Five killed in Saudi Shiite shooting claimed by IS

A gunman killed five people at a Shiite gathering in eastern Saudi Arabia on Friday before being shot dead by police, the interior ministry said, in an attack claimed by a group linked to Islamic State militants.

It was the latest in a series of bombings and shootings linked to the Sunni extremist group in Saudi Arabia over the past year.

Israel rejects observer plan after more stabbing attacks

    Israel on Sunday rejected a proposal to send international observers to a flashpoint holy site in a bid to calm unrest after five more stabbing incidents defied a security crackdown.

Diplomatic moves to halt the more than two weeks of unrelenting violence gained steam meanwhile, with US Secretary of State John Kerry saying he planned to meet both the Israeli and Palestinian leaders in the coming days.

Iran grants UN nuclear watchdog greater access

 Iran on Sunday notified the International Atomic Energy Agency that it would apply a protocol granting inspectors greater access to its nuclear sites, a further step in the implementation of a historic deal struck with world powers, the UN nuclear watchdog said.

    The announcement came as the European Union’s foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif were set to make a statement on the lifting of crippling sanctions on Tehran, as part of the so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action signed in Vienna in July.