China on Thursday said it was helping its downstream neighbors cope with a prolonged drought by releasing more water from its dams on the Mekong River, adding it would consider sharing information on hydrology to provide further assistance in the future.
No relent in fighting in northwest Syria, deepening misery for civilians
Russian warplanes struck at rebel-held towns in northwest Syria again on Thursday and Turkish artillery supported insurgent attacks elsewhere as officials from the two countries struggled to reach a compromise to halt an escalation in the Syrian war.
Russia accuses Turkey of shelling to help militants fighting Syrian army: agencies
Russia’s defense ministry accused Turkey on Thursday of providing artillery support to militants fighting Syrian government forces and said militants briefly broke through government defenses in Idlib, Russian news agencies reported.
Netanyahu announces plans for 3,000 new settler homes near East Jerusalem
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday he was reviving a plan for the construction of 3,000 new settler homes near East Jerusalem, a project effectively frozen after international opposition.
South Korea city deserted after coronavirus church ‘super-spreader’
The streets of South Korea’s fourth-largest city were abandoned on Thursday, with residents holed up indoors after dozens of people caught the coronavirus in what the authorities described as a “super-spreading event” at a church.
More coronavirus cases in Iran’s Qom; religious gatherings under threat
Iranian health officials urged all religious gatherings to be suspended in Qom, news agency ISNA said on Thursday, after two more people tested positive for the coronavirus in the holy city, where two died of it this week.
Vietnam eases border trade restrictions with China to help virus-hit businesses
Vietnam has eased restrictions on cross-border trade with China to prop up economic activities hit by the new coronavirus, the Ministry of Industry and Trade said on Thursday.
Iran prepares for vote seen as litmus test for establishment
Campaigning officially ended on Thursday for Iran’s parliamentary election, a day before a vote seen as a litmus test of the popularity of the clerical establishment.
Lesotho PM faces charge of murdering first wife, says to step down
Lesotho’s Prime Minister Thomas Thabane will be charged with the murder of his late wife, the deputy police commissioner said on Thursday, the latest twist in a love triangle murder case that has stunned the southern African highland kingdom.
Two passengers from coronavirus-hit cruise ship in Japan die, authorities defend quarantine
Two elderly passengers became the first people from aboard a cruise ship moored near Tokyo to die of the coronavirus, the Japanese government said on Thursday, as hundreds more passengers disembarked after two weeks’ quarantine.