Sunday, December 18, 2016
Deal reached that could restart Aleppo evacuation
BEIRUT
Rebel and government forces agreed Saturday to allow “humanitarian cases” to leave two besieged government-held Shiite villages in northwestern Syria, a step that would allow the resumption of civilian and rebel evacuations from eastern Aleppo which were suspended a day earlier, Hezbollah’s media arm and a monitoring group said.
The opposition’s Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the evacuation of some 4,000 people, including wounded, from the villages of Foua and Kfarya was expected to start Saturday. It later reported that 29 buses were heading toward the two villages to start the evacuation process, adding that insurgents in the area rejected allowing 4,000 people to leave and saying they will only allow 400 people to be evacuated.
The Syrian army said another 25 buses left later Saturday heading to the two villages.
China says it seized US Navy drone
BEIJING
China said Saturday its military seized a U.S. Navy unmanned underwater glider in the South China Sea to ensure the “safe navigation of passing ships,” but would give back the drone after determining it was an American device.
The United States later confirmed it had “secured an understanding” for the return, seeming to settle one of the most serious incidents between the two militaries in years.
The Chinese navy on Thursday seized the drone, which the Pentagon said was being operated by civilian contractors to conduct oceanic research.
Texas city had 3 reports of dirty water before ban
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas
There were three reports of dirty water before the 300,000 residents of Corpus Christi were told not to drink the city’s water due to a chemical leak at an asphalt plant, a top Corpus Christi official said Saturday, adding that the city has not found evidence of water contamination.
Water use is resuming for some parts of the city – some fully, others for washing purposes only, city spokeswoman DeAnna McQueen said Saturday. Only one city district still has a total ban.
Assistant City Manager Mark Van Vleck said the first “dirty-water report” came Dec. 1 from the Valero-owned administration building at the asphalt plant that’s leased to Ergon Asphalt and Emulsions. City workers flushed the pipe. A second report came from the same building Dec. 7, he said, and the main was flushed again.
UK faces strike-hit Christmas by post, train and air
LONDON
The United Kingdom faces a Christmas of discontent as labor unions threaten to disrupt airports, rail services and mail deliveries.
The Unite union and aviation services company Swissport announced negotiation plans Saturday intended to avert a Dec. 23 walkout by 1,500 baggage handlers, check-in staff and other workers at 18 regional airports from Belfast to Bournemouth.
Rolling strikes by two unions at Southern Railway already have disrupted much of England’s train services this month, with worker protests over cutbacks in overtime scheduled to go on until Jan. 14.
To top things off, the U.K. Communication Workers Union plans a Post Office strike starting Monday through Christmas Eve.
Associated Press