Militants, residents leaving Darayya town in Syria

Here is a round-up of global news developments:

• In Syria, militants and local residents are leaving the besieged town of Darayya under a truce accord with the government in Damascus. Under the deal, around 4,000 women and children will be taken to shelters outside the town. 700 gunmen will also be allowed safe passage to Idlib province.
• The militant group, Kurdistan Workers’ Party or PKK has claimed responsibility for a deadly bomb attack targeting a police station in the southeastern Turkish town of Cizre. Nearly a dozen people were killed and 78 others injured after an explosive-ladden truck ripped through a security checkpoint.
• A Dutch far-right political party has pledged to close mosques and ban the Qur’an in a manifesto outlining its electoral program ahead of March 2017 parliamentary elections. The Freedom Party also promised to ban refugees from Islamic countries and prevent Muslim women from wearing the headscarf in public.
• Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has met with Bolivian President Evo Morales in the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra. The two officials discussed issues of mutual interests. The top Iranian diplomat is on his Latin American trip that was kicked off with a visit in Cuba on Monday.
• Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani has condemned regional countries which support Daesh terrorists. Shamkhani made the comments in a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. The Iranian official hailed the constructive policies of Tehran and New Delhi in dealing with the Takfiri terrorism.
• Iran and South Korea have agreed to start financial transactions in euros, bypassing US sanctions that prevent Tehran from using American dollars. Iran’s deputy foreign minister Hamid Baedinejad says other countries can also use euros for easier commerce with Iranians.
• Israeli soldiers have fatally shot yet another Palestinian in the occupied West Bank. Tel Aviv claims its troops killed the man while he was running toward an army post at the entrance of the town of Silwad. At least 233 Palestinians have been killed by Israelis since last October.
• The death toll from Wednesday’s devastating earthquake in Italy has risen to 267, with nearly four-hundred injured. Rescue workers are combing through the debris to find possible survivors. The devastating temblor has flattened more than half of the town of Amatrice, leaving thousands homeless.

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