Turkey-Russia tensions rise again after a Russian warplane violated Turkish airspace on Friday.
Here is a round-up of global news developments:
- Tension is once again on the rise between Turkey and Russia. Moscow says Ankara’s claim that a Russian warplane violated its airspace is a provocation. Russia has also accused Turkey of shelling a village in the Syrian territory and demanded explanation over the issue.
- Taliban militants have claimed responsibility for a bomb blast in Afghanistan’s capital Kabul. At least 10 people were killed in the violence. Taliban say a police station was the primary target of the attack. 20 others were also wounded in the explosion.
- Saudi Arabia is pressing ahead with its military campaign against Yemen. At least two people have lost their lives in fresh airstrikes in Sa’ada province. Saudi warplanes also bombed an area south of the capital Sana’a, injuring at least 5 people.
- Iran kicks off ten days of celebrations, marking the 37th anniversary of the country’s Islamic Revolution. The ceremonies mark the return from exile of the late founder of the Islamic Republic Imam Khomeini. They also commemorate a chain of events that culminated in the 1979 revolution that toppled the US-backed Pahlavi monarchy.
- Iran says it has extracted a large amount of information from the mobile phones and laptops of the US sailors who trespassed into Iranian waters last month. Navy Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Ali Fadavi says the IRGC will consider the release of the information, if the US continues its malevolence.
- China has accused the United States of seeking maritime hegemony in the South China Sea in the name of freedom of navigation. The comments came in reaction to a US Navy destroyer passing near the disputed Triton Island. Beijing condemned the move as irresponsible.
- UN Chief Ban Ki-moon has once again slammed Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories. In a New York Time article, Ban calls Israeli settlements an affront to Palestinians and defends the resistance against occupation. He calls for a freeze on settlement expansions and a halt to the demolition of Palestinian homes.
- Iran says its banks are now reconnected to SWIFT financial transaction system. Iranian officials say the institutions will be able to use the service after completing the necessary procedures. Iranian banks were disconnected from SWIFT four years ago due to US-led sanctions.
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