Iraqi government forces are seen on June 16, 2016 after recapturing the town of Zankura, northwest of Ramadi in Anbar province, from Daesh terrorist group. (AFP)
Here is a round-up of global news developments:
Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi says government and popular mobilization forces have taken back almost all of the city of Fallujah from Daesh terrorists. Army forces have already raised the Iraqi flag over the main government compound in the city center. They also managed to liberate the hospital of Fallujah.
Britons pay tribute to slain Labour MP Jo Cox, who was killed on Thursday. The incident led to the suspension of campaigning for Brexit. Police is investigating the 52-year old suspect’s possible links to right-wing extremism. He is also undergoing tests to determine if he suffers from mental illness.
Italy’s prime minister has warned Britain that there would be no turning back if it voted to leave the European Union in next week's referendum. Matteo Renzi said if Brexit happens, it will primarily be a big problem for the British rather than Europeans.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has slammed NATO’s expansion in Eastern Europe as ignorant. Putin warned that there would be consequences if NATO’s alliance continued its one-sided policy. He also noted that his country is not seeking a new cold war with the West.
A U-S official says Russia has launched a second airstrike on American-backed militants in Syria despite Washington’s call on Moscow to stop its raids. The attack was reportedly carried out in Homs province. Moscow says it targets terrorist groups in its raids but so-called moderate rebels cannot be easily distinguished.
Boko Haram terrorists have killed at least 24 people and injured several more in the Nigerian village of Kuda. Suspected militants of the same terrorist group also attacked a village in neighboring Niger, killing 7 police officers and wounding 12 others there. The gun battle happened in the volatile Diffa region.
International medical charity, Doctors Without Borders, says it will no longer request funds from the EU in protest at the EU-Turkey refugee deal. The aid group denounced the EU for pursuing what it called damaging deterrence policies and pushing back asylum seekers to other countries. The MSF warned that such measures undermine international refugee law.
An Indian court has sentenced eleven people to life imprisonment for their roles in the massacre of Muslims in 2002. More than one-thousand people were killed as Hindus went on rampage across the western state of Gujarat after right-wing groups blamed Muslims for a deadly blaze on a train carrying Hindu pilgrims.
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