*) HK lawmaker: China's national security law 'evil'

Hong Kong’s legislators have spoken out against China's new national security law for the semi-autonomous city.

The small group of lawmakers said the bill undermines the city's independent judiciary and stifles freedoms.

Fernando Cheung, a moderate, described the law as "evil" – many opponents in Hong Kong use this phrase to express their dissent.

Meanwhile, Australia is considering offering visas to Hong Kong citizens threatened by the security bill.

*) US cases hit 52,000 in one day, buys up Covid-19 drug

The US has seen a record number of new coronavirus cases – more than 52,000 in one day.

More than half of new US cases every day come from Arizona, California, Florida and Texas, home to 30 percent of the population.

In the meantime, Washington announced it has purchased 92 percent of all remdesivir production by Gilead laboratory until the end of September.

*) Palestinians in West Bank protest annexation plans

Thousands of Palestinians protested against Israel's plan to annex the Jordan Valley and all of Israel's far-flung West Bank settlements.

Originally set for July 1 by Prime Minister Netanyahu, the annexation plan for occupied West Bank did not begin on Wednesday.

The delay cast further uncertainty over whether Israel will ultimately follow through on the controversial annexation initiative.

*) Hagia Sophia is Turkey's internal affair

A Turkish court is set to decide whether the Hagia Sophia will be converted into a mosque.

The Byzantine cathedral-turned-mosque is currently a museum in Istanbul.

Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy has said the fate of Hagia Sophia is an internal matter after a US statement requested Turkey to maintain it as a museum.

And finally…

*) Sheeran, Stones back call to aid UK live music

Around 1,500 acts like Ed Sheeran, Paul McCartney and The Rolling Stones are asking the UK to save the live music industry from collapsing because of the coronavirus.

They cited new research showing that live music added $5.6 billion to the British economy and supported 210,000 jobs across the country last year.

UK’s live music has been one of its biggest social, cultural, and economic successes, the artists wrote in a letter to the culture minister.