US restricts trade with China's ZTE over Iran

Here is a round-up of global news developments:

• The European Union has agreed to meet Turkey’s demands over the refugee crisis. As part of the agreement, Turkey will receive three billion Euros as well as an additional funding to spend on the accommodation of the Syrian asylum seekers. Talks on better EU-Turkey ties will also be accelerated.
   
• A court in Turkey has ruled that the country’s opposition Jihan news agency must be run with the management of trustees. This comes days after Turkish authorities ordered the takeover of the country’s largest newspaper Zaman. Ankara is increasingly cracking down on media over allegation of anti-state activities.
   
• The United Nations has raised the alarm over an imminent humanitarian crisis for asylum seekers stranded near the Greek-Macedonian border. The spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Babor Baloch says the asylum seekers are going through harsh weather conditions.
   
• The Syrian government has confirmed that it will attend the upcoming UN-brokered peace talks on the country’s years-long crisis. This is while the Saudi-backed opposition is still uncertain whether to participate in the talks which are scheduled to be held on March 14 in Geneva.
   
• Syrian planes, assisted by Russian Air Force, have airdropped aid for residents of the city of Dayr al-Zawr which is under the control of Daesh terrorists. The packages had food and medical supplies in them. Some 200,000 people living in the city had been deprived of any sort of aid since last year.
   
• The US imposes export restrictions on Chinese telecoms giant ZTE for allegedly violating Iran sanctions in the past. Under the measure announced by the US Commerce Department, American manufacturers have been banned from selling components to ZTE. In addition, foreign firms will be prohibited from selling US-made products to the Chinese company.
   
• The United States says it won’t scale down its ongoing joint military drills with South Korea despite the North’s threat. The Spokesman for the US State Department said Washington is committed to South Korea’s security adding that Pyongyang’s posturing will only make the war games more important.
   
• Tunisian Prime Minister Habib Essid says the terrorists behind Monday deadly attack on security forces were planning to establish a Daesh emirate. The attack killed at least 53 people, including 35 militants and eleven members of the security forces as army and police barracks came under attack in Ben Guerdan.

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