US offers Ukraine $335mn in military aid

Here is a round-up of global news developments:

• The trial of two journalists enters its second day in Turkey. The editor-in-chief of the Cumhuriyet newspaper Can Dundar and his colleague Erdem Gul are accused of espionage and trying to topple the government. They were arrested after the publication of footage allegedly showing Turkish intelligence helping terrorists in Syria.
   
• The United States has announced 335 million dollars of military assistance for Ukraine to help it boost military strength amid continued tensions between Kiev and Moscow. The announcement came after a meeting between US Vice President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Washington.
   
• Chinese president Xi Jin-ping tells his US counterpart that Beijing remains determined to defend its sovereignty in the South China Sea. He said Beijing respects and safeguards other countries’ freedom of navigation and overflight rights under the international law. Xi met with Barack Obama in Washington.
   
• Official figures show China’s manufacturing activity improved in March for the first time in nine months. China's official manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index stood at over 50 point for March, an expansion from 49 point the previous month. A level above 50 indicates expansion in manufacturing activity.
   
• Nearly a dozen US senators have called for investigation into what they call possible extrajudicial killings of Palestinians by Israeli troops. The lawmakers have sent a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry to open an investigation against Israel. Details of the letter dated February 17 have been revealed just recently.
   
• Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian reaffirms Tehran’s support for the Palestinian resistance against Israel’s atrocities. Amir Abdollahian said the issue of Palestine is the Muslim world’s top priority. He stressed that acts of terror in the region should not distract Islamic countries from Palestinians.
   
• The death toll from the collapse of a flyover under construction in the Indian city of Kolkata has risen to 25. The latest casualties came after rescuers recovered more bodies from the rubble. With more than half of the debris cleared by Friday morning, police says 67 people have been pulled out alive.
   
• In France, clashes erupt between police and protesters marching against proposed labor reforms put forward by the government. Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in the city of Rennes to denounce the reforms including maximum working hours. Police said at least 12 people were detained of whom three were slightly injured.

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