5 international stories of the week

<p>Gondolas are lined up during the Vogada della Rinascita regatta, June 21, 2020, along Venice canals, Italy. European Union envoys are close to finalizing a list of countries whose citizens will be allowed back into Europe once it begins lifting coronavirus-linked restrictions.<strong> (Anteo Marinoni/LaPresse via AP, File)</strong></p>

Gondolas are lined up during the Vogada della Rinascita regatta, June 21, 2020, along Venice canals, Italy. European Union envoys are close to finalizing a list of countries whose citizens will be allowed back into Europe once it begins lifting coronavirus-linked restrictions. (Anteo Marinoni/LaPresse via AP, File)

Editor’s Note: This listicle is part of a weekly series by The Ball State Daily News summarizing five stories from around the world. All summaries are based on stories published by The Associated Press.

Governments stepping up testing and restrictions due to COVID-19, the European Union’s travel restrictions, Russian bounties being offered to Taliban-linked militants to kill American troops, China’s measures against its Uighur population and the Rolling Stones threatening legal action against President Donald Trump for repeated use of their music make up this week’s five international stories.


For demonstration purposes, an employee of the Centogene company takes a throat swab from a colleague at the airport June 29, 2020, in Frankfurt, Germany. In the future, people will be able to be tested for the coronavirus within a few hours at Germany's first "Airport Corona Test" centre. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

Governments backtracking as confirmed virus cases surge

Governments are stepping up testing and reimposing restrictions as newly confirmed coronavirus infections surge in many countries. India reported 20,000 on Monday, while the caseload in the U.S. is growing by about 40,000 a day. Experts say the actual numbers, both globally and in the U.S., which accounts for nearly quarter of all cases worldwide, are probably far higher, because of testing limitations and the large number of people without symptoms.

Read more: Virus Outbreak


People enjoy the warm weather on the beach June 13, 2020, in Barcelona, Spain. European Union envoys are close to finalizing a list of countries whose citizens will be allowed back into Europe once it begins lifting coronavirus-linked restrictions. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti, File)

EU finalizing virus ‘safe list,’ US unlikely to make the cut

The European Union is edging toward finalizing a list of countries whose citizens will be allowed to enter Europe again in coming days, with Americans almost certain to be excluded in the short term due to the number of U.S. coronavirus cases. Spain’s foreign minister said that the list could contain 15 countries that are not EU members and whose citizens would be allowed to visit from July 1. EU diplomats confirmed that the list would be made public on Tuesday.

Read more: Europe


White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany speaks during a press briefing at the White House, June 29, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Trump denies briefing about reported bounties on US troops

The White House said President Donald Trump wasn’t briefed on U.S. intelligence assessments that Russia secretly offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants for killing American troops in Afghanistan because the assessments had not been “verified.” Press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Trump still had not been briefed on the intelligence, but she confirmed that the White House planned to brief select members of Congress on the matter Monday afternoon.

Read more: Afghanistan


Gulnar Omirzakh, second right, and her husband, Baqytali Nur, third right, eat lunch with friends and family at their home June 13, 2020, in Shonzhy, Kazakhstan. Omirzakh, an ethnic Kazakh, says she was forced to get an intrauterine contraceptive device when living in China. (AP Photo/Mukhit Toktassyn)

China forces birth control on Uighurs to suppress population

The Chinese government is taking draconian measures to slash birth rates among Uighurs and other minorities as part of a sweeping campaign to curb its Muslim population, even as it encourages some of the country’s Han majority to have more children. While individual women have spoken out before about forced birth control, the practice is far more widespread and systematic than previously known, according to an AP investigation.

Read more: China


Members of The Rolling Stones pose for photos from their plane at Jose Marti international airport March 24, 2016, in Havana, Cuba. The Rolling Stones are threatening U.S. President Donald Trump with legal action for using their songs at his reelection campaign rallies. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa File)

Rolling Stones threaten to sue Trump over using their songs
The Rolling Stones are threatening President Donald Trump with legal action for using their songs at his rallies despite cease-and-desist directives. The Stones said in a statement Sunday that their legal team is working with music rights organization BMI to stop use of their material in Trump’s reelection campaign. The Stones had complained during Trump’s 2016 campaign about the use of their music to fire up his conservative base at rallies.

Read more: Donald Trump

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