Belarusian leadership after its harsh crackdown on post-election protests.

As UAE hails Israel accord, silence from Saudi Arabia

As media and people in the United Arab Emirates hailed the Gulf state's deal to normalise relations with Israel as a diplomatic victory that helps the Palestinians, silence reigned in Saudi Arabia, longtime figurehead of regional policy towards Israel. Analysts see the surprise UAE-Israel agreement announced on Thursday as a strategic boost for the UAE's regional and global standing that could put it ahead of its powerful Saudi neighbour and ally, especially in critical relations with Washington.

Lebanon alone must decide its own future, says Iran foreign minister

Only the Lebanese people and their representatives can decide the country's future, Iran's foreign minister said on a visit to Beirut on Friday, following the massive blast at the city's port that killed 172 people and prompted the government to resign. Iran backs Lebanon's powerful armed movement Hezbollah, which along with its allies helped form the outgoing government. The United States classifies Hezbollah as a terrorist group.

Special Report: Almost Home - COVID-19 ensnares elderly ICE detainee from Canada

James Hill often told his family he just wanted to live moment to moment, like a Buddhist monk. He said it was the only way to survive 14 years in prison after being given a sentence he believed was unjust. But as his release date neared this spring, his nieces and nephews started encouraging their 72-year-old "Uncle Jim" to start thinking about the future. During his years in prison, Jim had refused visits because they would be too painful, reminding him of the life he had left behind as a family doctor in Louisiana. But as the months ticked closer to the end of his sentence for healthcare fraud and distributing controlled substances, including OxyContin, his family convinced him that a visit could be the first step toward what his nephew Doug Hunt liked to call his "new life."

U.S. requires Confucius Institute center to register as foreign mission

Washington said on Thursday it was requiring the center that manages Chinese government-funded Confucius Institutes in the United States to register as a foreign mission, in a further sign of deteriorating bilateral relations. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in a statement, labeled the Confucius Institute U.S. Center in Washington "an entity advancing Beijing's global propaganda and malign influence campaign on U.S. campuses and K-12 classrooms."

Shenzhen mall in lockdown after suspected coronavirus case

The IBC Mall in Shenzhen's Luohu district was sealed off and under police supervision on Friday evening, with around 200 people queuing outside waiting for COVID-19 tests from medical personnel in protective suits. An official Guangdong Health Commission WeChat account channel said the alert was prompted by a suspected COVID-19 case involving a 41-year-old staff member of the Alibaba-owned supermarket Freshippo.

Thai police arrest another leader of student protests, rights group says

Thai authorities arrested a student leader on Friday over an anti-government protest last month, a rights group said, just a few days before a big demonstration scheduled for Sunday. Student groups have rallied almost daily around the country since July 18, calling for an end to military influence over Thai politics after a disputed election last year kept junta leader Prayuth Chan-ocha as prime minister five years after he first took power in a 2014 army coup.

Brazil's Bolsonaro gains more popular approval, says Datafolha poll

The approval rating of Brazil's far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, has risen to 37%, the highest level since he arrived in power in January 2019, a poll by Datafolha showed on Friday. Datafolha said his approval went up five percentage points from a previous survey in June, while disapproval ratings dropped 10 percentage points, to 34%.

'Little brown girl': Australian Biden-Harris cartoon sparks furore

A cartoon in Australia's biggest national newspaper drew condemnation on Friday as being racist for portraying U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden describing his new running mate, Kamala Harris, as "this little brown girl". The cartoon by Johannes Leak in Rupert Murdoch's The Australian newspaper, known for its conservative views, depicted a beaming Biden saying Harris, the first Black woman on a major-party national ticket, would help "heal a nation divided by racism" while he went "for a lie-down."

U.S. will do utmost to extend Iran arms embargo: Pompeo

The United States will do everything in its power to extend the international arms embargo on Iran under discussion at the United Nations, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday. The U.N. Security Council has started voting on a U.S. bid to extend the embargo on Iran, which is opposed by veto-powers Russia and China, with results due on Friday.