Europe

MOSCOW, July 11. /TASS/: A number of recently adopted legal acts in some US states point to the current split in the country as well as growing "cultural wars" in the United States, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote on her Telegram channel on Sunday.

"America is split, and ‘cultural wars’ are becoming more sophisticated and are ensured with laws now," the diplomat said.

Zakharova drew attention to two recently passed legal acts in some US states.

MOSCOW, July 11. /TASS/: Moscow condemns Paris for the discriminatory remarks made by French Minister of State for European Affairs Clement Beaune on Russian and Chinese COVID-19 vaccines, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote on her Telegram channel on Sunday.

Earlier on Sunday, Beaune voiced regret that Greece allowed passengers inoculated with vaccines produced in Russia and China to enter its soil.

MOSCOW, July 11. /TASS/: Russian Su-30SM and Su-27 fighter jets were scrambled to intercept two US reconnaissance planes approaching the Russian border over the Black Sea, Russia’s National Defense Management Center reported on Sunday.

According to the Center, Russian airspace control systems of the Southern Military District detected two aerial targets over the Black Sea approaching Russia’s state border on July 11.

LONDON, July 11 (Reuters) - The UK government is confident that plans to lift a range of COVID-19 restrictions will go ahead on July 19 in England but mask-wearing in indoor enclosed places will be expected, vaccine minister Nadhim Zahawi said on Sunday.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson detailed proposals earlier this week to eliminate a series of rules on mask-wearing, social contact and the instruction to work from home. He is expected to give the final go-ahead on Monday.

VILNIUS, July 11 (Reuters) - The United States is concerned about the flow of Middle Eastern and African migrants from Belarus into Lithuania, a U.S. diplomat said.

Lithuania began building a 550-km (320-mile) razor wire barrier on its border with Belarus on Friday after accusing Belarusian authorities of flying in migrants from abroad to send illegally into the European Union. read more

BRUSSELS, July 11 (Reuters) - A 90-year-old Belgian woman who died from COVID-19 in March had contracted two variants of coronavirus at the same time, which is believed to be the first documented case of its kind, a scientific congress and Belgian media said on Sunday.

The case, discussed at this year's European Congress on Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID), shows that it is possible to catch two COVID-19 variants simultaneously, the society that organised the congress said in a statement.

LONDON, July 10 (Xinhua) -- A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Britain on Saturday expressed outrage and firm opposition to a report published by a committee of the lower house of British parliament.

The report, which is "full of lies" about China's Xinjiang, represents a blatant interference in China's internal affairs, according to the spokesperson.

Tehran, IRNA – Croatian President Zoran Milanović congratulated Iran's president-elect Ebrahim Raisi on his victory in Iran's 13th Presidential election.

In his message, Milanović congratulated Raisi on his own and Croatian people and government's behalf.

He hoped that Iran and Croatia would further strengthen their ties during Raisi's term.

Milanović also wished prosperity for Iranian people and government.

11 July 2021; AA: For the fourth time in 10 days, Russia registered on Saturday a record number of single-day coronavirus fatalities, 752 people died over the past day, taking the death toll to 142,253.

The daily infections remain high as well, with 25,082 people testing positive for COVID-19 since Friday, taking the overall count to 5.75 million and active cases to 433,210, Russia's coronavirus emergency task force said.

Over the same period, recoveries went up by 17,750 to reach 5.18 million, it added.

11 July 2021; MEMO: Turkey on Sunday marked the 26th anniversary of the 1995 Srebrenica genocide, in which over 8,000 Bosnian civilians were brutally killed by Serbian forces.

Vice President Fuat Oktay on Twitter quoted the statement of Alija Izetbegovic, independent Bosnia's first president: "Whatever you do, don't forget the genocide. Because the forgotten genocide is repeated."