Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi © ISNA
Here is a round-up of global news developments:
- Iran has condemned Britain for providing Saudi Arabia with military support in the ongoing war on Yemen. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi also rejected as unfounded a claim by British lawmaker Tobias Ellwood that Iran is selling weapons to the Ansarullah fighters in Yemen.
- The Syrian army is tightening its grip on the western part of the city of Aleppo as it’s gaining more ground there. The army and its allied forces have taken two more areas from militants following fierce clashes. The troops are pushing to fully liberate Aleppo.
- Turkey offers Russia joint operations against Daesh in Syria. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Chavushoglu said Ankara will discuss the proposal with Moscow in details. This, after Turkish and Russian presidents held talks to normalize ties which had been severely strained over the 2015 shoot-down of a Russian jet by Turkey over Syria.
- The Pakistani city of Quetta is rocked by a bomb blast, days after a huge explosion killed scores of people there. The latest blast struck a security vehicle in the southwestern city, wounding 13 people. Authorities say the homemade bomb targeted police personnel escorting a judge who was unhurt in the attack.
- Chilean protesters have rallied in Santiago against a set of proposed reforms to the pension system. Police pushed back the protesters as they gathered peacefully in the La Florida commune of the capital. They used water cannon to disperse the demonstrators.
- The United Nations is considering sending a regional force to South Sudan after Juba rejected a previous plan for a 4,000 strong brigade. The new brigade will be deployed on an initial four-month mission and would work with the South Sudanese government.
- Upwards of 20 people have reportedly been injured in a huge fire which engulfed a large apartment complex in the US state of Maryland. The midnight fire, believed to be caused by explosion, tore through the complex located in Silver Spring, a city in Montgomery County.
- An explosion at a power plant in central China has killed at least 21 people and injured five more. The blast in the city of Dang-yang reportedly happened after a high pressure steam tube broke. Groups of firefighters are battling huge flames at the explosion site.
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