China military budget 2016 to rise 8%

This file photo taken on July 1, 2015 shows China's Peoples' Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers marching at the Ngong Shuen Chau Barracks in Hong Kong to mark the 18th anniversary of Hong Kong's handover from Britain to China. ©AFP

Here is a round-up of global news developments:

  • China says it is going to increase its military budget by seven to eight percent this year. China’s National People's Congress says the rise is strictly for defensive purposes. This comes as the US has increased its military presence in the South China Sea amid territorial disputes between China and its neighbors.
  • South Korea and the United States are to open talks on possible deployment of an advanced US missile system. South Korea says initial discussions would focus on potential locations and a timeline for installation of the THAAD system. Beijing has vehemently opposed the deployment, saying it aims to target China.
  • Two police officers are killed in a car bomb and rocket attack blamed on Kurdish militants in restive southeastern Turkey. The attack which left 35 people wounded was allegedly carried out by the Kurdistan Workers Party or the PKK in Mardin province near the Syrian border.
  • Israeli forces have shot dead a Palestinian woman in the West Bank. The Israeli army says the woman was shot after ramming her vehicle into a group of Israeli soldiers in south Bethlehem. The military says one of the soldiers was wounded in the incident.
  • Syria says the ceasefire can succeed if Turkey and Saudi Arabia stop interfering and put an end to their support for militants. The Deputy minister for national reconciliation says Damascus is determined to continue fighting terrorism and that the terror threat to Europe will increase if no peace deal is made.
  • Foreign ministers of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany have failed to make any progress at the latest round of talks on the Ukraine conflict. Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has blamed Ukraine for the lack of progress. The German foreign minister also expressed his dissatisfaction with the result of the talks.
  • People hold peaceful rallies across Nigeria calling for the immediate release of the leader of the country’s Islamic Movement Sheikh Ibrahim al-Zakzaky. Protesters took the streets of Zaria, Kano, Kaduna, Yola and several other regions. The demonstrators also protested against continued detentions of the movement’s members.
  • US Republican Presidential front-runner Donald Trump comes under fire from his rivals a day after the party’s senior figures called on voters to desert him. Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz questioned the front-runner's immigration policy and his use of foreign workers at his exclusive resort in Palm Beach, Florida.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk

SHARE THIS ARTICLE
Press TV News Roku