3 rockets fall near Iraq’s airport

Three Katyusha rockets fell in the vicinity of Baghdad airport on Sunday but caused no casualties, Iraqi state news agency INA said.

One of the rockets landed in the airport garage damaging four civilian vehicles, it said, citing a military statement.

Last week, in three separate incidents several rockets landed either near the airport or inside Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses government buildings and foreign missions. Those attacks also caused no casualties.

Washington blames such attacks on Iranian-backed militia groups. Iran has not directly commented on the incidents.

The Middle East came close to a large conflict in January after a US drone strike killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi paramilitary chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis at Baghdad airport. Iran-aligned militias have sworn to avenge their deaths.

Search for ship crew suspended

Japan’s coastguard said on Monday that its search-and-rescue mission for 40 missing crew from a capsized cattle ship in the East China Sea remains suspended, with no timing set for resumption.

So far, two crewmen have been rescued, while another died after being found unconscious on Friday. Their ship, the Gulf Livestock 1, had sent a distress call from the west of Amami Oshima island in southwestern Japan last Wednesday as Typhoon Maysak lashed the area with strong winds and heavy seas.

The search was suspended due to bad weather on Saturday, when Typhoon Haishen was headed toward southwestern Japan.

The ship had been carrying 43 crew members and nearly 6,000 cattle.

Israelis rejoice in airdrop weed

Cannabis rained from on high in Israel’s liberal hub of Tel Aviv this week as legalization campaigners used a drone to airdrop bags of the drug, sparking delight on the ground.

“Green Drone” had preannounced a drop of hundreds of bags, each containing two grams, on central Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square.

“It’s time, dear friends. Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s Green Drone distributing free cannabis from the sky,” it said on its Telegram channel, quoted in Israeli media.

It urged followers to roll up for further dope drops every week at different locations around Israel, although police arrested two alleged drone operators on Saturday.

Israeli smokers often use encrypted messaging apps to order weed deliveries, although the drug is illegal in the Jewish state.

Medical use of cannabis is allowed but Israeli police frequently boast of drug busts.

Reuters – AFP