Iran, Russia to ease visa rules

Here is a round-up of global news developments:

• Iran and Italy have signed multi-billion dollar contracts in various sectors including energy, agriculture and steel. The signing ceremony took place in Rome in the presence of Iranian president Hassan Rouhani and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. The Iranian president is accompanied by a high-ranking delegation.
   
• Russia and Iran are set to simplify visa procedures for tourists, students and representatives of business circles from February 6. The Russian Foreign Ministry said the agreement is in line with the policy of further boosting Russian-Iranian ties in all directions of mutual cooperation.
   
• Israeli officials have approved plans to build more than 150 settler units in three different areas in the occupied West Bank. Tel Aviv is under international criticism over its settlement constructions. The United States, the United Nations and the European Union have all expressed their opposition to the projects.
   
• Canberra is under growing pressure to cut constitutional ties with Britain, as more people are calling for another referendum on who should be Australia’s head of state. Britain’s Queen Elizabeth the second, also the Queen of Australia, is effectively the head of state of the former British colony.
   
• The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says government troops have recaptured the town of Shaykh Maskin in the southern province of Dara’a after fierce fighting with foreign-backed militants. Reports say clashes are still taking place outside the town. The army launched its offensive against militants in Sheikh Maskin in December 2015.
   
• Iraqi security sources say a mass grave containing the bodies of around 40 people has been found in the city of Ramadi. The mass grave was discovered during the combing operation in the city’s al-Jamiya neighborhood. Iraqi forces retook Ramadi from the Daesh terrorists in December 2015.
   
• Shares in Asia have opened sharply lower after another tumultuous day on Wall Street attributed in part to a global oil supply glut. The Japanese benchmark Nikkei fell two point twenty three percent at the opening bell. Other indices including the Topix shed more than two percentage points.
   
• The United Nations says nearly 11,000 people have been displaced amid clashes in Sudan’s region of Darfur. The region has been the scene of deadly tribal fighting as well as clashes between rebels and government forces since 2003. Some 300,000 people have been killed in the violence ever since.

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