Iran rejects PGCC claims about Hajj stampede

Here is a round-up of global news developments:

• Iran has dismissed allegations by the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council regarding Tehran’s stance on last year’s deadly stampede during the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Bahram Qassemi says comments by the council’s chief Abdullatif Al-Zayani that Iran is politicizing the issue are baseless.
• Pentagon chief Ashton Carter has downplayed hopes of reaching an agreement with Russia on a ceasefire in Syria. Carter has accused Russia of prolonging the Syria conflict and sowing the seeds of global instability. Carter, however, says Washington will try to reach a deal with Moscow over the issue.
• US President Barack Obama warns China that an international tribunal’s ruling on the South China Sea is binding. In July, a court in The Hague ruled that Beijing’s territorial claims in a dispute with the Philippines had no legal basis. China says it is ready to dispel interference.
• U-S Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump, has pledged to boost America’s military budget and deploy more troops and equipment if elected president. Trump has also promised to give military leaders 30 days to put together a plan to defeat the Daesh terror group.
• Supporters and opponents of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro have rallied in the capital Caracas. Anti-government protesters have called for a recall referendum in a bid to force Maduro out of power. If the embattled president loses a recall vote before January tenth, new elections will be held.
• Israeli warplanes have carried out fresh airstrikes against Syria’s Golan Heights. Israel says its aircraft hit the Syrian army's mortar launchers. It claims the air attacks were in response to mortar fire from Syria. No casualties have been reported. This is the second such attack since Sunday.
• Palestinian hunger striker Mahmoud Balboul has lost his eye sight in an Israeli jail. Balboul began his strike over two months ago to protest his administrative detention, which allows the extension of his jail term without being charge or tried.
• The United Nations says heavy floods triggered by torrential rains in Niger have killed at least 38 people. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, flash waters have destroyed many residential buildings, leaving nearly a hundred thousand people homeless.

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