The US and Britain kept their embassies in Yemen closed for a second day yesterday over concerns about possible militant attacks after the failed Christmas Day bombing of a US-bound airliner, diplomats said.
The US embassy has cited threats by al-Qaeda, which US intelligence agencies believe has a growing presence in Yemen. An aide to US President Barack Obama has said the US had indications al-Qaeda was planning an attack in Sanaa.
“The embassy is still closed again today ... We are continuing to make the security review,” a US diplomat said on condition of anonymity.
Britain has cited security reasons for its embassy’s closure without elaborating.
Yemen, facing a Shiite Muslim rebellion in the north and separatist protests in the south, has tightened security on its coast to stop Islamist militants infiltrating from Somalia.
Authorities had put al-Qaeda militants in two coastal provinces under round-the-clock surveillance, the state news agency said on Sunday, after Somali militants said last week they were ready to send reinforcements to al-Qaeda in Yemen.
Western allies have sought to bolster Yemen’s government for fear that al-Qaeda might exploit the country’s instability to launch more attacks across the globe.
The Nigerian man charged with trying to bomb a Detroit-bound passenger plane on Christmas Day is believed to have received training from al-Qaeda in Yemen.
Al-Qaeda said the bombing attempt was retaliation for US involvement in Yemen and its military support for the state, which has launched an offensive against the militants.
Spain’s embassy in Yemen had restricted access but remained open on Sunday, the Spanish government said. The El Mundo newspaper said the embassy would be closed to the public yesterday.
Japan also suspended consular services at its embassy yesterday.
“We have shut the consular service section at the Japanese embassy, where Yemeni people come to apply for visas,” said Yukiya Hamamoto, an official at the foreign ministry’s Middle East section.
“I understand that otherwise the embassy is conducting business as usual inside,” he said.
Security has been ratcheted up around the airport and foreign embassies in Sanaa, Yemeni officials said yesterday.
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said
REGIONAL STABILITY: Taipei thanked the Biden administration for authorizing its 16th sale of military goods and services to uphold Taiwan’s defense and safety The US Department of State has approved the sale of US$228 million of military goods and services to Taiwan, the US Department of Defense said on Monday. The state department “made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale” to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US for “return, repair and reshipment of spare parts and related equipment,” the defense department’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a news release. Taiwan had requested the purchase of items and services which include the “return, repair and reshipment of classified and unclassified spare parts for aircraft and related equipment; US Government
More than 500 people on Saturday marched in New York in support of Taiwan’s entry to the UN, significantly more people than previous years. The march, coinciding with the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly, comes close on the heels of growing international discourse regarding the meaning of UN Resolution 2758. Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China.” It resulted in the Republic of China (ROC) losing its seat at the UN to the PRC. Taiwan has since been excluded from