FEARS FOR CIVILIANS AS YEMEN FORCES EDGE CLOSER TO LIFELINE PORT

ADEN: Yemeni pro-government forces advanced closer to rebel-held Hodeida overnight, a military source said on Wednesday, raising fears over humanitarian aid deliveries through the lifeline port city. Concern was also growing for civilians in Hodeida, as the fighting drew near and after reports that snipers had positioned themselves on a hospital rooftop. Plumes of smoke were seen billowing from the horizon on Tuesday as heavily armed pro-government forces moved towards the Red Sea port on foot and on the back of pickup trucks.

Boeing crashed in Indonesia after key sensor replaced

JAKARTA: A crucial sensor that is the subject of a Boeing Co. safety bulletin was replaced on a Lion Air jet the day before it plunged into the Java Sea and possibly worsened other problems with the plane, Indonesian investigators said Wednesday. Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee said it had agreed with Boeing on procedures that the airplane manufacturer should distribute globally on how flight crews can deal with “angle of attack” sensor problems following the Oct. 29 crash that killed 189 people.

AP

Begging in Beijing? Pakistan sacks TV chief after gaffe

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has removed the acting chief of state-run television after a caption read “Begging” instead “Beijing” during a broadcast of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to China, which has promised economic aid to the impoverished South Asian country. REUTERS

Italy working to help Pak woman in blasphemy case

ROME: Italy has said that it was working to help relocate the family of a Pakistani Christian woman acquitted eight years after being sentenced to death for blasphemy, amid warnings from her husband that the family’s life is in danger in Pakistan. The Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that it was coordinating with other countries to ensure safety for Asia Bibi and her family. In a statement, the ministry said it was ready to act on whatever the Italian government might decide — an indication that an offer of asylum might be in the offing. AP

Pompeo allows sanctions exception for Iran port

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has granted an exception to certain sanctions that will allow the India-led development of a port in Iran as part of a new transportation corridor designed to boost

Afghan economy. REUTERS