Bahraini protesters hold placards bearing portraits of prominent Shia Muslim cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr during clashes with riot police in the village of Sitra, south of the capital Manama, on January 8, 2016, following a protest against his execution by Saudi authorities. AFP
Here is a round-up of global news developments:
- Bahraini protesters have staged a rally in the town of Sitra to denounce Saudi Arabia’s execution of top Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr earlier this month. They condemned Riyadh for targeting activists and reformists. Riyadh has come under fire over its deadly crackdown on dissent.
- Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman has slammed the final statement of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation which condemned Tehran for the attacks on Saudi Arabia’s diplomatic missions. Hossein Jaberi-Ansari accused the body of serving the interests of Riyadh calling the statement contrary to international law and the O-I-C charter.
- Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi has warned that Daesh terrorists could use the recent unrest to sneak into the country from neighboring Libya. He said that the government intends to introduce plans to reduce the unemployment rate. The country has been placed under a night-time curfew, over violent anti-government protests.
- The Royal Canadian Mounted Police say at least four people have been killed and an unspecified number of others injured in a school shooting in Sas-katchewan. A suspect has also been taken into custody in connection with the shooting which took place in La Losh community.
- A huge blizzard has begun to hit the US east coast and is expected to dump near-record levels of snow from Washington to New York. Thousands of flights have been cancelled and people have been told to stay home. The storm has so far left several people dead.
- In Venezuela, opposition lawmakers have dismissed President Maduro's bid to declare a state of economic emergency. They argued Maduro's move was a threat to free enterprise and jobs. The emergency measures would have allowed the administration to impose currency controls and take other interventionist moves in the recession-hit economy.
- Spain's acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy rebuffs a suggestion by King Felipe to form a government due to lack of support in parliament. Spain's royal palace issued a statement saying that the king will hold a fresh round of consultations to choose another candidate.
- Police in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince fire tear gas to disperse the protesters outraged by officials’ decision to postpone the upcoming presidential runoff vote over security concerns. This, as the opposition candidate Jude Celestin has called for a boycott of the vote, alleging fraud in the first round.
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