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WORLD NEWSWednesday 15 July 2015
In Yemen, anti-rebel forces in south take over Aden airport
AHMED AL-HAJ cials refused to comment People stand next to a vehicle destroyed following airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition in Sanaa,
Associated Press on the developments.
SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Ye- Both the independent and Yemen, Tuesday, July 14, 2015. The coalition has been targeting the Iran-allied Houthis since
meni forces battling the the rebel officials spoke
Shiite rebels in the coun- on condition of anonym- March in a bid to stop their power grab across the country. Yemeni forces battling the Shiite
try’s south said they took ity because they were not
control on Tuesday of the authorized to talk to the rebels in the country’s south said they took control on Tuesday of the airport in the strategic port
airport in the strategic port media.
city of Aden, driving the Al-Ahmadi said logistical city of Aden. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)
rebels there into a part of support from the coalition
the city jutting out into the gave the anti-rebel forces Meanwhile, the United 3 and Monday, another Saudi-led coalition that
sea. the upper hand against Nations said Tuesday that 224 civilians were injured limits imports as well as
The advance is a major the Houthis, weakened by at least 142 civilians have in Yemen. That included a the ongoing ground fight-
blow for the rebels, known months of airstrikes. been killed in Yemen over total of 76 deaths and 38 ing, could lead to an even
as Houthis, basically trap- The Saudi-led forces, “in the past 10 days, bringing injuries in a pair of airstrikes higher death toll, the inter-
ping them on the small addition their undeniable the civilian death toll in on markets on July 6. national aid group Oxfam
peninsula that is part of role in logistical support more than three months of The latest numbers bring warned Tuesday. Water
Aden. Residents elsewhere and their preparatory air- violence to 1,670. the total killed in Yemen pumps will fail to work with-
in this city on the Arabian strikes which took place Rupert Colville, a spokes- since March 26 to 1,670, out fuel, leaving 80 per-
Sea took to the streets later before today’s operation,” man for the U.N. human while 3,829 civilians have cent of Yemen’s popula-
on Tuesday to celebrate contributed to Tuesday’s rights office, said in Gene- been injured, Colville said. tion of 20 million without a
the advances by the anti- advance, al-Ahmadi add- va that along with the 142 Fuel shortages in Yemen, source for clean water, the
rebel forces. ed. civilians killed between July due to the siege by the agency said.q
Tuesday’s operation was The Saudi-led coalition has
assisted by “preparatory been targeting the Iran-
airstrikes” by the Saudi-led allied Houthis since March
coalition that targeted the in a bid to stop their power
Houthi positions over the grab across Yemen. It also
past few days, according carried out airstrikes in the
to a statement by Ali al- capital, Sanaa, on Tues-
Ahmadi, the spokesman day.
for the Aden Resistance The strikes came despite
Leadership Council, which a U.N.-brokered truce —
leads the city’s anti-rebel now in its fourth day — be-
forces. tween the rebels and the
Independent security of- country’s internationally-
ficials confirmed the ad- backed government in ex-
vancement but rebel offi- ile and its allies.
China urges Philippines to change course
on its South China Sea tribunal plan
BEIJING (AP) — Chi- na’s contention. It said that complaints against Beijing.
na urged the Philippines Beijing has until Aug. 17 to
on Tuesday to ditch its at- comment on the hearing, “We have asked China to
tempt to solve South Chi- and that it should make a
na Sea territorial disputes ruling on the issue this year. participate and we con-
with an international tribu- Chinese Foreign Ministry
nal and instead negotiate spokeswoman Hua Chu- tinue to extend the invita-
with Beijing directly, follow- nying on Tuesday reiter-
ing the arbitration panel’s ated China’s opposition tion for them to explain
latest request for input to the arbitration, and
from China. said China “will never ac- their side,” Philippine De-
The Philippines has asked cept the unilateral at-
the tribunal in The Hague to tempts to turn to a third partment of Foreign Affairs
declare China’s claims to party to solve the disputes.”
virtually all the South China- “China urges the Philip- spokesman Charles Jose
Sea invalid, saying Beijing’s pines to come back to the
actions have trampled on right track of resolving dis- said by phone in Manila.
other nations’ rights. putes through negotiation
China contends the tribu- and consultation,” she said China, the Philippines, Bru-
nal doesn’t have jurisdic- in a statement.
tion, and has refused to The Philippines praised nei, Malaysia, Vietnam and
participate. The tribunal, the tribunal’s effort to
which operates under the prod China again to join Taiwan have been con-
U.N. Convention of the the case, saying the five-
Law of the Sea, held a man arbitration body has testing ownership of the
weeklong hearing ending been fair and transparent
Monday to addressChi- in its handling of Manila’s resource-rich South Chi-
na Sea. The United States
and other countries have
expressed concerns
over China’s island-build-
ing in the region that they
say has been provocative
and has damaged vast
coral reefs in the disputed
waters. Beijing says fears
that it would eventually
limit freedom of navigation
and overflight to back its
claims are unfounded.q
