UK Queen slammed for sitting beside Bahraini king

Here is a round-up of global news developments:

• France has confirmed that EgyptAir flight 804 that was flying from Paris has crashed en route to Cairo. French President Franswa Hollande announced the news but added that no hypothesis is ruled out at the moment. The Egyptian aircraft with 66 people on board went missing from radar on Thursday morning.
   
• The Syrian army has liberated a key town from Saudi-backed terrorist groups in Damascus province. The Syrian troops, backed by Lebanon’s Hezbollah fighters, used the clashes between Jaish al-Islam terrorist group and its rival Faylaq al-Rahman to retake Assafir. The gain came after government troops launched heavy ground and air attacks in the area.
   
• International rights organizations have slammed British authorities’ decision to seat Queen Elizabeth II next to the Bahraini king at her 90th birthday ceremony. Amnesty International has reminded British officials of Manama’s crackdown on protesters. Human Rights Watch said the British government has been shamefully silent over Bahrain’s rights violations.
   
• Members of Yemen’s Ansarullah movement have slammed the ousted government’s decision to withdraw from peace talks in Kuwait. The Houthi negotiators accuse representatives of the ousted government of quote-intransigence. A member of the Saudi-backed delegation accused Ansarullah movement of torpedoing the talks.
   
• Bahrainis have once again taken to the streets in the two towns of Abu Saiba and Shahrakan to demand the release of political prisoners. The demonstrators condemned the government’s crackdown on dissent and pledged to defend their rights. Bahrain has been the scene of daily anti-government protests since 2011.
   
• In France , truck drivers have blocked a road in city of Marseille to protest against government’s proposed labor reforms. They are angry about lower payment for extra hours. France is going through a week of strikes. But President Francois Hollande says he is not going to withdraw from the labor reforms.
   
• The Brazilian police have clashed with students protesting against education budget cuts in the city of Sao Paulo. This is the latest in a series of demonstrations by students since last November. Under the austerity plan, nearly 100 public schools are set to be closed in a bid to save money.
   
• Clashes have erupted between police and workers of a state-run factory in the Bolivian city of La Paz after the industrial unit was shut down. Police fired tear gas to disperse the protesters and arrested dozens. The workers called on authorities to reopen the factory.

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