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Xinhua world news summary at 1530 GMT, Oct. 21

Xinhua, October 21, 2016 Adjust font size:

South Africa has begun the process of withdrawing from the International Criminal Court, Minister of Justice and Correctional Services Michael Masutha confirmed on Friday.

A written notice has been submitted to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, and the withdrawal will take effect one year after the secretary general receives notification, Masutha told a press briefing in Pretoria. (S.Africa-ICC-Withdrawal)

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NEW DELHI -- At least one person has been killed and more than three others injured in a firecracker explosion at a private tutorial in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu Friday, a senior police official said.

"The incident took place in the state's Coimbatore city when boxes of fireworks burst into flames at a private tutorial that coaches graduate students for competitive examinations. While one student was killed, the injured have been admitted to a local hospital," he said, on condition of anonymity. (India-Explosion)

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TOKYO -- Several people were reportedly injured after an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.6 and a number of aftershocks rocked Tottori prefecture and other areas in western Japan Friday.

The major temblor was centered in the central part of the Tottori prefecture, with the epicenter at a latitude of 35.4 degrees north and a longitude of 133.9 degrees east and at a depth of around 11 kilometers, revised from an earlier estimate of 10 kilometers, according to Japan Meteorological Agency. (Japan-Earthquake)

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HANOI -- A girl in Vietnam's southern Long An province tested positive with Zika virus, bringing the total number of Zika infections in the country to nine, the head of the General Department of Preventive Medicine said on Friday.

According to Tran Dac Phu, as Zika is spreading in Vietnam, pregnant women should be cautious to avoid being infected and prevent risk of causing microcephaly to new-born babies. (Vietnam-Zika)

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TEHRAN -- Iran's Foreign Ministry announced Friday that four Iranian technicians were killed in the attack by Islamic State (IS) militants on a power plant in the Iraqi northern city of Kirkuk, official IRNA news agency reported.

Three other Iranian technicians were also injured, according to the latest reports, said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi. (Iran-IS) Endi