World News Roundup: Philippines calls allegation of China election influence 'nonsense'; Dutch PM apologises for easing of COVID-19 curbs as cases soar and more

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Philippines calls allegation of China election influence 'nonsense'

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's office on Monday described as "nonsense" a suggestion by a former foreign minister that Beijing may have helped to determine the outcome of a 2016 election that swept the mercurial leader to power. Speaking at a forum on Monday, former foreign secretary Albert del Rosario said a "most reliable international entity" had informed him that senior Chinese officials were "bragging that they had been able to influence the 2016 Philippine elections so that Duterte would be president."

Dutch PM apologises for easing of COVID-19 curbs as cases soar

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte conceded on Monday that coronavirus restrictions had been lifted too soon in the Netherlands and he apologised as infections surged to their highest levels of the year. Rutte last Friday reimposed curbs on bars, restaurants and nightclubs in an effort to stop a spate of infections among young adults, just two weeks after most lockdown measures in the country were lifted as cases were falling.

In symbolic end to war, U.S. general to step down from command in Afghanistan

The U.S. general leading the war in Afghanistan, Austin Miller, will relinquish command on Monday, U.S. officials say, in a symbolic end to America's longest conflict even as Taliban insurgents gain momentum. Miller will become America's last four-star general on the ground in Afghanistan in a ceremony in Kabul that will come ahead of a formal end to the military mission there on Aug. 31, a date set by President Joe Biden as he looks to extricate American from the two-decade-old war.

N.Ireland's Orange Order hold July 12 parades with Brexit tensions high

Thousands of members of Northern Ireland's Orange Order began to take part in parades across the region on Monday with the peak of the annual marching closely watched this year due to anger among pro-British unionists at post-Brexit trade barriers.

The July 12 parades have often been the spark for violence, even after a 1998 peace deal largely ended three decades of conflict between Catholic nationalists aspiring to unification with Ireland and Protestant unionists seeking to retain the status quo.

N.Korea dismisses U.S. humanitarian aid as 'sinister scheme'

U.S. humanitarian aid is a "sinister political scheme" to put pressure on other countries, a North Korean researcher said, after suggestions from U.S. allies such as South Korea that coronavirus vaccines or other help could promote cooperation. North Korea's foreign ministry published the criticism of U.S. aid on an official website on Sunday, a clear indication that it reflects government thinking.

Afghan special forces moved in on Taliban, only to find they had melted away

Soldiers from Afghanistan's special forces paused for a short prayer late on Sunday night on a deserted stretch of highway in the southern province of Kandahar. They do so each time they prepare to face Taliban militants in battle. The highly trained troops had been called in to flush out insurgents who attacked regular forces and local police hours earlier, only to find that the Taliban had disappeared into the darkness leaving behind a few civilians and wounded soldiers.

Cuba sees biggest protests for decades as pandemic adds to woes

Chanting "freedom" and calling for President Miguel Diaz-Canel to step down, thousands of Cubans joined street protests from Havana to Santiago on Sunday in the biggest anti-government demonstrations on the Communist-run island in decades. The protests erupted amid Cuba's worst economic crisis since the fall of the Soviet Union, its old ally, and a record surge in coronavirus infections, with people voicing anger over shortages of basic goods, curbs on civil liberties and the authorities' handling of the pandemic.

Pope Francis to stay in hospital a few more days, Vatican says

Pope Francis has completed his post-surgery treatment but will remain in hospital a few more days to fine-tune his course of medication and rehabilitation, the Vatican said on Monday. When the pope entered hospital on July 4 to have part of his colon removed, the Vatican said he would stay about seven days, barring complications.

South Africa to deploy army to quell violence as ex-leader Zuma faces court

South Africa will deploy soldiers to quell violence that erupted in the wake of former president Jacob Zuma's jailing, the military said on Monday, after days of riots and looting left at least six people dead. Disturbances worsened as Zuma challenged his 15-month prison term in the country's top court after weekend unrest by pro-Zuma protesters in his home province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and Gauteng, where the country's largest city Johannesburg is located.

Myanmar's Suu Kyi faces new charges in Mandalay court: lawyer

Myanmar's deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi is facing four additional charges, filed in a court in Mandalay, the country's second biggest city, a member of her legal team said on Monday. Suu Kyi's team had little information about the additional charges but said they involved allegations of corruption, Min Min Soe told Reuters.