Saudi troops deployment to Syria declaration of war: Russia

Here is a round-up of global news developments:

• Russia says Saudi Arabia’s proposal for deploying troops to Syria could be regarded as a declaration of war. Moscow stressed that Riyadh has to get official permission from Damascus before any military operation. The US defense department however welcomed Riyadh’s offer.
• Israeli soldiers have fatally shot a Palestinian boy north of the West Bank city of al-Khalil also known as Hebron over claims that he was trying to throw a petrol bomb at Israeli forces. Meanwhile, Israeli troops have clashed with Palestinian protesters West of Ramallah wounding several demonstrators.
• A survey by the YouGov market research company shows that the majority of Britons want the country to leave the European Union. 45 percent of respondents called for Britain to exit the EU while 36 percent supported its continued membership in the bloc. 19 percent of Britons are undecided.
• A UN panel has ruled that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been arbitrarily detained by Sweden and the UK and he must be released and compensated. The UN working group on Arbitrary Detention said Assange’s physical integrity and freedom of movement must be respected. Britain and Sweden have rejected the ruling.
• Zimbabwe has declared a state of disaster in most rural areas of the country hit by a severe drought. Public works minister said some 26 percent of the people are requiring food aid. Zimbabwe has suffered perennial shortages in recent years forcing it to import grain from neighboring countries to meet its needs.
• Unknown gunmen have attacked a UN police base in the Malian city of Timbuktu. A UN peacekeeping official said that an unknown number of assailants withdrew inside the camp after detonating their car bomb at the entrance. An army checkpoint in the same city also came under fire by assailants.
• Haiti's President has pledged to step down in three days despite having no replacement after a botched election. This comes as opposition protests have intensified and politicians are at odds over who should lead an interim government. Haiti’s runoff election to choose the next president were cancelled last month.
• A US drone strike has killed at least three people in Afghanistan’s Kunar province. Police say those killed were Pakistani pro-Taliban militants. Pakistan had earlier asked the US to target the Tehrik-e Taliban leader who is said to be living in Afghanistan. Kabul has rejected the allegation that the militants’ chief is in Afghanistan.

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