Yemen's Houthis launch ballistic missile at Yemeni city of Marib: Saudi state TV

CAIRO (Reuters) – Saudi state TV said early on Thursday that Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement launched a ballistic missile at the Yemeni city of Marib, hours before a ceasefire announced by the Saudi-led coalition takes effect.

The Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthis in Yemen announced on Wednesday a nationwide ceasefire for two weeks starting on Thursday at noon, Saudi state news agency SPA reported.

Rockies podcast: Why MLB’s idea to start the season in May in Arizona is unfeasible

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Disney+ Hits 50 Million Paid Subscribers Globally

Streaming service Disney+ hit 50 million paid subscribers globally within five months after its U.S. launch, Disney said, calling it a “new milestone.”

“We’re truly humbled that Disney+ is resonating with millions around the globe, and believe this bodes well for our continued expansion throughout Western Europe and into Japan and all of Latin America later this year,” said Kevin Mayer, Chairman of Walt Disney Direct-to-Consumer & International in a statement Wednesday.

“Great storytelling inspires and uplifts, and we are in the fortunate position of being able to deliver a vast array of great entertainment rooted in joy and optimism on Disney+,” he said.

In the past two weeks, Disney+ rolled out in eight Western European counties including the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, and Switzerland. Additionally, Disney+ became available last week in India, where it is offered in conjunction with the existing Hotstar service, and already accounts for approximately eight million of Disney+’s 50 million paid subscribers.

Saudi Arabia to give $525 million for Yemen humanitarian, coronavirus response: minister

RIYADH (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia will contribute $500 million to the United Nations humanitarian response plan for Yemen in 2020 and $25 million to help combat the spread of the new coronavirus, the kingdom’s vice defense minister, Prince Khalid bin Salman, said on Thursday.

No confirmed cases have been reported so far in Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition is fighting the Iranian-aligned Houthi movement in a five-year war that has killed more than 100,000 people and spread hunger and disease.

3 Okanagan hockey players crack NHL Central Scouting’s final rankings

NHL Central Scouting has released its final rankings ahead of the 2020 NHL Draft.

The North American Skaters List includes three players that are playing for teams in the Okanagan.

Coronavirus: Military draws up list of 17 temporary hospital sites

The military has a list of 17 locations for temporary coronavirus hospitals if required, from Glasgow and Sunderland to Plymouth and Exeter, Sky News understands.

Nine of the venues have been authorised and are in the process of coming online, according to a military source.

Coronavirus patients are already being treated at the converted ExCel exhibition centre in London, where the NHS Nightingale has been set up. Some or all of the other eight sites could follow if needed.

Alberta data showing up to 3,100 deaths prompts province to increase beds, ventilators

The day after Premier Jason Kenney addressed the province with Alberta Health novel coronavirus modelling, the province is giving Albertans a closer look at the various scenarios, as well as the plan to increase beds, ventilators, personal protective equipment (PPE) and front-line staff.

Clinton Whistleblower Linda Tripp Dead At 70

Linda Tripp, whose recorded conversations with Monica Lewinsky led to the impeachment of President Bill Clinton in 1998, has died at age 70.

Tripp’s former lawyer Joseph Murtha confirmed her death to The New York Times. Details regarding her cause of death weren’t immediately available but family members confirmed it was not related to the coronavirus.

“My mommy is leaving this earth. I don’t know myself if I can survive this heartache,” Tripp’s daughter, Allison Tripp Foley, wrote on Facebook Tuesday. “Please pray for a painless process for the strongest woman I will ever know in my entire lifetime, Linda Rausch.”

In 1998, Tripp, then a mid-level federal civil servant, provided recordings of conversations she’d had with Monica Lewinsky regarding Lewinsky’s affair with Clinton to Independent Counsel Ken Starr. Tripp’s recordings directly contradicted sworn testimony from Clinton in which he denied having had an inappropriate relationship.

After hearing news of Tripp’s illness Wednesday, Lewinsky said she was hoping for her recovery:

After years of keeping a low profile, Tripp spoke out in 2018, defending whistleblowers as an essential check on “perjury and obstruction of justice” in a speech on Capitol Hill.

“To those out there who say I did this for personal gain, I say, standing here 20 years later, what did I stand to gain then or now?” Tripp asked. “I stood to lose everything, and in fact, I did.”

“And yet, if I had to do it all over again, I would.”

Was COVID-19 pandemic declaration too slow?

On this edition of the Sky News Daily podcast, Dermot Murnaghan examines President Trump’s claim that the World Health Organisation “missed the call” over the spread of the coronavirus.

We are joined by former WHO special adviser Professor David Harper to discuss the fallout – while Daily Mirror columnist Susie Boniface talks about the impact of the lockdown on domestic abuse victims as more funding is promised for charities.