LATEST: Yemen — 6 Killed in 3rd US Drone Strike in 3 Days
The interim Egyptian Government has pressed supporters of deposed President Mohamed Morsi to end their mass sit-ins, with interim President Adli Mansour declaring on Wednesday, “The train of the future has departed, and everyone must realise the moment and catch up with it, and whoever fails to realise this moment must take responsibility for their decision.”
Mansour’s comments followed a re-assertion by interim Prime Minister Hazem El-Bablawi that the sit-ins, notably at Cairo’s Rabaa El-Adewaya and Nahda Squares, would be dispersed — if necessary, by security forces. El-Bablawi called on the protesters, who have been in the squares since late June, to leave and even offered them free transportation.
Meanwhile, an attempt by international mediators to broker a political resolution after the July 3 coup appeared to have collapsed. US Assistant Secretary of State William Burns headed home after days of discussions, although European Union envoy Bernardino Leon stayed on in Cairo.
“This remains a very fragile situation, which holds not only the risk of more bloodshed and polarisation in Egypt, but also impedes the economic recovery, which is so essential for Egypt’s successful transition,” US Secretary of State John Kerry and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said in a joint statement.
(Featured Photo: A Pro-Morsi rally on 2 August)
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Yemen: 6 Killed in 3rd US Drone Strike in 3 Days
Officials say a US drone killed at least six suspected insurgents in the southeastern province of Maareb on Thursday.
In the last three days, three US drone strikes have killed at least 16 people. Thursday’s attack was the sixth in less than two weeks.
Witnesses and local officials in Maareb, a mostly desert region, said the drone fired at two vehicles at dawn. Residents saw the two vehicles in flames, with the drones circling the air after the attack.
On Wednesday, Yemeni officials claimed they had foiled a plot by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula to seize two major oil and gas export terminals and a provincial capital in the east of the country.
