Beijing on Tuesday accused NATO of exaggerating the threat from China and ‘creating confrontation’, after a vow from the Western allies to work together to counter the ‘systemic challenges’ posed by its policies.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan sounded upbeat after his first face-to-face talks with Joe Biden, though he announced no major breakthroughs in the awkward relationship between the two allies, at odds over Russian weapons, Syria, Libya and other issues.

Nato leaders warned yesterday that China presents “systemic challenges,” taking a forceful stance towards Beijing in a communique at Joe Biden’s first summit with an alliance that Donald Trump openly disparaged.

When Vladimir Putin meets Joe Biden for their first summit tomorrow the Russian leader will not be looking for progress on arms control, the lifting of sanctions or even an apology for the US president saying he is a “killer”.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson delayed his plans to lift Covid-19 lockdown restrictions by a month yesterday, warning that the more infectious Delta variant meant if he did nothing thousands more people might die.

A Canadian man who is accused of deliberately running over a Muslim family with his truck, killing four of them, now faces terrorism charges in addition to those for murder, prosecutors said on Monday.

The Delta coronavirus variant doubles the risk of hospitalisation compared with the previously dominant variant in Britain, but two doses of vaccine still provide strong protection, a Scottish study found on Monday.

Nato will confront China's military ambitions for the first time and designate Beijing as presenting "systemic challenges", according to a copy of a summit communique seen by Reuters and set for release later on Monday.

Authorities in Saint Petersburg, which is hosting a series of Euro 2020 matches, said Monday they were tightening anti-coronavirus restrictions in an effort to curb a new spike in infections.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to announce on Monday that the end of Covid-19 restrictions will be delayed by several weeks following concerns about a rapid rise of Delta variant infections.

China denounced on Monday a joint statement by the Group of Seven leaders that had scolded Beijing over a range of issues as a gross interference in the country's internal affairs, and urged the grouping to stop slandering China.

A series of coronavirus outbreaks in Thai factories is raising concerns that the export sector could be hit hard, threatening to further undermine an economy as it struggles to recover from the pandemic's crippling blow to the crucial tourism industry.