Venezuela pres. warns opposition of imprisonment

Here is a round-up of global news developments:

• Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has warned that opposition leaders could face imprisonment if they incite violence in Thursday’s nationwide rallies. Maduro says such protests are part of US plots against leftist governments in Latin America. The protests aim to force the government to hasten a recall referendum that seeks to remove Maduro.
• Hundreds of people have rallied in northwest Australia to protest the death of an aboriginal teenager. The protesters pelted Kalgoorlie city’s courthouse where the suspected murderer of the aboriginal boy was due to appear. Several people were also arrested, while trying to force their way into the courthouse.
• Canadian officials say the number of sexual offence complaints in the Armed Forces rose dramatically in the first half of this year. They say the country’s military saw 106 founded complaints of sexual misconduct during the period. Western militaries are increasingly coming under scrutiny for their handling of sexual offences.
• In the US, a new national poll shows that the Democratic presidential nominee’s lead over her Republican rival has narrowed down to six percentage points. Based on the poll, in a two-way race 48 percent of the voters would vote for Hillary Clinton while 42 percent would pick Donald Trump.
• Syria and Russia have rejected the findings of a United Nations-led investigation that accused Damascus of having used chemical weapons in the country. Syrian envoy to the UN Bashar Jaafari said that the conclusions lacked physical evidence that chlorine was used during assaults against militant groups.
• United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged Gabon’s presidential candidates to show restraint amid growing controversy over a vote held on Saturday. Ban has told incumbent Ali Bongo and his rival Jean Ping to control their supporters until the final election result is declared.
• Israeli forces have destroyed the home of a Palestinian prisoner over his alleged role in the killing of an Israeli man in the occupied West Bank. The inmate is accused of masterminding an attack last month that caused the death of an Israeli Rabbi near the city of al-Khalil also known as Hebron.
• The European Union has fined US tech giant Apple with a record 13 billion euro tax bill. The United States has warned that such a move could damage transatlantic economic ties. The EU accused Apple of avoiding tax payment for its business in Europe through illegal arrangements with Ireland.

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