People go to polls in Australian general elections

Here is a round-up of global news developments:

• Bangladeshi police storm a cafe in the diplomatic zone of the capital Dhaka where gunmen have held over 20 people hostage. At least 10 others, including two foreigners, are said to have been rescued. Earlier, two police officers were killed there. The Daesh terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the assault.
• Millions of People have staged rallies worldwide to mark the International Quds Day in a show of solidarity with Palestinians. The protesters condemned Israeli crimes against Palestinians. The rallies coincide with the last Friday of the fasting month of Ramadan.
• Israeli warplanes have carried out four airstrikes on northern and eastern parts of the besieged Gaza Strip. Two of the bombs reportedly hit a Qassam Brigades’ site. No casualties have been reported. The raids come hours after Tel Aviv claimed that rockets fired from the besieged territory hit southern Israel.
• Israeli Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has turned down a request by the Middle East Quartet diplomatic group to halt settlement construction on the Palestinian land. Netanyahu also rejected the Quartet report that at least 570-thousand Israelis are living in settlements across the West Bank.
• People have gone to the polls in Australia to cast their ballots in general elections. Some 15 million Australians are eligible to vote. The latest opinion polls show the ruling Conservative coalition and the opposition labor are neck-and-neck. The early elections come after Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull dissolved the parliament in May.
• British Finance Minister George Osborne has back-pedaled on his initial policy of turning the country's budget deficit into a surplus by 20-20. He said the austerity measures would go longer following Britain’s vote to leave the E-U. He also urged the government to provide fiscal credibility.
• The United Nations has voiced concern over the worsening situation of persecuted Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. The U-N has called on the government to end QUOTE institutionalized discrimination against Muslims in the country. The U-N describes the Rohingyas as one of the most persecuted minorities in the world.
• The U-N has announced two new cases of alleged sexual abuse of minors by its peacekeepers in the Central African Republic. The allegations date back to May and occurred in the central region of Kemo. The U-N is already under fire for a wave of sex abuse scandals involving its blue helmets.

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