Two killed in Saudi F-15
fighter jet crash
Riyadh, Dec 8: A Royal Saudi Air Force F-15SA fighter jet reportedly crashed during a routine training mission, killing all crew members on board. Saudi Defense Ministry spokesperson Turki Al-Maliki confirmed that the incident occurred at 12:50 p.m. on Thursday during a routine training mission from the King Abdulaziz Air Base in the eastern town of Dhahran, Xinhua news agency reported, citing a Saudi Press Agency (SPA) report. An investigation into the crash was underway, the spokesperson added. The crash killed two crew members on board, reported the Saudi Gazette website. (IANS)
Rocket attack targets US Embassy in Iraq
Baghdad, Dec 8: A rocket attack on the sprawling US Embassy in Baghdad caused minor damage but no casualties Friday morning, US and Iraqi officials said. The attack is the first on the embassy located in the heavily fortified Green Zone of Iraq’s capital to be confirmed since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war. The Green Zone houses Iraqi government buildings and embassies on the west bank of the Tigris River. Iran-backed militias in Iraq have claimed responsibility for dozens of attacks that targeted bases housing US troops in Iraq and Syria since Israel declared war on Hamas two months ago. The US military says 78 attacks have been carried out against US facilities over the past weeks, of which 37 were in Iraq and 41 in Syria. An Iraqi security official said 14 Katyusha rockets were fired on Friday, of which some struck near one of the US Embassy’s gates. (AP)
ADB approves USD 200 mn loan to Lanka
Colombo, Dec 8: The Asian Development Bank said on Friday that it has approved USD 200-million concessional loan to debt-stricken Sri Lanka to help stabilise the country’s finance sector following an unprecedented economic crisis that engulfed the Indian Ocean island nation last year. The bank’s announcement comes as Sri Lanka is awaiting International Monetary Fund approval for the second installment of a USD 2.9-billion bailout package to rescue the country from bankruptcy. The ADB said its Financial Sector Stability and Reforms Programme for Sri Lanka includes two sub-programmes of USD 200 million each that would help strengthen the governance of the country’s banking sector, and deepen sustainable and inclusive finance, particularly for women-led micro, small, medium-sized enterprises. (AP)
Putin will seek another term
Moscow, Dec 8: Vladimir Putin on Friday moved to prolong his repressive grip on Russia for at least another six years, announcing his candidacy in the presidential election next March that he is all but certain to win. Putin still commands wide support after nearly a quarter-century in power, despite starting an immensely costly war in Ukraine that has taken thousands of his countrymen’s lives, provoked repeated attacks inside Russia, including one on the Kremlin itself, and corroded its aura of invincibility. (AP)