Coronavirus outbreak begins to disrupt booming China drug trials
The fast-spreading coronavirus is starting to disrupt testing of experimental medicines in China, posing a threat to plans by global drugmakers that have invested billions of dollars to harness the potential of the Asian economic powerhouse.
NATO to expand Iraq training mission in response to Trump
NATO defense ministers agreed on Wednesday to expand the Western alliance’s training mission in Iraq, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said, responding to a demand by U.S. President Donald Trump for NATO to do more in the Middle East.
U.S., Taliban could sign peace deal in February if insurgents reduce violence: sources
A U.S.-Taliban peace deal could be signed this month if the Taliban significantly reduces violence, which could lead to an eventual withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, two Afghan government sources and a Western diplomat said on Wednesday.
Netanyahu rejects U.N. report on companies involved with settlements
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday denounced a long-delayed U.N. report listing companies that have business ties to Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Palestinian PM threatens legal action against firms in U.N. settlements report
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh on Wednesday threatened to take international legal action against companies named in a United Nations Report on businesses said to have ties to Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Lebanon formally requests IMF technical help for rescue plan: government source to Reuters
Lebanon has formally requested that the IMF send a technical delegation to help draw up a comprehensive economic, monetary and financial plan to rescue it from a crippling crisis, a senior government source told Reuters on Wednesday.
Northern Irish police charge man with murder of journalist Lyra McKee
Northern Irish police said on Wednesday they had charged a 52-year-old man with the murder of journalist Lyra McKee in Londonderry last year, a killing that sparked outrage in the British-run province.
Airlines suspend China flights due to coronavirus outbreak
Airlines are suspending flights to China in the wake of the new coronavirus outbreak.
Russia’s trust in Putin falls to six-year low despite high approval rating: pollster
The Russian public’s trust in President Vladimir Putin fell to its lowest in six years last month, the Levada opinion pollster said on Wednesday, despite the Russian leader’s approval rating remaining high.
To fight coronavirus, disinfectant tunnel in China sprays industrial workers
A company in the southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing has built a tunnel to spray employees at an industrial complex with disinfectant before they begin work, according to a local media report, as the country battles a coronavirus outbreak.
