CAIRO -- Egypt has joined an international operation to airdrop humanitarian aid to the Palestinian Gaza Strip, which is facing ongoing Israeli siege and bombardment, the Egyptian military said in a statement on Thursday.

"Members of the Egyptian Air Force participate in the international coalition to airdrop aid into Gaza from Jordan," the statement said, noting that Jordan, the United States, France, the Netherlands, and Belgium also took part in the operation. (Egypt-Gaza-Aid)

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ADEN, Yemen -- A total of 177 Yemeni citizens who were stranded in Sudan safely returned to Aden in southern Yemen on Thursday, a government official said.

Abdullah Qaed Karaoun, the director of security at Aden International Airport, said they arrived at the airport aboard a Yemeni Airlines flight from Port Sudan. The returnees, comprising elderly individuals, women, and children, received a warm welcome at the airport and were provided with financial assistance from the Yemeni government and a local businessman. (Sudan-Stranded Yemenis-Return Home)

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VIENTIANE -- Lao Airlines will start operating flights between Lao's Vientiane and Cambodia's Phnom Penh, hoping that direct air travel between the two capitals will bring more tourists and investors to Laos.

International travel and tourism industry is booming, especially in the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) region, with air travel being tourists' preferred means of transport, Managing Director of the Lao national carrier Khamla Phommavanh was quoted as saying by the Lao National TV in a report on Thursday. (Laos-Direct Flight-Phnom Penh)