Threat from Iran to U.S. forces in Iraq remains ‘significant’: senior U.S. diplomat
Iranian-backed militia pose a “significant” threat to U.S. forces in Iraq, the State Department’s top diplomat for the Middle East said on Thursday, about a week after U.S. President Donald Trump warned of an attack by Iran or its proxies.
Austria says EU deal should not be a back door to coronabonds
A deal struck by European Union finance ministers on Thursday evening should not lead to the introduction of coronabonds through the back door, fiscal hawk Austria’s Finance Minister Gernot Bluemel said in a statement.
Bill would remove U.S. troops from Saudi Arabia in 30 days
A Republican U.S. senator introduced legislation on Thursday to remove American troops from Saudi Arabia, adding pressure on the kingdom to tighten its oil taps to reverse the crude price drop that has hurt domestic energy companies.
Despite some aid, poor Colombians fall through cracks during coronavirus lockdown
Sandra Sierra is praying for someone to bring her and her family food amid Colombia’s coronavirus quarantine. Her teenage son Kevin is at higher risk of serious illness if infected with COVID-19, the respiratory ailment caused by the virus, which has k…
Factbox: Latest on the spread of the coronavirus around the world
Global cases of the new coronavirus have shot past 1 million with more than 54,000 fatalities, a Reuters tally showed on Friday, as death tolls soared in the United States and western Europe while the world economy nosedived.
France says EU recovery fund to be financed by joint debt
European finance ministers have agreed to a post-crisis economic recovery plan opening the door to jointly issued debt, France’s finance minister said on Thursday, hailing what he described as a French success.
U.S. research group says Russia’s move to label it undesirable will not affect operations
The U.S. research and analysis institute the Jamestown Foundation said on Thursday that Russia’s move to label it “undesirable” will not impact its operations and further reporting about the country’s North Caucasus region.
Brazil lockdowns, attacked by Bolsonaro, begin to slip
Lockdowns in Brazil’s largest cities to slow the coronavirus outbreak are beginning to slip, according to new data this week seen and analyzed by Reuters, with more people leaving their homes as President Jair Bolsonaro continues to criticize the measu…
Moscow, in U-turn, to assume all pneumonia patients may have coronavirus
The city of Moscow’s health department said on Thursday it would begin regarding all pneumonia patients as potential sufferers of the new coronavirus and route them to hospitals accordingly, after doctors raised concerns about the accuracy of tests use…
As contagion slows, prudent Portugal won’t ease lockdown
Portugal’s Prime Minister Antonio Costa said it was too soon to lift a lockdown to slow the novel coronavirus, even though the number of cases in the country is more than 10 times lower than in neighbouring Spain.
