Iranian President Hassan Rouhani walks during a welcoming cerenomy of the 13th Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Summit at Istanbul Congress Center (ICC) on April 14, 2016 in Istanbul. ©AFP
Here is a round-up of global news developments:
- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has cautioned the Organization of Islamic Cooperation against taking any divisive measure that would deepen the rifts among Muslim countries. In his address to the OIC summit in Istanbul, Rouhani said rivalries and struggle among powerful Muslim countries have paved the way for foreign intervention in the region.
- A group of Iraqi lawmakers have voted to remove the parliament speaker and his deputies amid disputes over the newly introduced cabinet line-up. The vote was held in the absence of speaker Salim al-Juburi. Now he says the vote is unconstitutional due to lack of quorum.
- Israeli soldiers have killed a Palestinian, claiming he was trying to carry out a stabbing attack. The victim died of serious injuries as Israelis did not allow ambulances to arrive on the scene in time. The incident occurred in a refugee camp in the city of al-Khalil in the occupied West Bank.
- At least 40 people have been killed in Yemen since Wednesday, despite a ceasefire between the warring sides that took effect on Sunday midnight. Yemeni officials say the fatalities resulted from Saudi airstrikes and ground fighting. The Ansarullah movement accuses Saudi-backed forces of lack of seriousness in pursuing peace in Yemen.
- The Russian foreign minister has accused the European Union of encouraging Ukraine to sabotage the 2015 Minsk agreement. Sergey Lavrov says the EU pushes Russia to implement the deal, but refrains from applying similar pressure on Kiev in fulfilling the accord.
- The Russian president says terrorists are trying to compensate for their recent losses around the Syrian city of Aleppo. Vladimir Putin accused Turkey of cooperating with the terrorists in this regard. He said Moscow will do whatever it takes to stop deterioration of the situation in Syria.
- Members of the European Parliament have voted by a large majority in favor of a system that allows sharing air passenger information with the European Union states. The motion is said to be aimed at detecting militants upon their arrival in the EU. The decision follows terrorist attacks in Brussels and Paris.
- Flash floods in Saudi Arabia have taken people by surprise. Eighteen people have been killed during heavy rains and floods across the country. Unprecedented heavy downpours struck the mostly dry country this week and led to suspension of public transport and school closures.
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