Thousands rally across US cities to protest police brutality

Here is a round-up of global news developments:

• Thousands of people have rallied across several US cities to protest against police brutality. The demonstrations were held in Atlanta, New York City, Philadelphia and Phoenix. President Barack Obama will cut short his trip to Europe, and travel to Dallas in a bid to ease tensions.
• UN chief Ban Ki-moon has called on the US government to tackle the issue of racial discrimination in 'a comprehensive manner.' Ban demanded a thorough probe into the recent police killing of two African-Americans. He further condemned Friday’s killing of five police officers in the US city of Dallas.
• There’s been a surge in the number of hate crimes in Britain after the vote to leave the European Union. The number of incidents reported to British police increased by 42 percent in the run-up to the referendum and its aftermath. Over 3-thousand crimes have been reported across the country since June 16.
• NATO leaders have decided to deploy military forces to the Baltic states and Poland to QUOTE defend eastern members against any Russian aggression. At a summit in Warsaw, NATO chief General Jens Stolten-berg also signed a security deal with E-U leaders, which is particularly focused on Russia.
• In Syria, terrorists' mortar attacks on several neighborhoods of the northern province of Aleppo have left at least 30 people dead. The assaults have also wounded at least one-hundred-and-forty others. A number of terrorist groups including Nusra Front have been wreaking havoc in the province.
• Anti-regime protests rage on across Bahrain in protest at Manama's decision to revoke the citizenship of top Shia cleric Ayatollah Isa Qassim. The demonstrators also renewed calls for the immediate release of political detainees. The kingdom has stepped up the crackdown against dissent over the past few months.
• Fire-fighters in Iran have managed to extinguish a fire in Bou Ali Sina Petrochemical Complex in the southwestern city of Mahshahr. The fire broke out at the company’s aromatics unit early Wednesday morning. Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zangeneh ruled out sabotage theories in connection with the fire.
• The body of acclaimed Iranian film director Abbas Kiarostami has arrived in Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport. He had traveled to Paris to undergo treatment for his cancer. Kiarostami whose film, Taste of Cherry, won the Cannes’ top prize in 19-97, died at the age of seventy-six on Monday.

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