Chinese rights lawyer jailed for 12 years
AFP, Beijing
A Chinese court has sentenced defence lawyer Xia Lin to 12 years in prison, his attorney said Thursday, the latest blow in a broad crackdown on human rights defenders and activists.
Xia is best known for his work defending artist Ai Weiwei and fellow rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiang, who was detained after a private seminar discussing the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown.
Boeing receives US license to sell planes to Iran
AFP, New York
Boeing said Wednesday it obtained a US government license to complete a sale of planes to Iran Air, moving closer to the first such deal since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
The aerospace group said it remained in talks with Iran Air on a final sales agreement after the two sides reached a preliminary deal in June. The deal is valued at as much as $25 billion.
Saudi-led raids kill 26 in Yemen port
AFP, Aden
Saudi-led air strikes killed 26 civilians in the rebel-held Yemeni port city of Hodeida just hours after the rebels celebrated the second anniversary of their seizure of the capital, a government official said.
The raids hit the Suq al-Hunod district of the Red Sea port, the official in the government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi which is supported by the Saudi-led coalition told AFP.
The strikes were also reported by the rebel administration in the capital Sanaa, which said there were civilian casualties but gave no specific toll.
