US rejects Russia’s call for emergency meeting over Syria ceasefire violations

Here is a round-up of global news developments:

• The US has rejected Russia’s call for an emergency meeting over ceasefire violations in Syria, saying such concerns are being handled in a constructive manner. Moscow says it will respond to cease-fire violations unilaterally if the US refuses to coordinate rules of engagement against the violators.
• Saudi Arabia is keeping up its air campaign against Yemen. Saudi jets have targeted two trucks in Matun district in the northern province of Jawf, killing at least eleven people. More than 85-hundred people have lost their lives since Saudi Arabia began its war almost a year ago. 
• In Canada, the anti-Israel boycott movement gains momentum despite a recent parliamentary motion condemning the campaign. Activists are increasingly advising consumers in Vancouver, British Columbia and Alberta not to buy products made by the Israelis. A Montreal-based group is distributing stickers to be affixed on Israeli products. 
• Belgium has identified a new accomplice in last year's deadly Paris attacks. The DNA of the suspect named Najim Laachraoui was found in houses used by the terrorist network. He is still on the run. Salah Abdeslam, the prime suspect of Paris attacks, was captured in Brussels on Friday.
• US Vice President Joe Biden has criticized Israeli settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territories. Biden says Israel’s systematic expansion of settlements, and seizing Palestinian land are eroding the prospects for peace. He said Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies are against the settlement of the conflict with the Palestinians.
• Kuwait has expelled several Shia Lebanese and Iraqi Muslims, accusing them of having links to Lebanon's resistance movement, Hezbollah. Kuwait, along with other members of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council or GCC, has designated Hezbollah as a terrorist group. The Lebanese resistance movement has blamed the move on Saudi Arabia.
• Up to a third of flights have been cancelled in France as a walkout by air traffic controllers enters its second day. Many airlines re-routed flights to avoid the French airspace. The striking staff and the union are locked in a dispute over job cuts.
• Australia has defended its refugee policy despite mounting criticism. The country has taken a tough stance on asylum seekers, detaining them on Christmas Island as well as island nations of Nauru and Papua New Guinea. Rights advocates accuse Canberra of violating the UN refugee conventions. 

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

www.presstv.co.uk