A U.S. guided missile cruiser sailed Wednesday through the Spratly Islands, the U.S. Navy’s second freedom of navigation operation in two days amid heightened tension in the South China Sea.

Russia is warning that any U.S. attempt to use a low-yield nuclear weapon against a Russian target would set off a massive nuclear response.

The coronavirus pandemic is fuelling extremism on the far-right and far-left in Europe and giving Islamic State and other militants cover to regain influence, the European Union’s counter-terrorism chief has warned.