Maduro: No recall referendum this year

Here is a round-up of global news developments:

• The Syrian foreign minister accuses Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar of supporting deadly terror attacks on Syrian civilians. Muallem has sent two letters to the UN chief and the Security Council to complain about the issue. On Saturday, two bomb blasts, claimed by Daesh, killed 20 people in Damascus.
   
• The Syrian army has retaken a key intersection in the western Raqqah province from Daesh. The crossroads controls a highway that lead to Tabqa, a provincial city controlled by the terrorists. Government forces have also recaptured an oilfield as well as power installations.
   
• Medical workers in Yemen’s Sa’ada province say there's been a dramatic rise in incurable diseases as a result of Saudi Arabia’s use of internationally-banned weapons. Sa’ada has been one of the main targets of the airstrikes. Riyadh is condemned for using banned weapons, including cluster bombs in Yemen.
   
• Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has reaffirmed Palestinians' commitment to fight against the occupation despite an upsurge in Israeli crackdown. Hamas also condemned Israel’s arrests of the movement’s members. Israeli forces sealed off the occupied West Bank and the besieged Gaza Strip on Thursday following a deadly shooting attack in Tel Aviv.
   
• Turkey rules out the possibility of completing a deal with the EU on visa-free travel to the bloc by the first of July deadline. Turkey’s European Affairs Minister, Omer Chelik, says the deadline is unrealistic and Ankara cannot fulfill Brussels’ demands including making changes in Turkey’s anti-terror laws.
   
• The Italian coastguard says it has rescued more than 1,300 refugees trying to cross the Mediterranean on Saturday. The Italian navy vessels conducted 11 rescue operations to help sinking boats between Sicily and North Africa. Over 100,000 asylum seekers made the sea voyage to Europe in 2015 alone.
   
• Police in the French city of Marseille fire tear gas to disperse soccer fans following a Euro 2016 match between England and Russia. Hooligans had already exchanged fists and kicks before the match outside the stadium. UEFA has condemned the violence in Marseille.
   
• Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro says he won’t allow a referendum on his administration before next year. He says the opposition must respect the electoral authorities and follow the legal procedure for holding the vote. Maduro’s opponents have demanded a recall referendum before January the tenth.

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