The US has condemned what it described as a terrorist attack by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels that struck Saudi Arabia's commercial airport in Abha on Thursday.
At least 12 civilians were injured by shrapnel when a drone was shot down.
“The United States condemns the terrorist attack by the Houthis that struck the commercial airport in Abha, Saudi Arabia, injuring at least a dozen innocent civilians,” said US State Department spokesman Ned Price.
“We wish the victims a full recovery. Repeated attacks of the last several weeks have harmed civilians and civilian infrastructure and undermine international efforts for a peaceful solution to the Yemen conflict and threaten the more than 70,000 US citizens living in Saudi Arabia.”
The injured, who have not been identified, include travellers and workers of various nationalities, said the Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen in two statements carried by state media. The coalition is supporting Yemen's government against the Houthis.
“The Houthis have pursued a dangerous pattern of increasingly obstructive and aggressive actions against Yemenis, Yemen’s neighbours, and the international community. As President Biden reiterated in his call to King Salman yesterday, the United States is firmly committed to supporting the defence of Saudi Arabia,” said Mr Price.
“The United States, along with the international community, continues to urge de-escalation of the conflict. The parties should come to the negotiating table to work together and support the new, more inclusive UN-led peace process.”
Houthi attacks have become increasingly common, with air defence teams intercepting rockets and drones on an almost daily basis.
The Houthis also often target Abha airport, which lies close to the Yemeni border in Saudi Arabia's south. Most are intercepted but a few people have been killed and several injured.
The Houthi drone and missile programme has, since the war began in 2015, become increasingly sophisticated. Experts and officials say the Yemeni rebels have been aided by Iran and its main proxy Hezbollah.
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Retail gloom
Online grocer Ocado revealed retail sales fell 5.7 per cen in its first quarter as customers switched back to pre-pandemic shopping patterns.
It was a tough comparison from a year earlier, when the UK was in lockdown, but on a two-year basis its retail division, a joint venture with Marks&Spencer, rose 31.7 per cent over the quarter.
The group added that a 15 per cent drop in customer basket size offset an 11.6. per cent rise in the number of customer transactions.
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Multitasking pays off for money goals
Tackling money goals one at a time cost financial literacy expert Barbara O'Neill at least $1 million.
That's how much Ms O'Neill, a distinguished professor at Rutgers University in the US, figures she lost by starting saving for retirement only after she had created an emergency fund, bought a car with cash and purchased a home.
"I tell students that eventually, 30 years later, I hit the million-dollar mark, but I could've had $2 million," Ms O'Neill says.
Too often, financial experts say, people want to attack their money goals one at a time: "As soon as I pay off my credit card debt, then I'll start saving for a home," or, "As soon as I pay off my student loan debt, then I'll start saving for retirement"."
People do not realise how costly the words "as soon as" can be. Paying off debt is a worthy goal, but it should not come at the expense of other goals, particularly saving for retirement. The sooner money is contributed, the longer it can benefit from compounded returns. Compounded returns are when your investment gains earn their own gains, which can dramatically increase your balances over time.
"By putting off saving for the future, you are really inhibiting yourself from benefiting from that wonderful magic," says Kimberly Zimmerman Rand , an accredited financial counsellor and principal at Dragonfly Financial Solutions in Boston. "If you can start saving today ... you are going to have a lot more five years from now than if you decide to pay off debt for three years and start saving in year four."
