Palestinian PM urges EU to ban Israeli products

Here is a round-up of global news developments:

• Israel says it will suspend imports of cement into the besieged Gaza Strip, under the pretext that some of the supplies are diverted by profiteers. That means hundreds of construction projects will be stopped. Gaza has been suffering under a crippling Israeli land, air, and sea blockade since 2007.
   
• The Palestinian Prime Minister has called on the European Union to ban products made in Israeli settlements. Rami Hamdallah made the demand during a meeting with a top EU official in Ramallah. He also stressed that under the international law, all Israeli settlements are illegitimate and should be dismantled.
   
• Syrian state media say Daesh terrorists have carried out a chemical attack on a military airport in the province of Dayr al-Zawr. There has been no immediate report of casualties. The Syrian army backed by Russian airstrikes flushed the Takfiris out of several villages near the airport last year.
   
• In Panama, state prosecutor's office says it will launch a probe into revelations contained in a massive data leak regarding money laundering and tax evasion. Earlier, Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela pledged to push for transparency of his country’s financial system in light of the scandal.
   
• People in Iceland have staged a protest demanding the resignation of the country’s prime minister, a day after the release of the Panama Papers exposing his involvement in offshore tax havens. The leaked documents revealed Prime Minister Sigmundur Gunnlaugsson stashed away money in investment accounts.
   
• The US State Department Spokesman says Washington will not grant Iran access to America’s financial system for foreign transactions. Mark Toner added that some sanctions on Iran could be lifted if Tehran takes certain actions. Lifting Iran's sanctions is part of the nuclear deal between Tehran and the P5+1 group.
   
• French police have scuffled with demonstrators who took to the streets of the capital Paris to protest against the government’s proposed labor reforms. A number of protesters were arrested during the clashes. France has witnessed nationwide protests since the government proposed the measures.
   
• Iraqi army has managed to enter the city of Hit in Anbar province in a major operation to liberate the strategic city from Daesh terrorists. Iraqi forces are clearing Hit’s northern neighborhoods from terrorists as they push toward the center of the city.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk