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Iran FM urges Iraq unity against extremism

Tuesday, 29 December 2015 3:12 AM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 29 December 2015 3:12 AM ]

1. Israeli Education Minister has renewed calls for the annexation of the occupied West Bank. Naftali Bennett said Israel should bring the cities of Ramallah and Bethlehem and their nearby areas under its full control. Tel Aviv has already built tens of thousands of settler units in Palestinian areas.

2. The Syrian army has liberated the central parts of the key city of Dara’a from the al-Qaeda affiliated al-Nusra Front militants. Securing the area would help the Syrian army cut a key supply line in and out of Jordan that the terrorists use to smuggle weapons.

3. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has vowed to liberate all areas controlled by Daesh terrorists by the end of the next year. Speaking at a televised address, Abadi said 2016 will mark great victories against the Takfiris and their presence in Iraq and Mesopotamia will be terminated.

4. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has called on ethnic groups in Iraq to remain united against extremism. Zarif made the remarks in a meeting with the head of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq Ammar Hakim in Tehran. Zarif also congratulated Iraq on the latest gains against terrorists.

5. Iran has shipped over 11 tonnes of low-enriched uranium to Russia under a deal reached between Tehran and the P5+1 group of countries. US Secretary of State John Kerry has praised the move and called it a key step in Tehran's implementation of the historic nuclear accord.

6. Saudi Arabia has posted a record 98-billion dollar deficit for 2015 due to sharp drop in price of oil which contributes to 90 percent of the country’s total revenues. The crisis has forced Riyadh to take some austerity measures, including spending cuts in its 2016 budget and raising the price of fuels.

7. The grand jury in the US city of Cleveland says the police officer who fatally shot 12-year-old Tamir Rice last year will not face state criminal charges. Officer Timothy Loehmann opened fire on the black kid while he was playing with a toy weapon in a park.

8. Severe floods have affected tens of thousands of people in Latin America. The floods have forced many in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay to leave their homes and spend their Christmas holidays in shelters. The evacuees are faced with heavy rains and raging rivers.

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