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Artillery attack on a Yemen village kills at least 10 as government blames Houthi rebels

CAIRO (AP) — An artillery attack on a village in northern Yemen killed at least 10 people, including six children, and wounded more than 30 others, officials said Monday, while the government blamed Iran-backed Houthi rebels for the shelling.

The Houthis targeted a group of people gathered for iftar, the evening meal that breaks the daily fast during the holy month of Ramadan, in Hajjah province, according to the information ministry. The province is mostly controlled by the Houthis, but some areas are held by Yemen’s internationally recognized government that is based in Aden.

Initial information, including a statement released by the army, stated that at least eight people were killed. The information ministry later raised the toll to 10.

The circumstances of the attack on Sunday were unclear and Houthi officials declined to comment.

Hans Grundberg, United Nations special envoy for Yemen, said in a statement that he’s “deeply concerned” by reports of the attack in Hiran district.

“Civilians must be protected at all times, in strict accordance with international humanitarian law. It is imperative that those responsible are held to account,” he added.

Fighting between the Houthis and government forces has also covered Hajjah since Yemen plunged into civil war in 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and much of northern Yemen and forced the government into exile. A Saudi-led coalition, including the United Arab Emirates, intervened the following year in an attempt to restore the government to power.

The conflict has pushed the economy to the brink of collapse and caused “severe” food insecurity in northern provinces, including Hajjah, according to the World Food Program.

The information ministry said the death toll was likely to rise and several among the wounded were in critical condition.

Beijing bans 4 New Zealand lawmakers from entering China because they visited Taiwan

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Beijing banned four New Zealand lawmakers from traveling to China for a year and demanded they apologize because they visited Taiwan on a parliamentary trip, according to a message from the Chinese embassy conveyed via parliamentary officials and shown to The Associated Press on Thursday. China has hit lawmakers from other countries with sanctions related to contact with Taiwan before, but it's the first time for New Zealand parliamentarians, the government in Wellington said. Beijing has been increasing pressure in recent years on the democratically governed island that it claims as its own territory. Two lawmakers reached by the AP on Thursday rejected the demand for an apology, while the other two could not be immediately reached. New Zealand's government said it would express concern about the travel bans to Beijing. The elected officials visited Taipei in May, as New Zealand parliamentarians have done “for decades,” a spokesperson for Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement.
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