Deadly attacks by Iran-backed Houthis on Saudi airports highlight widening fallout from Yemen conflict

By AFP | Posted by TOE Saudi authorities said Wednesday three people were killed in attacks on two of the kingdom’s international airports, including in the capital Riyadh, after Yemen’s Houthis claimed to have fired on both transport hubs. The Iran-backed Houthis have claimed a wave of attacks on Saudi civilian infrastructure in recent weeks, which came as Riyadh-backed forces pressed a counter-offensive against the group’s territorial gains. Since Yemen’s civil war reignited in July, more than 200,000 people have been displaced within the country, the United Nations said Wednesday. The Houthis claimed an attack on Riyadh’s main airport, while the Saudi-led coalition — which backs Yemen’s internationally recognised government in its fight against the group — vowed retaliation. The Houthis later claimed another attack on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport on Thursday and repeated a warning — “...

Greek farmers clash with police in protests over delayed EU farm subsidies

Greek farmers clashed with police on Sunday during protests in central and northern regions over the delayed payment of European Union subsidies prompted by an investigation into a corruption scandal that has rocked the country.

Hundreds of farmers took to the streets, blocking roads with their tractors in several areas to protest against the conservative government over an estimated 600-million-euro ($696 million) shortfall in EU aid and other payments.

Near the central city of Nikaia, police fired teargas at the protesters who tried to break barricades, a Reuters witness said.

The delay in payments comes amid investigations into a scandal in which some farmers allegedly faked land and livestock ownership to receive EU agricultural subsidies.

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), which is investigating crimes against the financial interests of the EU, said this year it had found evidence that Greek farmers, helped by state officials, misappropriated the EU funds.

Greek authorities have launched separate investigations and parliament is probing the government agency OPEKEPE, which distributes roughly 2.5 billion euros in EU aid annually to hundreds of thousands of farmers.

The government, which has promised transparency, has acknowledged that the first instalment of EU subsidies is lower than last year and that over 40,000 of farmers’ applications were under inspection.

SOURCE: REUTERS AND AGENCIES



from The Times Of Earth https://ift.tt/1hjAcC0

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