Syrian Kurds say militants hit them with chemical weapons

Here is a round-up of global news developments:

• Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps has fired two ballistic missiles as part of the final phase of its military drills. The missiles, named Qadr-H and Qadr-F, have a maximum range of two-thousand kilometers. They were fired from Alborz Mountains, and successfully hit mock enemy targets 14-hundred kilometers away.
• Syrian Kurdish forces have accused foreign-backed militants of shelling their positions in Aleppo province with chemical weapons. Kurdish officials say the shelling came from different areas, hitting the district of Sheikh Maqsood. They say the bombs apparently had phosphor in them.
• Israeli forces have shot dead three Palestinians and injured one in separate incidents in the occupied West Bank. Israeli officials accused them of carrying out stabbing and car-ramming attacks. Nearly 200 Palestinians have been killed by Israelis since October when a new wave of violence erupted in occupied territories.
• British junior doctors have launched a 48-hour strike over wages and working hours. The National Health Service has canceled over five-thousand non-urgent operations and urged people to avoid going to emergency departments whenever possible. An unknown number of consultations are also expected to be affected at outpatient clinics.
• Yemen’s Ansarullah movement and Saudis have swapped prisoners as part of a larger border truce. Saudi media say Yemeni forces have freed a Saudi lieutenant in return for seven detained Yemenis. The initiative was discussed during a visit by Yemeni tribal mediators to the kingdom.
• The U-S says it is trying to convince the Australian government to allow the deployment of B-1 bombers and aerial tankers in the Northern Territory. Commander of US Pacific Air Forces, General Lori Robinson, says the aircraft will be set within striking distance of the disputed South China Sea.
• In Brazil, supporters of embattled President Dilma Rousseff and her predecessor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva have rallied in Sao Paulo. The protesters have called for the withdrawal of the corruption allegations against Rousseff and Lula. Rousseff faces impeachment proceedings over alleged fiscal mismanagement.
• Iraqi President Fuad Masum has supported Russian airstrikes in neighboring Syria. Masum says the air campaign has severely helped Iraqi forces in their battle against Daesh terrorists. He also says Baghdad supports anti-terrorist operations wherever they may be, including North Africa.

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