Downing Saudi Plane
The Yemeni military says it has shot down a spy drone belonging to the Saudi Air Force. Army Spokesman Yahya Saree said the plane was hit over Jawf Province with a missile, which was used for the first time. This is the latest retaliatory attack by the Yemeni military in response to Saudi Arabia’s deadly aggression against the impoverished nation. Earlier on Sunday, Saudi warplanes targeted areas in the capital Sana’a and some other regions in Yemen. There are no reports of possible casualties. The Saudi war on Yemen, which began in March 2015, has killed tens of thousands of people, many of them women and children. Saudi Arabia has also maintained an all out blockade on Yemen, hampering even the humanitarian aid there.
Iran nuclear deal
The Chinese foreign minister has called on the US to remove its 'unjustifiable' sanctions on Iran as quickly as possible in order to save the 2015 nuclear deal. Wang also criticized the US for its unilateral withdrawal from the agreement in 2018 and its maximum pressure campaign against Iran. He said the US actions have led to a renewed escalation of tensions in the region. The top Chinese diplomat also called on Iran to resume full compliance with the agreement. Iran began scaling back its nuclear deal commitments one year after the former US administration left the multilateral accord. Tehran cited the failure of the European signatories to deal to fulfill their commitments. The current US administration says it will rejoin the deal once Iran returns to full compliance. Tehran, however, says the US must remove its sanctions before Iran rolls back its remedial measures.
Myanmar coup
Myanmar’s major trade unions have called for an extended nationwide strike starting on Monday in the latest attempt to stop the military coup. The walkout is backed by nine labor organizations. They say the aim of the strike is to cause full, extended shutdown of the country’s economy to reverse the seizure of power by the military. The army took over the elected government on February the first and detained civilian officials, including de factor leader Aung San Suu Chi. Protests have been ongoing since then.