Japan to quarantine visitors from China, South Korea; insists Olympics on track
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ordered a two-week quarantine for visitors from China and South Korea on Thursday and delayed a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping originally planned for April in response to a widening coronavirus crisis.
Pompeo says Iran must be held accountable on nuclear commitments
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday called on all nations to hold Iran accountable for its nuclear commitments and said Tehran’s failure to report nuclear material was a clear violation of safeguard agreements.
Slovak former president’s party to enter coalition talks
Slovakia’s centrist Za Ludi party will enter coalition talks with the election winner and two other center-right parties, Za Ludi chief and ex-president Andrej Kiska said on Thursday, opening the way to a broad yet possibly shaky government.
Coronavirus and protests wreck Iraq’s pilgrimage industry
Iraqi hotel manager Badr al-Jilawi needs to think for a moment to remember when the last guest checked in to visit the holy Shi’ite Muslim city of Najaf, once a prime destination for millions of pilgrims.
Nine killed in Gaza as bakery fire spreads through packed market
At least nine people were killed and 60 injured on Thursday when a bakery fire swept through a crowded market in a refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, health officials said.
Pompeo says violence in Afghanistan must stop for peace process to move forward
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday said the recent upsurge in violence in Afghanistan was unacceptable and it must immediately cease for the peace process to move forward, urging both the Taliban and the Afghan government to stop posturing…
U.S. Secretary of State urges China to take more fair approach toward media
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday that he expects Beijing to take a more fair approach toward American and other foreign media working in China.
Judges say investigation into war crimes in Afghanistan can proceed
Judges at the International Criminal Court on Thursday ruled that an investigation into alleged war crimes committed in Afghanistan by the Taliban, Afghan military and U.S. forces may proceed.
Dutch, fearing coronavirus, brace for return of 900 students from Italian Alps
The Netherlands, anxious to protect the public from coronavirus, is scrambling to put together a plan for the imminent return of around 900 students from a ski trip in northern Italy, at the heart of Europe’s worst outbreak of the disease.
Putin holds talks with Erdogan to seek Syria ceasefire
Russian President Vladimir Putin met on Thursday with Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan over a potential ceasefire in northern Syria and offered condolences over the recent killing of Turkish soldiers there.
