The world in brief

26,000 Yemenis on the run, U.N. says

SANAA, Yemen — A U.N. spokesman said on Monday that tens of thousands of residents have fled the fighting along Yemen’s western coastline, where Yemeni fighters backed by a Saudi-led coalition are engaged in fierce battles with Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.

Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman for the U.N. secretary-general, told reporters on Monday that about 5,200 families, or around 26,000 people, have fled the fighting and sought safety within their own districts or in other areas in Hodeida governorate.

“The number is expected to increase as hostilities continue,” he said.

Emirati troops, along with irregular and loyalist forces in Yemen, have been fighting against Houthis for Hodeida since Wednesday. The offensive for Hodeida has faced criticism from international aid groups, who fear a protracted fight could force a shutdown of the city’s port and tip millions into starvation.

Dujarric also said that U.N. Special Envoy in Yemen Martin Griffiths will be giving a briefing to the Security Council from Sanaa. Griffiths arrived on Saturday and aims at avoiding an all-out-assault in Hodeida.

Meanwhile, witnesses said Yemen’s Houthi rebels have shelled a village in the center of the country, killing at least eight civilians and wounding 15. Residents said most of the dead belong to one family.

Ex-Israeli official faces spying charges

JERUSALEM — A former Israeli government minister, once imprisoned for trying to smuggle drugs, is back behind bars after being charged with spying for Iran, the country’s internal security agency said Monday.

The Shin Bet said Gonen Segev was extradited from Guinea and arrested upon arrival in Israel last month on suspicion of “committing offenses of assisting the enemy in war and spying against the state of Israel.”

It said Segev, a former energy minister, acted as an agent for Iranian intelligence and relayed information “connected to the energy market and security sites in Israel including buildings and officials in political and security organizations.”

Lawyers representing Segev issued a statement that did not reject or accept the accusations, only saying that the indictment “portrays a different picture” than what the Shin Bet says.

Segev, who served in the Cabinet under Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in the mid-1990s, was arrested in 2004 for attempting to smuggle 32,000 Ecstasy tablets from the Netherlands to Israel using an expired diplomatic passport. Segev, a former doctor whose medical license was revoked, was released from prison in 2007 and had been living in Africa.

49 people missing from Indonesian ferry

JAKARTA, Indonesia — Dozens of people are missing from a ferry that sank on Indonesia’s Lake Toba, casting a tragic pall over holidays marking the end of the Muslim holy month.

Cellphone video released today by the National Disaster Mitigation Agency shows the crew of another ferry attempting to rescue people struggling in the waters shortly after the sinking Monday evening but being hampered by bad weather and rough waters.

Local Police Chief Marudut Liberty Panjaitan said 18 people were rescued and one death confirmed. So far 49 people are confirmed missing, he said, based on reports from relatives.

Initial estimates were that 80 people were on board but the number may range from 70 to 130, disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said on Twitter.

N. Korea’s Kim plans Beijing visit today

BEIJING — Chinese state media say North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will make a two-day visit to Beijing starting today after his summit with President Donald Trump in Singapore last week.

Security was tight this morning at the Beijing airport where paramilitary police prevented journalists from shooting photos. A motorcade including sedans, minibuses, motorcycles and a stretch limo with a golden emblem was seen leaving the airport. The state media reports did not say whether Kim had already arrived in Beijing.

Kim has made two recent visits to China, North Korea’s main ally and key source of trade and economic assistance. After his summit with Trump, Kim was expected to meet with Chinese leaders to discuss progress in halting his country’s missile and nuclear weapons programs.

China did not announce past visits by North Korea’s leader until Kim returned home.

Upcoming Events