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Iran condemns Saudi air raid on its Yemen embassy

Thursday, 07 January 2016 1:24 PM [ Last Update: Thursday, 07 January 2016 1:25 PM ]

News in Brief

1. Iran has condemned Saudi Arabia’s air raid on its embassy building in Yemen. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hossein Jaberi-Ansari said Saudi jets deliberately struck Iran’s mission in Sana’a. He said the action is in breach of all international laws and conventions regarding the immunity of diplomatic missions.

2. The Iranian government has banned all imports of products from Saudi Arabia after Riyadh severed diplomatic ties with Tehran. The Iranian government has also decided to suspend the Umrah hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. The bans came after the Saudi execution of prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr Baqer al-Nimr which infuriated Iran.

3. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and US President Barack Obama have discussed ways to contain tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia. They expressed concerns about Saudi Arabia’s recent execution of prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and agreed on the need for all regional parties to show restraint.

4. Israel has approved a plan to build a new town for the ethno-religious group, Druze. The plan was proposed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. However, the decision has met criticism from members of the community. They say the plot of the land was formerly the location of two Palestinian villages.

5. A bomb attack in the Libyan town of Zlitan has claimed the lives of at least 65 people. Over a hundred and twenty others were injured in the attack which took place at an army training center. A number of civilians are among the casualties. No individual or group has claimed responsibility for the violence.

6. An opinion poll shows that 43 percent of Britons want to leave the EU. The poll also says 36 percent of voters prefer staying in the EU while the rest remain undecided. This comes as Prime Minister David Cameron is pushing for concessions from other EU leaders before an EU membership referendum.

7. The UN Security Council has strongly slammed North Korea’s nuclear test. Members of the council pledged to impose new sanctions on Pyongyang. The 15 members held a closed-door emergency meeting after Pyongyang announced it had successfully conducted a hydrogen bomb test.

8. Oil prices have slumped close to 32 dollars a barrel. The new drops came a day after crude prices hit new 11-year lows. The falling prices have been blamed on persistent oversupply, weak Chinese economic data and a strong dollar. Saudi Arabia is widely believed to have destabilized the market through over-production.

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News in Brief