Rebel-run court sentences 21 to death for spying
Sanaa, Nov 15: A court controlled by Yemen’s Houthi rebels has sentenced 21 men to death for allegedly spying for the Saudi-led coalition which backs the war-torn country’s government, according to a report. The Houthi-run al-Masirah TV’s report on Saturday did not identify the defendants, but said they are all Yemenis, reports Xinhua news agency. There was no comment yet from the coalition or the Yemeni government. The ruling by the court in the Houthi-held capital Sanaa was the latest in a series of closed-door trials of political opponents held by the Houthis. Yemen has been mired in civil war since late 2014, when the Iran-backed Houthi group seized control of several northern provinces and forced the Saudi-backed government of President Abd-Rabbuh Mansour Hadi out of Sanaa. (IANS)
Vamco typhoon: death toll reaches 67 in Philippines
Manila, Nov 15: The death toll from typhoon Vamco that battered the Philippines last week has increased to 67, the country’s national disaster agency said on Sunday. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said 12 people remain missing in landslides and flash floods triggered by Vamco, the 21st cyclone to hit the country this year, reports Xinhua news agency. Meanwhile, rescuers continue to bring food and clean water to the flood victims in the northern Philippine provinces of Cagayan and Isabela on Sunday. (IANS)
French Catholics protest
Paris, Nov 15: With banners reading “Let us Pray” and “We Want Mass,” Catholic protesters held scattered demonstrations around France on Sunday to demand that authorities relax virus lockdown measures to allow religious services. In the western city of Nantes, hundreds gathered in front of a statue of the Virgin Mary, some kneeling on the rain-soaked pavement, according to local broadcaster France Bleu. Similar gatherings were reported or planned in the eastern city of Strasbourg, Bordeaux in the southwest, and outside the Saint-Louis Cathedral in Versailles. (AP)