Europe

MOSCOW, July 21. /TASS/: Russian-American relations have approached a dangerous confrontational threshold, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement, adding that Washington’s pressure will be met with unwavering opposition from Moscow. The statement was adopted Wednesday after a meeting of the ministry’s board, led by Russia’s top diplomat Sergey Lavrov. 

PARIS, July 21 (Reuters) - The Delta variant of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 is now the majority variant of the virus circulating in France, French Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Wednesday.

Castex told TF1 television that the major steps taken to tackle fourth wave of infections in the country have been settled upon by a cabinet meeting of the government.

"We are in the fourth wave", Castex said.

"The Delta variant is the majority one, it is more contagious", he added of the variant first detected in India.

ZAGREB, July 21 (Reuters) - Croatia will impose obligatory COVID-19 tests for visitors coming from Britain, Russia and Cyprus from July 26, the state health institute said on Wednesday.

"Due to the worsening of the epidemiological situation in the United Kingdom, Cyprus and Russia, as an additional measure for people arriving from those countries, a negative (COVID-19) test will be required regardless of whether they are vaccinated or have already had the disease," the statement said.

LONDON, July 21 (Reuters) - The English city of Liverpool was removed from UNESCO's list of world heritage sites on Wednesday because new buildings undermined the attractiveness of its Victorian docks, making it only the third site to be removed from the prestigious list.

Liverpool was named a World Heritage Site by the United Nation's cultural organisation in 2004, joining landmarks such as the Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

MOSCOW, July 21 (Reuters) - The head of Russia's state arms exporter said on Wednesday that Moscow was cooperating closely with Myanmar's ruling junta to supply it with military hardware including aircraft.

Rights activists have accused Moscow of legitimising the junta, which seized power in a Feb. 1 coup, by continuing bilateral visits and arms deals.

"There is close cooperation between us on the supply of military products, including aircraft," Alexander Mikheev, the head of Rosoboronexport, was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.

LONDON (AP) — The British government said Wednesday that post-Brexit trade rules it negotiated with the European Union “cannot go on” and need a major rewrite, straining already tense U.K.-EU relations.

The government said Britain would be justified in unilaterally suspending the legally binding Brexit agreement but had decided not to do so just yet.

21 July 2021; MEMO: Turkey today condemned a meeting between French President Emmanuel Macron and members of the Syrian Democratic Council, which is under the control of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), reports Anadolu Agency.

Tokyo, Jul 20 (PTI) Former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was on Tuesday re-elected as Chair of the IOC's Ethics Commission during the International Olympic Committee's session here.

The 77-year-old South Korean politician and diplomat, who held the role since 2017, will serve another four-year term.

Laura Chinchilla of Costa Rica, who joined the IOC as a member in 2019, was elected as a new member of the Ethics Commission.

China's Hanqin Xue was also re-elected as a member of the Commission for an additional four-year term.

Tokyo, Jul 20 (AP-PTI) The British aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth and its strike group will visit Japanese ports in September for joint exercises, defence ministers from Japan and Britain said on Tuesday as the two countries step up military ties amid increased Chinese assertiveness in regional seas.

British defence secretary Ben Wallace said the visit by the Royal Navy's largest warship is part of his country's Indo-Pacific tilt that shares goals with Japan.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A teenager who says he’s a U.S. permanent resident and his fiancée are once again on the run from the threat of extradition to their homeland, China, in a sign of Beijing’s lengthening reach over perceived dissidents abroad.