Briefly

VIETNAM

Death toll from heavy flooding climbs to 90

The death toll from flooding and landslides in Vietnam's central region rose to 90 on Sunday, local daily Thanh Nien reported, citing disaster management authorities. Twelve people are missing, according to the report. Torrential rains and flooding have damaged 1,154 houses and more than 80,800 hectares of rice and other crops in the region. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has called for stepping up response measures to severe flooding and natural disasters in the central provinces.

UNITED STATES

Fresh military actions in Venezuela planned

The United States is poised to launch a new phase of Venezuela-related operations in the coming days, four US officials told Reuters. Reuters was not able to establish the exact timing or scope of the new operations, nor whether US President Donald Trump had made a final decision to act. Reports of looming action have proliferated in recent weeks as the US military has deployed forces to the Caribbean amid worsening relations with Venezuela. Two of the officials said covert operations would likely be the first part of the new action. All four officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of impending action by the US.

YEMEN

18 UN aid workers sentenced to death

A Houthi-run court in Yemen's capital Sanaa on Saturday sentenced 18 Yemeni aid workers employed by United Nations humanitarian agencies to death for allegedly spying for Israel. The ruling says the "convicts" will be executed by a firing squad in a public place in Sanaa. Meanwhile, the same court handed two others 10-year prison terms on the same charges. In a statement broadcast by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV, the court accused the convicts of providing Israel, the United States, Britain and Saudi Arabia with information on dozens of Houthi leaders' locations, movements and secrets related to political, military and security matters, as well as information about missiles, including their launch sites and storage facilities.

Xinhua - Agencies