U.S. cutting staff at embassy in Yemen
WASHINGTON – The State Department says it has reduced the number of American personnel working at the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, amid chaos in that country that has led to the resignation of its U.S.-backed president.
Shiite rebels known as Houthis, who are widely believed to be backed by Iran, now control the capital. Yemen’s prime minister and his cabinet also stepped down Thursday.
A senior State Department official says the U.S. Embassy remains open and will continue to operate as normal, although with reduced staff. The official says the U.S. is continuously reassessing the situation on the ground.
Board seeks tech to locate lost planes
WASHINGTON – Responding to recent incidents in which airliners vanished, U.S. accident investigators recommended Thursday that all passenger planes making long flights over water carry improved technology that will allow them to be found more readily in the event of a crash.
Prompted in part by the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight 370 and its 239 passengers and crew last March, the National Transportation Safety Board said one way that could be accomplished is with tamper-resistant transmitters that send a plane’s location minute by minute via satellite.
UN calls for action to end anti-Semitism
UNITED NATIONS– The first U.N. General Assembly meeting Thursday on anti-Semitism sparked calls for global action to combat the rising hatred of Jews and a surprising denunciation from the world’s 57 Islamic nations of all words and acts that lead “to hatred, anti-Semitism, Islamaphobia.”
U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power said the statement delivered by Saudi Arabia’s U.N. Ambassador Abdallah Al-Moualimi on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation was “extremely significant,” especially since the United Nations has often been a venue to try to de-legitimize Israel.
The assembly met at the request of 37 mainly Western countries, including the United States, who urged the world body to address the “alarming outbreak of anti-Semitism worldwide.” It was an informal meeting, attended by about half the 193 member states, so no resolution could be adopted.
Associated Press
