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Saudi-backed opposition threatens to leave Syria talks

Sunday, 31 January 2016 2:52 AM [ Last Update: Sunday, 31 January 2016 2:53 AM ]

Staffan de Mistura (2nd L Below) faces Syrian ambassador to the UN and head of the government delegation Bashar al-Jaafari (4th R Above) at the opening of Syrian peace talks with the Syrian government delegation at the United Nations (UN) Offices in Geneva on January 29, 2016. AFP

Here is a round-up of global news developments:

Moscow has described Ankara’s claims that Russian aircraft violated Turkish airspace as propaganda. This after the Turkish Foreign Ministry said Russian aircraft entered Turkey’s airspace on Friday, despite radar warnings. Turkish President Rejep Tayyip Erdogan warned Russia of consequences if it keeps violating Turkey’s sovereignty.
The Saudi-backed Syrian opposition threatens to withdraw from the U-N-brokered peace talks upon arrival in the Swiss city of Geneva. The so-called High Negotiations Committee called for a halt to airstrikes by Syrian and Russian militaries. It also demanded that aid reach militant-held besieged areas of Syria.
Beijing has accused Washington of violating Chinese law over a US warship sailing near a disputed island in the South China Sea. The US said the move aimed to challenge efforts to restrict freedom of navigation. China and its neighbors are locked in territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
The UN chief has expressed horror over sexual abuse allegations against foreign troops in the Central African Republic. Ban Ki-moon said the U-N is ashamed over the damage by peacekeepers who exploited vulnerable people. Ban was reacting to reports of six more cases of child sex abuse in the C-A-R.
The refugee crisis in Europe has claimed more lives. Almost 40 people have drowned in the Aegean Sea after a boat carrying refugees to Greece sank off Turkey’s coast. The EU countries have failed to reach a united response to the asylum crisis.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has defended her open-door refugee policy, arguing that asylum seekers from Syria and Iraq will go back home once the conflicts there end. Merkel has come under huge pressure over her refugee policy. A record one-point-one million refugees arrived in Germany last year.
Thousands of people have rallied in Paris to condemn the proposed extension of a state of emergency. They said the move would curb human rights. Similar marches were held in several other French cities. The state of emergency was imposed after the deadly Paris attacks in November.
Hundreds of thousands of Italians have joined nationwide rallies to oppose a civil union’s same-sex marriage bill. Italy’s Senate began debating the bill on Thursday. The bill introduced by Prime Minister Matteo Renzi’s government allows same-sex couples to marry.

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