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Xinhua world news summary at 1530 GMT, Feb.7

Xinhua, February 7, 2016 Adjust font size:

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond on Sunday strongly condemned the rocket launch of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), saying it is "a clear and deliberate violation of a number of UN Security Council resolutions."

The actions of the DPRK "continue to present a threat to regional and international security," Hammond said in a statement. (Britain-DPRK-Rocket)

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MADRID -- Spanish security forces detained six people with suspected links to the DAESH (Islamic State) and Jabhat al Nusra groups in an operation carried out in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The arrests were carried out in the cities of Alicante and Valencia on the east coast of Spain and in the Spanish North African enclave of Ceuta.

The Spanish Interior Ministry said that four of those detained are of Spanish nationality but of Syrian, Jordanian and Moroccan origin, while the other two are a Syrian and a Moroccan resident in Spain. (Spain-DAESH-Terrorism)

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KABUL -- Two bomb blasts allegedly organized by Taliban militants killed two civilians and injured eight others in northern Saripul and eastern Logar provinces, while security forces killed four militants during operations on Sunday, officials said.

In the latest violent incident which happened in Saripul city, capital of northern Saripul province Sunday afternoon, two civilians were killed, deputy to provincial council Sayed Assadullah Daneshi said. (Afghan-Bomb)

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DAMASCUS -- Saudi Arabia's declared "readiness" to send ground troops into Syria to fight the Islamic State (IS) is seen by Damascus as a frustrated Saudi move to prop up Syrian rebels in the face of the recent sweeping victories of the Syrian army, analysts say.

Syria's nearly five years of conflict has been largely blamed on international intervention in the course of actions on ground. Such intervention has made the crisis more complicated with international powers supporting each party of the conflict to achieve gains in this strategic Middle Eastern country.

Saudi Arabia has emerged as a supporter of Islamist insurgents, like the Islam Army, which is operating in several Syrian areas, including the vicinity of the capital Damascus. (Syria-Saudi Arabia-Rebels) Endi