All you need to know about Bologna crash, Israeli strike in Gaza, al Qaeda's first big attack

One person died in a motorway accident near the Italian city of Bologna when a tanker truck exploded, authorities said, revising the death toll down from two as originally reported.

Tribal chiefs face reckoning over rights to South Africa's rural homelands

A hardscrabble patch of South Africa disputed between black farmers and tribal leaders working with platinum mining interests is legal ground zero in a battle to loosen the chiefs' grip on communal lands. Land rights are a hot-button issue ahead of elections in 2019 as the African National Congress (ANC) moves forward with a constitutional amendment aimed at a more equitable distribution of land, including possibly expropriating land from whites without compensation.

Italy lowers death toll in Bologna crash to one

One person died in a motorway accident near the Italian city of Bologna when a tanker truck exploded, authorities said, revising the death toll down from two as originally reported.

Video of Monday's incident showed the tanker, which contained inflammable materials, slamming into the back of another lorry which had come to a halt because of heavy traffic near Bologna airport.

In a Syrian village, Turkish forces seen as a shield from attack

The red Turkish flag fluttering on the outskirts of the Syrian village of al-Surman has been seen by residents as a shield against government attack since Turkish troops arrived in February. But their fears of an offensive are growing. The village is situated in rebel-held territory near the frontline with government forces in the northwestern Idlib region, one of the last big strongholds of the opposition to President Bashar al-Assad.

Israeli strike kills two Hamas militants in Gaza

Israeli tank fire killed two Hamas militants in Gaza on Tuesday in a strike the Israeli military said was launched against a position from which its troops had come under fire. Hamas and Palestinian health officials in Gaza confirmed the deaths near Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza, shortly before noon.

The U.S. says maintains vibrant economic ties with Turkey despite tensions

The United States continues to be a solid friend and ally of Turkey despite ongoing tensions between the NATO allies, the U.S. Embassy in Ankara said on Tuesday, adding that the two countries had an active economic relationship.

In a tweet, the Embassy also slammed Turkish media reports citing a U.S. official saying Turkey's lira currency would weaken to 7 against the dollar as "made up and baseless" after the currency hit a series of record lows on Monday on the back of trade threats from Washington and a deepening diplomatic row.

Journalist Ragıp Soylu tweeted,

Turkish media report that the delegation visiting Washington will consist of officials from Interior Ministry, Treasury Ministry, Justice Ministry and Foreign Ministry

— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) August 7, 2018

20 years after al Qaeda's first big attack, Kenyans still bear scars

Just after 10:30 on a sunny August morning in downtown Nairobi, 48-year-old Ali Mwadama was walking toward a bank opposite the U.S. embassy, a cheque in hand. He was less than 50 meters (yards) from the embassy on Aug. 7, 1998, when a truck bomb detonated, transforming the normally bustling business district into a war zone.

As death toll on Indonesia's Lombok tops 100, thousands wait for aid

The death toll from a powerful earthquake that hit Indonesia's tourist island of Lombok topped 100 on Tuesday as rescuers found victims under wrecked buildings, while thousands left homeless in the worst-affected areas waited for aid to arrive. A woman was pulled alive from the rubble of a collapsed grocery store in the north, near the epicenter of Sunday's 6.9 magnitude quake, the second tremor to rock the tropical island in a week.

Malaysia's former PM Najib to be charged with money laundering

Malaysia's embattled former prime minister Najib Razak will be charged on Wednesday under a money-laundering act, the anti-graft agency said, in connection with a multi-billion-dollar scandal at state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). Najib, 65, and his family have faced intense scrutiny since May, when a shock election result brought his former mentor-turned-foe, 93-year-old Mahathir Mohamad, back to power.

Parts of Frankfurt Airport evacuated after security breach

Parts of Frankfurt Airport have been evacuated and boarding has been halted in some areas after someone got past security into the boarding areas, federal police said on Tuesday.

"At least one unauthorized person has entered the security zone," a spokeswoman for the federal police told Reuters.

Due to a police action, the German Federal Police is currently evacuating Piers A and Z at Frankfurt Airport's T1. As a result of this measure, flight disruptions can be expected. Passengers are advised to check the status of their flight. pic.twitter.com/sRDEUOeysd

— Frankfurt Airport (@Airport_FRA) August 7, 2018

New Trump sanctions on Iran take effect despite pleas from allies

U.S. President Donald Trump pledged on Monday that firms doing business with Tehran would be barred from the United States as new U.S. sanctions against Iran took effect in spite of pleas from Washington's allies.

Vice President Mike Pence tweeted,

Today, our Admin will begin re-imposing harsh sanctions against Iran. The US withdrew from the disastrous nuclear agreement to negotiate a new deal that makes the world safer. We are determined to change Iran's threatening behavior & keep them from ever becoming a nuclear nation. pic.twitter.com/9oq0lUN2j6

— Vice President Mike Pence (@VP) August 6, 2018

Iran dismissed a last-minute offer from the Trump administration for talks, saying it could not negotiate while Washington had reneged on a 2015 deal to lift sanctions in return for curbs on Iran's nuclear program.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)