Saudis threaten military force in Syria if talks fail

Here is a round-up of global news developments:

• The Saudi foreign minister has threatened that Riyadh will resort to force to remove Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from power. Adel al-Jubeir also said Saudi Arabia will intensify military support for militants in Syria if Assad doesn't abide by efforts to establish a truce across the country.
• Human Rights Watch has condemned Saudi Arabia’s mass trial of Shia Muslims as a mockery of justice. The rights group said the trial violated the basic due process rights of the accused. The men were put on trial in February over allegedly spying for Iran.
• The Russian foreign minister says Moscow has evidence that terrorists in Syria are getting supplies through Turkey. Sergei Lavrov added that Russia has circulated an unofficial document to prove the claim at the UN Security Council. Moscow has repeatedly accused Ankara of conducting oil trade with the Daesh terrorist group.
• Turkey’s parliament has approved, in a preliminary vote, a controversial bill that would strip dozens of lawmakers of their parliamentary immunity. This opened the way for a second and final round of discussions on Friday. A pro-Kurdish party says the bill aims to expel its MPs from the parliament.
• At least 77 people have been killed and nearly 150 injured in three separate bomb blasts in the Iraqi capital Baghdad. The latest blast hit a crowded market in Sadr City. Daesh claimed responsibility for the worst of the three assaults in the northern district of Sha'ab, which claimed 38 lives.
• In Sri Lanka, flash floods and landslides kill at least 13 people and force over 130,000 others out of their homes. The floods and landslides were triggered by more than three days of heavy rains. The Sri Lankan army has been using boats and helicopters to rescue people trapped in flooded areas.
• The US Senate passes a bill that would allow the relatives of the 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia. The White House says it strongly opposes the legislation. Thousands of people died in the 2001 attacks in the US. Fifteen out of the nineteen terrorists involved in the attacks were Saudi nationals.
• In Venezuela, an opposition leader says the country’s army must choose the constitution or President Nicolas Maduro. Henrique Capriles also urged Venezuelans to defy a state of emergency announced by Maduro. The president’s opponents are leading nationwide marches, demanding a recall referendum to topple him.

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