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Iraq’s government lifts curfew on Baghdad after Green Zone breach

Saturday, 21 May 2016 1:41 AM [ Last Update: Saturday, 21 May 2016 1:41 AM ]

Supporters of Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr flee from tear gas fired by security forces during clashes after demonstrators broke into Baghdad's Green Zone. (AFT)

Here is a round-up of global news developments:

Iraq’s government has lifted a curfew in the capital Baghdad after anti-government protesters left the premises of the prime minister’s office and the parliament. The curfew was imposed in response to the violence at the fortified Green Zone. Police fired tear gas and live bullets to disperse the protesters. Dozens were wounded.
Russia says it reserves the right to launch unilateral strikes on terrorist groups which are not part of the Syria ceasefire starting May 25. Moscow earlier proposed joint airstrikes with the US against Nusra Front terrorists and other militant groups excluded from the truce. Washington rejected the proposal.
The secretary general of Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah has praised the role of the group’s commanders in defending Syria against American-Takfiri plots. Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah also condemned Arab and American media for launching a psychological war against Hezbollah.
The White House has been temporarily placed under lockdown after shots were heard nearby. A man reportedly brandished a weapon at Secret Service agents near the complex. He was shot and taken into custody. President Barack Obama was not at the White House at the time of the incident.
Human Rights Watch has called on participating countries at the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul to pressure Turkey to reopen its borders to Syrian refugees. The HRW says Turkish border guards have pushed thousands of refugees back since Ankara closed its borders with Syria in early 2015.
The French government has called on railway workers not to hold strikes during the Euro 2016 football tournament due on next month. Transport Minister Alain Vidalies said the walkout and protests would damage the country’s image. France’s labor unions have announced they will continue strikes and protests against the labor reforms.
At least six people have been killed in a suspected Boko Haram attack in Niger’s southern village of Bosso. Seven others were wounded. The victims died from gunshot wounds or being burned alive. The death toll could rise because security forces are searching through the rubble of burned homes.
The temperature in the northwestern Indian city of Phalodi has reached a high record of 51 degrees Celsius amid a nationwide heatwave. Meanwhile, India’s weather office has issued warnings of severe heatwave conditions across large parts of the country’s northern and western regions.

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