Kerry slams new Ukraine assault

Fighter jets escorted two US domestic airliners to land at the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport after receiving "credible" threats of bombs on board, local media reported.

The affected airliners were the Delta flight 1156 from Portland, Oregon and the Southwest flight 2492 from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, reported the WSB-TV Channel 2 in Atlanta, Georgia Saturday, Xinhua reported.

Both planes landed safely and were asked to sit on the taxiway, and passengers on both flights were interviewed and searched by the Atlanta police bomb squad before being allowed to leave the area, Federal Bureau of Investigation officials were quoted as saying.

Local authorities did not disclose the details of the bomb threats, which were made on the Twitter.

Washington, Jan 25 (IANS) US Secretary of State John Kerry condemned assault by Ukrainian rebels civilian neighborhood in eastern Ukraine, which killed at least 30 people, threatening increased US and international pressure on Russia.

"I join my European counterparts in condemning in the strongest terms Saturday's horrific assault by Russia-backed separatists on civilian neighborhoods in Mariupol," Xinhua reported citing Kerry as saying in a statement.

The top American diplomat accused Russia of its "irresponsible and dangerous decision" to re supply rebels with advanced weaponry and urged Russia to close its international border with Ukraine and withdraw all weapons, fighters and financial backing.

"Otherwise, US and international pressure on Russia and its proxies will only increase," said the statement.

On Saturday morning, the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol came under shelling of rocket fire, which hit an open-air market and nearby homes and shops and caused heavy casualties. TV footage showed buildings and cars in flames.

Currently, the death toll of the rocket attack has risen to 30, while almost a hundred people were wounded, according to local authorities.