Russian monitory group says militants violated Syrian ceasefire

Here is a round-up of global news developments:

• The Leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution has thanked the Iranian people for their huge turnout in the parliamentary and Assembly of Experts elections. Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said Iranians showed the bright face of religious democracy to the world through their rock-hard determination and their unforgettable fervor.
• Two bomb blasts have rocked Iraq's capital of Baghdad, killing at least 70 people and injuring more than one-hundred others. The incident happened when two suicide bombers blew up their explosive devices at a crowded market in Sadr City. Daesh Takfiri terrorists have claimed responsibility for the attack.
• A Russian monitoring group in Syria says the anti-government militants have violated the ceasefire deal by carrying out six attacks on residential areas in the capital Damascus. The Russian center for reconciliation of warring sides in Syria says two people were killed in the attacks.
• Turkey’s president Rejep Tayyip Erdogan says he does not respect a decision by the country’s constitutional court to release two opposition journalists imprisoned for anti-state charges. The journalists were jailed in November after releasing a report alleging that Ankara was aiding Takfiri terrorists fighting against the Syrian government.
• Saudi fighter jets have carried out fresh air raids in Yemeni provinces of Hudaydah, Bayda and Amran, inflicting casualties and causing more destruction in the Arab nation. Riyadh’s war against Yemen began in late March last year. The onslaught has claimed the lives of more than 84-hundred Yemenis so far.
• Greece says the number of refugees on its soil may triple by the end of March, reaching as many as 70-thousand. Greek Migration Minister Yiannis Mouzalas says the increase is mainly blamed on the Balkan countries that have imposed strict transit restrictions for asylum seekers.
• The death toll from Russia's worst mining disaster over the past six years has climbed to 36. The fatalities came after a series of explosions have ripped through a mine in Arctic Russia since Thursday. Three days of mourning have been declared in the region.
• Pope Francis has urged European countries struggling with the refugee crisis to opt for a unanimous response and share the burden fairly. Pope’s comments come as several European states have restricted their borders to cap the number of refugees entering their territories.

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