Hezbollah chief Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah
Here is a round-up of global news developments:
- The secretary general of Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah has praised the role of the group’s commanders in defending Syria against American-Takfiri plots. Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah also condemned Arab and American media for launching a psychological war against Hezbollah.
- In Iraq, anti-government protesters have entered the prime minister’s office and the parliament to demand reforms. Security forces used tear gas and fired live bullets in the air to disperse the angry crowd. Over a dozen people were reportedly injured in clashes. The government declared a curfew in the capital Baghdad.
- The Turkish Parliament has approved a bill to strip lawmakers from legal immunity. The pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party or the HDP has strongly opposed the bill saying the legislation is essentially a move to drive its MPs out of the parliament.
- Human Rights Watch has called on participating countries at the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul to pressure Turkey to reopen its borders to Syrian refugees. The HRW says Turkish border guards have pushed thousands of refugees back since Ankara closed its borders with Syria in early 2015.
- Russia has slammed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization for granting membership to Montenegro. NATO formally invited the Balkan state to become its 29th member on Thursday. Moscow said that NATO's further expansion is a negative process and will increase tensions in Europe.
- China says it would be impossible to have peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait if Taipei attempts to seek independence. This came as Taiwan's New President Sai Ing-wen was sworn in and called for quote-positive dialog with Beijing. China regards Taiwan as part of its territory.
- A police helicopter has crashed in the mountains southeast of France killing all four people on board. The interior ministry said the chopper was participating in a training operation in Hautes-Pyrenees region when it went down. The cause of the crash has not been determined yet.
- A new law has come into effect in the EU urging all cigarette and tobacco companies to place health warnings on their products. The law bounds producers in the UK to put images showing the damaging effects of smoking. Some estimates suggest cigarettes kill 100,000 people in Britain each year.
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