News in Brief - Wed, Sep, 02, 2015 - 13:30 GMT

1. A powerful explosion in the northern Syrian city of Latakia has claimed the lives of at least ten people and left more than two dozen others injured. The explosion took place in the city's Hamam Square. This is the second terrorist attack in the port city since last month.

2. Saudi Arabia’s bombardment of Yemen shows no sign of abating. Saudi warplanes pounded several locations across the country including an airbase. Earlier, 17 people lost their lives in airstrikes targeting an area in Ma’rib province. Over 5,100 Yemenis have been killed since Saudi Arabia launched its aggression in late March.

3. Five Palestinian prisoners have been on hunger strike in Israeli jails for nearly two weeks to protest their detention without charge. On Tuesday, Israel transferred the inmates to separate prisons, ignoring their calls for release. The Palestinian Detainees’ Committee is warning that Tel Aviv might force-feed the hunger striking prisoners.

4. Israel has slammed a Palestinian initiative to raise their flag at the United Nations, calling it a political manipulation of the UN system. In a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Israeli ambassador to the UN, Ron Prosor said Palestinians are attempting to change longstanding protocols and traditions.

5. Iran’s defense minister says the country will continue its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency within the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty framework. Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan, however, says Iran will not allow IAEA inspections to go beyond what has been declared open for inspection under the NPT rules.

6. Asylum seekers stuck at a train station in the Hungarian capital have staged a protest as police block them from boarding trains to Austria and Germany. This week, Hungary allowed thousands to board trains. However, on Tuesday, police suddenly blocked access to the station for anyone without an EU visa.

7. Russian President Vladimir Putin has submitted a draft federal law to the State Duma that aims to eliminate the US dollar and the euro from trade between former soviet republics. A statement from the Kremlin says the bill would help facilitate trade in the region and achieve macro-economic stability.

8. Millions of workers across India have gone on a 24-hour strike in protest at the government’s economic policies. Trade unions demand the government drop plans to sell off stakes in state-run companies. This is the biggest show of strength by unions since right-wing Prime Minister Narendra Modi took office.

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