Here are the latest top stories from Press TV on February 27, 2021.
US Syria strike
Baghdad has denied any cooperation with Washington over Thursday’s deadly US airstrikes on eastern Syria, near the border with Iraq. In a statement, the Iraqi Interior Ministry said no intelligence was exchanged with the US-led coalition forces in Iraq for the raids. The ministry noted that its cooperation with the coalition is limited to boosting Iraq’s internal security. The Iraqi Defense Ministry also expressed surprise at Pentagon’s claims of intelligence sharing before the attacks on the Syrian territory. The ministry said its cooperation with the US-led forces is restricted to the specific goal of forming the coalition, which is to fight the Daesh terror group. Pentagon has said that Baghdad helped Washington conduct the raids through its information gathering.
Khashoggi murder report
Calls are growing for Washington to impose sanctions on Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, following a US intelligence report implicating him in the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi.The UN Special Rapporteur on extra-judicial executions urged Washington to target personal assets and international engagements of Bin Salman. Agnes Callamard said the US should not give the Saudi prince immunity from civil suits. Advocacy groups for press freedom have made similar requests. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has announced that his country is taking concrete steps to recalibrate relations with Riyadh. He said Washington is imposing visa restrictions on 76 Saudi individuals. The crown prince, however, is not among them. That’s despite a bombshell intel report shows Bin Salman had personally approved the murder of Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.
Myanmar violence
Chaotic scenes in Myanmar where police have used force against crowds protesting the military rule. Officers in riot gear fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse protesters in the main city of Yangon and elsewhere. The protesters chanted slogans against the military, calling its chief a crazy dictator. Local media say a woman was shot dead during a rally in the town of Monwya. An unknown number of people including media workers were also arrested. Myanmar has been shaken by a wave of protests since a military coup toppled de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi on February the first. Suu Kyi and much of her party leadership are in custody over allegations of fraud in a November election that they won.