IMF threatens to pull out of Greece debt rescue plans

Here is a round-up of global news developments:

• An advisor to the leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution has told Syrian President Bashar Assad that Iran will utilize all its capabilities to fight terrorism in the region. Ali Akbar Velayati said Syria has put up an unprecedented defense against terrorism and expressed hope that it will eventually win the battle.
   
• Two journalists who revealed arms shipments from Turkey to terrorists in Syria have strongly condemned their conviction. The editor-in-chief of Turkey's Jumhuriyet daily, Jan Dundar and his colleague Erdam Gol accused the state's highest office of having played a role in the court’s decision.
   
• The latest truce in the northern part of Syria's Latakia province and the city of Aleppo has been extended for a third day. The Russian Defense Ministry says the ceasefire was extended at Moscow’s initiative. The new truce seeks to prevent the situation from deteriorating in these areas.
   
• The UN Iraq envoy says more than 50 mass graves have been discovered in several areas previously controlled by the Daesh terrorist group. Jan Kubis described the killings by the terrorist group as a heinous crime. Kubis voiced concern about the dire humanitarian conditions in Iraq.
   
• Israeli forces have arrested over 5,600 Palestinians, including women and children since October 2015. Palestinian officials say the Israeli military uses force to make the arrests, spreading terror among Palestinians. They want the international community to put pressure on Israel to stop its violations of Palestinian rights.
   
• Yemen’s Supreme Revolutionary Committee has condemned the deployment of US troops to the Arab country. The committee, which is an interim authority established by the Ansarullah Movement, says the deployment is part of an American plot to occupy, plunder and partition Yemen.
   
• People are fleeing a raging wildfire in Canada’s oil town of Fort McMurray. Military helicopters hovered overhead while emergency fuel stations were set up to keep a massive convoy of vehicles moving. 8,000 people have been airlifted and up to 10,000 more are expected to be rescued.
   
• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has threatened to pull out of Greece rescue plans if international lenders, including the eurozone, do not agree to restructure the country’s debts. The rift has held up the approval of the next bailout loans for Athens. The IMF is under fire over its excessive austerity demands.

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