12 injured in suspected arson attack in Germany

1. The Syrian army has made fresh gains in the fight against Takfiri militants in Damascus countryside. Military officials say army forces managed to cut a major supply line of the terrorists in that area. Government forces are now getting ready to clear the nearby town of Darya from the terrorists.

2. Reports say hundreds of ISIL militants' families and some injured terrorists are set to leave terrorist-held areas of southern Damascus under a United Nations-brokered deal. The families and the terrorists will be transferred through a passage provided from the Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmouk to the ISIL’s stronghold in Raqqa.

3. Over two dozen Palestinian inmates have begun an open-ended hunger strike to protest Israeli violations. A lawyer for the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society said the violations in Etzion jail include physical assault and poor living conditions. Over 7,000 Palestinians are reportedly in Israeli prisons, many without charge or trial.

4. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad holds a conference in Gaza to support the Palestinian Intifada. Participants called for Muslims' unity against Israel to end attacks on the al-Aqsa Mosque compound and in Jerusalem al-Quds. Participants in the conference also marked the birth anniversary of Islam’s holy Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him.

5. Powerful tornadoes leave a trail of destruction and nearly a dozen people dead in parts of US South and Midwest. The storms killed at least seven people in the state of Mississippi. Three died in Tennessee and one in Arkansas. Dozens of homes and businesses have also been destroyed.

6. Protesters have rallied in the US city of Chicago to demand resignation of Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Demonstrators said Emanuel was complicit in the cover-up of the murder of African American teenager Laquan McDonald in 2014. They condemned the year-long delay in bringing murder charges against the officer who fatally shot him.

7. People have rallied in two states in Nigeria’s northeast calling for the release of leader of the country’s Islamic Movement Sheikh Ibrahim al-Zakzaky and his supporters. The protesters in Sokoto and Kastina states also condemned the recent deadly crackdown on Muslims that reportedly left hundreds dead.

8. At least 12 people have been injured in a suspected arson attack in Germany’s southeastern state of Bavaria. The incident took place when fire hit two adjacent buildings in the village of Wallerstein. The buildings were mostly occupied by refugees. Police have arrested a drunken suspect for questioning.

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