WHO: Fight against Zika will be long, complex

Here is a round-up of global news developments:

• The US secretary of state says partitioning Syria is part of Washington’s plan B if a newly-announced ceasefire fails to work. John Kerry also warned that the US will resort to the plan B if a shift to a transitional government does not take place in the coming months.
   
• The head of the World Health Organization says the global fight against Zika will be long and complex. Margaret Chan, however, expressed hope that the successful controlling of other mosquito-borne diseases will help contain Zika. The WHO has already declared an international health emergency over the spread of the Zika virus.
   
• An Israeli settler has run over a Palestinian woman and her daughter in a village near the West Bank city of Jericho. The older woman has lost her life. Israeli troops have killed 187 Palestinians since the beginning of a new uprising against Israel in early October.
   
• Indian demonstrators march near parliament to protest the arrest of a student leader. Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested earlier this month over his participation in events during which anti-India slogans were allegedly shouted. The protesters also demanded justice for another student who has reportedly committed suicide after being subjected to sustained discrimination against his caste.
   
• The US secretary of state calls for an end to what he calls the militarization of the occupied features in the South China Sea. John Kerry said Washington believes in a diplomatic solution to the dispute over the sea. Tensions between the US and China have recently mounted over the issue.
   
• US Republican lawmakers introduce a piece of legislation to challenge President Barack Obama's latest push to close the Guantanamo prison. The bill would force the Obama administration to publicize a plan to transfer the Guantanamo inmates. Obama had promised to close the Guantanamo Bay prison during his 2008 presidential election campaign.
   
• Pro-refugee activists march on the White House to call for an end to immigration raids and deportations that they say have led to the death of 83 refugees. Police arrested over a dozen demonstrators. Similar protests were held across other US cities.
   
• Bolivia’s President Evo Morales has lost a constitutional referendum on his bid to run for a fourth term. Official results show more than 51 percent of voters rejected the reform on the presidential term. Morales’ term ends in 2020, but he sought another term to carry out his socialist agenda.

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