Russia to limit flights to UK, US and UAE starting March 20
Reuters, Moscow
Russia will introduce temporary restrictions on flights to Britain, the United States and the United Arab Emirates starting on Friday in a bid to curb the spread of the coronavirus, the Russian government ordered on Wednesday.
The restrictions will only apply to certain passenger flights and some airlines will also be allowed to service Moscow flights to and from London, New York and Abu Dhabi.
UK-Iranian woman temporarily freed from Tehran jail
AFP, London
A British-Iranian woman serving a five-year prison term in Tehran for sedition was released from jail for two weeks on Tuesday, her husband said.
“The Free Nazanin Campaign is pleased to confirm-as has long been promised-that Nazanin (Zaghari-Ratcliffe) was this afternoon released temporarily on furlough for two weeks until 4 April 2020,” Richard Ratcliffe said in an emailed statement.
13 US journalists facing expulsion from China
AP, Beijing
At least 13 American journalists stand to be expelled from China in retaliation for a new visa limit imposed by the Trump administration on Chinese state-owned media operating in the U.S.
The Chinese government announced Wednesday that Americans working at three major U.S. newspapers would have to surrender their press cards within 10 days. They will all but certainly have to leave the country, as their visas are tied to their media credentials.
Pompeo says Russia responsible for Turkish soldiers’ deaths
AFP, Washington
The United States for the first time Tuesday held Russia responsible for the deaths of dozens of Turkish troops in Syria as it vowed accountability.
An airstrike last month in the Idlib region killed 34 Turkish soldiers, although Ankara blamed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and reached a new ceasefire deal with Moscow.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, announcing new sanctions on Syrian officials, placed blame on Russia, which along with Iran has backed Assad in his bloody quest to crush rebels.
=
Texas execution stayed due to coronavirus
AFP, Washington
A US court has ordered a 60-day stay of an execution scheduled for Wednesday in Texas because of the novel coronavirus.
A Texas court rejected John Hummel’s appeals arguments on Monday, but in the end still granted him relief.
“We have also determined that the execution should be stayed in light of the current health crisis and the enormous resources needed to address the execution,” the ruling said.
Hummel, 44, was sentenced to the death penalty for the 2009 killings of his pregnant wife, their five-year-old daughter and his father-in-law.
=
