US State Department condemns attack on Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah Airport
US State Department on Saturday (local time) condemned the Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah Airport in Jazan.
The deadly attack left at least ten people injured, according to reports.
"We condemn the outrageous attack by Houthi forces on King Abdullah Airport in Jazan, Saudi Arabia. Our thoughts are with the 10 wounded civilians, who were doing no more than seeking to travel or make a living," US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a tweet.
A spokesperson of the coalition Brigadier-General Turki Al-Malki said that the attack was through a projectile that fell on the airport, Xinhua news agency reported citing Saudi media.
The attack against the King Abdullah airport in Jizan was carried out Friday night by an explosives-laden drone, resulting in injuries to 10 passengers and workers, Gulf News quoting the alliance spokesman Turki Al Maliki reported.
On Wednesday, four employees at another Saudi airport were injured after Saudi defences intercepted an explosive drone launched by Al Houthis, Gulf News reported.
In recent months, Al Houthis have ramped up drone and missile attacks into the Saudi territory. The rebels have plunged Yemen into a devastating war after they unseated the internationally recognised government and seized some parts of the impoverished country including the capital Sana'a in late 2014, it added.
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China sanctions Lithuanian minister over Taiwan visit
China on Friday sanctioned Lithuanian deputy minister for transport and communication Agne Vaiciukeviciute over a Vaiciukeviciute's visit to Taiwan, the latest development in the ongoing diplomatic spat between Beijing and the Baltic state over its support for Taipei. “The visit tramples on the one-China principle, seriously interferes in China's internal affairs, and undermines China's sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement on Friday night.
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French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo slams Rushdie stabbing
French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, whose 12 staff members were gunned down in 2015 over cartoons about Prophet Mohammed considered blasphemous by many Muslims, said Saturday that nothing justified the stabbing of Salman Rushdie. The British author, who spent years in hiding after an Iranian fatwa ordered his killing, was on a ventilator following a stabbing attack at a literary event in New York state Friday.
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Magnitude 6.1 earthquake strikes Philippine islands region: Report
An earthquake of magnitude 6.1 struck the Moro Gulf, Mindanao region in the Philippines on Saturday, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre said. The quake was at a depth of 10 km ( 6.21 miles), EMSC said.
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Tropical storm Meari strikes Japan, thousands affected | 10 points
A tropical storm - 'Meari' - unleashed itself onto Japan, bringing heavy rains on the main Honshu island Saturday, as it headed further northward towards capital city Tokyo, Japanese weather officials announced. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, Tropical Storm Meari made a landfall in Shizuoka Prefecture, southwest of Tokyo, on Saturday afternoon, causing sudden downpour with blasting winds, prompting warnings about mudslides and flooding. Here's what we know so far: 1.
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Praise, worry in Iran after Salman Rushdie attack; government maintains silence
Iranians reacted with praise and worry Saturday over the attack on novelist Salman Rushdie, the target of a decades-old fatwa by the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini calling for his death. It remains unclear why Rushdie's attacker, identified by police as Hadi Matar of Fairview, New Jersey, stabbed the author as he prepared to speak at an event Friday in western New York.
