Russia conducts first ship-based hypersonic missile test: TASS
Russia successfully test-launched its Tsirkon (Zircon) hypersonic cruise missile from a military vessel for the first time early last month, the TASS news agency said on Thursday, citing two military sources.
Former European leaders say Trump’s Middle East peace plan akin to apartheid
Fifty former European prime ministers and foreign ministers have condemned U.S. President Donald Trump’s Middle East peace plan in an open letter, saying it would create an apartheid-like situation in occupied Palestinian territory.
Schools shut, travel curbed as world races to fight coronavirus
Governments battling coronavirus epidemics from Iran to Australia shut schools, canceled big events and stocked up on medical supplies on Thursday in a race to contain the outbreak’s rapid global spread.
‘Are you real?’ Putin quashes rumors he uses a body double
Russian President Vladimir Putin has acknowledged he was offered the chance to use a body double to make appearances in public for security reasons, but said he declined the offer and never used one.
Battle rages over strategic Syrian town of Saraqeb as humanitarian catastrophe unfolds
Syrian rebels backed by Turkish forces said on Thursday they had recaptured the crossroads town of Saraqeb, marking a first big push-back of a Syrian government offensive.
Lebanon health ministry confirms third case of coronavirus, NNA reports
Lebanon confirmed the country’s third case of coronavirus on Thursday, after a man arriving from Iran on Feb. 24 tested positive, the health ministry said, according to news agency NNA.
U.S. grants sanctions waiver to ease humanitarian aid to Iran
The United States on Thursday granted a license to allow for certain humanitarian trade transactions with Iran’s sanctioned central bank, a move it said was in step with the formalization of a Swiss humanitarian aid channel.
Pool, books or buffet: Limited options in Tenerife’s locked down hotel
At first glance, the hotel looks like any other. It bustles with holidaymakers choosing their food and drink from the buffet while others bag sunloungers by the pool.
Kremlin plays down hammer attack on exiled Chechen critic in Poland
The Kremlin on Thursday played down the significance of an attack on a Chechen blogger living in Poland who has been highly critical of Chechnya’s Kremlin-backed leader Ramzan Kadyrov, the third such incident this month.
France says Mali envoy is spreading fake news over its troops
France accused Mali’s ambassador on Thursday of spreading false accusations against its soldiers that could play into the hands of Islamist militants at a time when Paris is trying to organize a more efficient response to insurgency in the region.
