World News Roundup: UK royal Archie celebrates first birthday with story from mum Meghan; Spanish nurse returns to frontline after bout with coronavirus and more

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Facility near Pyongyang airport linked to North Korea's missile programme, U.S. think-tank says

A new facility near Pyongyang International Airport is almost certainly linked to North Korea's expanding ballistic missile program, according to a report from a Washington-based think-tank. The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) cited commercial satellite imagery it says shows the facility and a nearby underground structure have the capacity to accommodate North Korea's largest intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) that experts believe are able to strike anywhere in the United States.

UK royal Archie celebrates first birthday with story from mum Meghan

Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, the son of Britain's Prince Harry and his American wife Meghan, celebrated his first birthday on Wednesday, with his parents marking the occasion with a video of his mother reading him a story. In footage posted on the Instagram page of the Save the Children charity, Meghan reads giggling Archie, who is pictured wearing a simple white bodysuit, one of his favorite books, "Duck! Rabbit!".

Iran's Rouhani pledges "crushing response" if U.S. extends arms embargo

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani threatened a "crushing response" on Wednesday if the United States goes ahead with plans to extend an embargo on Iranian trade of conventional arms, which the United Nations is set to lift later this year. Under Iran's deal with world powers to accept limits to its nuclear programme in return for the lifting of sanctions, a U.N. weapons embargo is due to expire in October. The United States, which exited the deal in 2018, says it wants to extend the embargo.

Spanish nurse returns to frontline after bout with coronavirus

Just a few months ago, coronavirus floated around unnoticed in the hospital near Madrid where Cristina Cadenas worked as a nurse in the orthopedics department. Staff wore no special protection in late February as it was considered a safe area. But one patient was already infected without knowing it and the coronavirus spread.

Israel plans thousands of new homes for West Bank settlement

Israel announced a plan for thousands of new Jewish settlement homes in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday as Washington voiced readiness to back de facto Israeli annexations there. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is trying to clinch a deal to form a coalition government, wants to start cabinet discussions on July 1 about declaring Israeli sovereignty over the settlements and the strategically important Jordan Valley in the West Bank.

Care homes situation improving, says Johnson; UK denies sacrificing them

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday the situation in care homes had improved, hours after his health minister denied Britain had prioritized hospitals over many elderly people in its fight against the coronavirus outbreak. A Reuters investigation found policies designed to prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed pushed a greater burden onto care homes which struggled to get access to tests and protective equipment.

Special Report: U.S. rearms to nullify China's missile supremacy

As Washington and Beijing trade barbs over the coronavirus pandemic, a longer-term struggle between the two Pacific powers is at a turning point, as the United States rolls out new weapons and strategy in a bid to close a wide missile gap with China. The United States has largely stood by in recent decades as China dramatically expanded its military firepower. Now, having shed the constraints of a Cold War-era arms control treaty, the Trump administration is planning to deploy long-range, ground-launched cruise missiles in the Asia-Pacific region.

Israel signs deal to lease drones to Greece for border defence

Israel said it will lease drones to Greece to defend its borders, in the first military deal between the two countries which includes an option to buy the system. The Israeli Defence Ministry said on Wednesday that the agreement with the Hellenic Ministry of National Defence was signed digitally due to the coronavirus crisis.

Putin warns against hurrying to lift coronavirus-related restrictions

President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday said Russia should not rush to lift coronavirus-related restrictions, warning that any haste in removing preventative measures could undo their work so far. Putin said governors would have the responsibility of deciding how to proceed in their own regions.

Deaf Belgians demand transparent masks for lip-reading during coronavirus

As Belgium obliges people to wear face masks on public transport and recommends them elsewhere to limit the spread of the coronavirus, deaf people are calling for transparent masks to allow them to communicate with others. For the hearing-impaired who rely on lip-reading to complement sign language, even buying an ice cream can be difficult, as shop assistants wear medical or home-made cotton masks that cover almost half the face.