Deadly blast hits Baghdad

Here is a round-up of global news developments:

• An Egyptian plane, hijacked en route to Cairo, has been forced to land in Cyprus. The hijacker identified as 27-year-old Egyptian national has allowed all passengers to leave the plane except five people onboard. Ibrahim Samaha demanded asylum in Cyprus and claimed to have an explosives belt on him.
   
• A bomb explosion has rocked the Iraqi capital again, killing at least 3 people and injuring nearly 30 others. Police say a bomber detonated his explosives near a gathering of workers in Baghdad’s Aviation (Tayaran) square. There's been no claim of responsibility yet.
   
• More militants have reportedly infiltrated into Syria from Turkey to join the Nusra Front terrorist group. A Russian Defense Ministry statement has cited local residents as saying that over 50 militants and several vehicles loaded with ammunition crossed the border and reached the city of Anadan near Aleppo.
   
• Wealthy nations are facing criticism for their lukewarm response to the Syrian refugee crisis. The British charity, Oxfam, says rich countries have resettled only a small fraction of the nearly five million displaced Syrians. The charity urges these countries to share the burden by re-settling at least 10-percent of the refugees.
   
• Refugees stranded at a makeshift Greek camp have staged a protest near the border with Macedonia, demanding the opening of the crossing. The rally at Idomeni village was reportedly triggered by a rumor that the border would open late Sunday. Tens of thousands of asylum seekers are stranded in Greece.
   
• The Israeli parliament has approved a draft bill aimed at suspending dissident lawmakers. The bill needs to pass a second and third reading in the Knesset before becoming a law. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that the bill will enable action against lawmakers siding with terrorism.
   
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered his minister for military affairs to stop handing over the bodies of Palestinians killed in alleged attacks against soldiers. Nearly 210 Palestinians have been killed since October. According to Palestinian officials, several bodies previously returned had some of their organs missing.
   
• The Myanmarese president has lifted a state of emergency in the restive western state of Rakhine. The move comes just a day before Thein Sein hands over office to a newly elected president. The state of emergency was imposed following deadly clashes between Buddhists and the minority Rohingya Muslims in 2012.

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