Saudi oil refinery attacked by drone, sparking small fire
Riyadh(AP): An oil refinery in Saudi Arabia's capital, Riyadh, was attacked by drone, causing a small fire that did not cause injuries or affect supplies, the energy ministry said Friday.
The statement did not specify where the drone strike was launched from. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
The kingdom's oil facilities have been a target of Yemen's Houthi rebels in the past. The Iranian-backed Houthis claimed responsibility for a shocking attack in 2019 at the Abqaiq oil processing facility in Eastern Province, which temporarily knocked out half the kingdom's daily production.
The ministry statement, published by the state-run Saudi Press Agency, was released shortly after midnight Friday and said the attack took place around 4:40 a.m. on Thursday.
The ministry said such attacks not only target Saudi Arabia, but also the security and stability of energy supply to the world.
Saudi Arabia has been involved in Yemen's civil war since 2015, fighting against the Houthis who overran the capital of Sanaa and ousted the government there from power. Despite seven years of fighting and war, the Houthis remain in control of Sanaa and much of northern Yemen.
The war in Yemen has killed tens of thousands of people, both fighters and civilians, and spawned the world's worst humanitarian crisis. Many more have been internally displaced.
Around 13 million Yemenis are headed for starvation due to a protracted civil conflict and a lack of funding for humanitarian aid, the UN food agency has warned.
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Bangladesh's first female Prime Minister Khaleda Zia dies at 80
Dhaka (PTI): Bangladesh's former first female prime minister, Khaleda Zia, has died after a prolonged illness, local media reported on Tuesday.
Zia, the country’s first female prime minister and chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), has passed away at the age of 80, the Dhaka Tribune reported.
She died while undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka early Tuesday morning, around 6 am, confirmed her personal physician, Professor AZM Zahid Hossain.
Zia was admitted to Evercare Hospital on November 23 for routine tests, during which doctors detected a chest infection and decided to keep her under observation.
Her condition worsened on November 27, prompting her transfer to the hospital’s Coronary Care Unit (CCU).
In the early hours of Tuesday, Professor Hossain, a member of the medical board overseeing her treatment, had described her state as “very critical.”
Family members, including her son Tarique Rahman, visited her at the hospital late Monday night.
Despite efforts by a team of local and foreign specialists, her health continued to deteriorate.
