European leaders to discuss refugee crisis

Here is a round-up of global news developments:

• 31 people have been killed in a bomb blast south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad. Officials say a bomber blew up an explosive-laden fuel truck at a crowded checkpoint in the city of Hillah. As many as 55 others were also injured. Daesh has claimed responsibility for the blast.
   
• Afghan President Ashraf Ghani says the Daesh terrorist group has been defeated in the east. Ghani said the army has forced Daesh terrorists out of some regions in Nangarhar province bordering Pakistan. Daesh has recently gained a foothold in the area.
   
• Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says Iran will use the summit of the Organization for Islamic Cooperation to highlight Israel's threat to the Muslim world. Zarif made the comment upon arrival in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta. He is also set to meet with Indonesian officials during the visit.
   
• European leaders are set to discuss ways to curb the refugee influx into the continent. They'll push Turkey to agree to mass deportations of refugees currently stranded in Greece. Under an action plan with the EU, Turkey will be given three-point-three billion dollars to aid refugees and contain people smuggling.
   
• The Campaign Against Arms Trade warns about holding a UK-sponsored security trade fair, saying it will be used to sell non-lethal weapons to oppressive regimes. The rights group said some of the participating countries practice appalling acts of violence. Nearly 80 countries, including Saudi Arabia, will attend the show this week.
   
• British media reports say the UK government is withholding key documents which could shed light on allegations of its involvement in the torture of Guantanamo detainees. The documents reveal confidential exchanges between British and American authorities on the torture and rendition of detainees at the US-run prison in Cuba.
   
• Germany’s Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel has criticized US Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump for his political and economic views. He has called Trump a threat to global peace and economic development. Gabriel has also described Trump’s call for isolated economies within national borders as backward.
   
• A new report by the Applied Research Institute Jerusalem shows that Israel demolished nearly one-hundred Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank last month. It says demolition orders were also issued for 139 Palestinian houses and facilities. The demolitions have displaced thousands of Palestinians in recent years.

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