Kuwait gives Yemen’s national airline three aircraft, two engines

Special Kuwait gives Yemen’s national airline three aircraft, two engines
A Yemen Airways plane is greeted with water canon salute at Sanaa Airport after the resumption of commercial flights, Sanaa, Yemen, May 16, 2022. (Reuters)
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Updated 01 July 2024
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Kuwait gives Yemen’s national airline three aircraft, two engines

Kuwait gives Yemen’s national airline three aircraft, two engines
  • The agreement, after a request from the chair of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, comes days after the Houthis seized four of Yemenia’s aircraft
  • Prisoner-exchange talks between government and Houthis continue; judge held by militia for 5 months says group attacked his home, terrorized his family

AL-MUKALLA: Kuwait has agreed to provide Yemenia, Yemen’s national air carrier, with three aircraft and two engines to supplement its limited fleet, days after the Houthis seized four of the airline’s planes.

Yemen’s government said authorities in Kuwait notified the Yemeni embassy in Kuwait on Sunday that they have agreed to a request from Rashad Al-Alimi, chairperson of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, to assist Yemenia.

“This generous support adds to the lengthy legacy of the State of Kuwait’s dignified positions and generous humanitarian interventions at different stages and situations alongside our Yemeni people,” Al-Alimi said in a message posted on social media platform X.

Yemenis responded on social media with praise for Kuwait and hopes that the aircraft will allow Yemenia to provide flights to new locations or step up services to existing destinations. Yemenia offers flights to Jeddah, Riyadh, Amman, Cairo and Delhi, and plans to add services to Dubai and Kuwait.

The assistance from Kuwait came less than a week after Yemenia reported that the Houthis seized four of seven aircraft at Sanaa airport, preventing them from flying pilgrims to and from Saudi Arabia. The Yemeni government said at least 1,000 pilgrims were stranded in Saudi Arabia as a result.

The Houthis refused to release the aircraft and said last week that they would take administrative control of Yemenia, seize repair facilities at Sanaa Airport, and reschedule flights from Sanaa and other airports in Yemen, including those held by the Yemeni government.

Meanwhile, prisoner-exchange discussions between the Yemeni government and the Houthis continued on Monday for a second day without any reports of progress being made toward a fresh agreement that might result in hundreds of war detainees being freed.

“The discussions are ongoing and intense,” Yahya Kazman, the head of the Yemeni government delegation involved in the talks, told Arab News.

Abdul Wahab Qatran, a prominent, outspoken judge who was released from a Houthi prison on June 12, said that members of the group had attacked his home, terrorized his family and imprisoned him for months for exposing Houthi corruption and denouncing the actions of the militia.

“What happened to me and my whole family is terrible. No judge in Yemen’s history has ever experienced this,” he said in his first public statement since his release.

In a lengthy message posted on his son’s Facebook page on Sunday night, accompanied by a photograph of himself with tape covering his mouth, Qatran said more than 40 armed Houthis and six female intelligence agents surrounded his home in Sanaa on Jan. 2 while he his family slept, before breaking down doors and entering.

The judge said he and his family were held for hours as the Houthis looted the house. They took paperwork, cell phones, laptops, a hard drive containing 17 years of family memories, and other electronic devices including those belonging to his children.

“They stole my passport, my personal and judicial cards, my lawyer’s cards, as well as all my books and notebooks, including the notebook where I wrote down the passwords to my emails, Facebook and Twitter accounts,” Qatran added.

He said the Houthis ignored his pleas for them to respect his position as a judge and the immunity that should come with it and added: “They abducted me and threw me into an armored truck, along with my two adult children. The females put my wife and children under house arrest in a room and then occupied my home for eight hours.”

The Houthis took him to a jail in Sanaa, he said, and initially held him in isolation there for 40 days. Before releasing him this month, the Houthis ordered him to make a written pledge not to “undermine security and stability” and said he should notify their intelligence and security authorities if he needed a new cellphone SIM card.

“They have not returned any of the looted items to me yet,” he said. “They still have my phones and those of my children and relatives.”


Western allies and Arab countries gather in Paris to discuss Syria’s future amid US aid freeze

Western allies and Arab countries gather in Paris to discuss Syria’s future amid US aid freeze
Updated 12 sec ago
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Western allies and Arab countries gather in Paris to discuss Syria’s future amid US aid freeze

Western allies and Arab countries gather in Paris to discuss Syria’s future amid US aid freeze
  • Trump’s controversial decision to freeze foreign assistance has raised concerns in Syria, a country that had depended on hundreds of millions of dollars in aid from the US and now left in ruins by a civil war

PARIS: Western allies and Arab countries are gathering in Paris on Thursday for an international conference on Syria to discuss the country’s future after the fall of former Syrian president Bashar Assad and amid uncertainty over the United States’ commitment to the region.
It’s the third conference on Syria since Assad was ousted in December, and the first since President Donald Trump’s administration took over in the US
Trump’s controversial decision to freeze foreign assistance has raised concerns in Syria, a country that had depended on hundreds of millions of dollars in aid from the US and now left in ruins by a civil war.
The Trump administration is pulling almost all USAID workers out of the field worldwide, all but ending a six-decade mission meant to shore up American security by fighting starvation, funding education and working to end epidemics.
While many Syrians were happy to see the rule of Assad come to an abrupt end in December, analysts have warned that the honeymoon period for the country’s new rulers may be short-lived if they are not able to jumpstart the country’s battered economy.
An end to the sanctions imposed during Assad’s time will be key to that, but sanctions are not the only issue.
Billions in aid needed
More aid is crucial to achieve a peaceful reconstruction during the post-Assad transition. The country needs massive investment to rebuild housing, electricity, water and transportation infrastructure after nearly 14 years of war. The United Nations in 2017 estimated that it would cost at least $250 billion, while some experts now say the number could reach at least $400 billion.
With few productive sectors and government employees making wages equivalent to about $20 per month, Syria has grown increasingly dependent on remittances and humanitarian aid. But the flow of aid was throttled after the Trump administration halted US foreign assistance last month.
The effects were particularly dire in the country’s northwest, a formerly rebel-held enclave that hosts millions of people displaced from other areas by the country’s civil war. Many of them live in sprawling tent camps.
The freeze on USAID funding forced clinics serving many of those camps to shut down, and nonprofits laid off local staff. In northeastern Syria, a camp housing thousands of family members of Islamic State fighters was thrown into chaos when the group providing services there was forced to briefly stop work.
A workshop bringing together key donors from the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations, the United Nations and key agencies from Arab countries will be held alongside the conference to coordinate international aid to Syria.
Doubts over US support
Uncertainty also surrounds the future of US military support in the region.
In 2019 during his first term, Trump decided on a partial withdrawal of US troops form the northeast of Syria before he halted the plans. And in December last year, when rebels were on their way to topple Assad, Trump said the United States should not ” dive into the middle of a Syrian civil war.”
Now that Syria’s new leader Ahmad Al-Sharaa is trying to consolidate his power, the USintentions in the region remain unclear.
A French diplomatic official confirmed the presence of a US representative at the conference, but said “our understanding is that the new US administration is still in the review process regarding Syria, it does not seem (the US position) will be clarified at that conference.” The official spoke anonymously in line with the French presidency’s customary practices.
The commander of the main US-backed force in Syria recently said that US troops should stay in Syria because the Daesh group will benefit from a withdrawal.
Since Damascus fell on Dec. 8 and Assad fled to Moscow, the new leadership has yet to lay out a clear vision of how the country will be governed.
The Islamic militant group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, or HTS – a former Al-Qaeda affiliate that the EU and UN consider to be a terrorist organization – has established itself as Syria’s de facto rulers after coordinating with the southern fighters during the offensive late last year.
French organizers said the three main goals of the meeting, which is not a pledging conference, are to coordinate efforts to support a peaceful transition, organize cooperation and aid from neighbors and partners, and to continue talks on the fight against impunity.
The conference takes place at ministerial level. Syria’s interim foreign minister Asaad Al-Shibani has been invited and it will be his first visit to Europe.
Speaking this week at the World Governments Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Al-Shibani underlined the new government in Damascus’ desire to improve relations with the West and get sanctions on Syria lifted so the country could start rebuilding after the ruinous, 14-year war.


Turkish president holds talks with Pakistani premier to discuss Gaza and bilateral issues

Turkish president holds talks with Pakistani premier to discuss Gaza and bilateral issues
Updated 13 February 2025
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Turkish president holds talks with Pakistani premier to discuss Gaza and bilateral issues

Turkish president holds talks with Pakistani premier to discuss Gaza and bilateral issues

ISLAMABAD: Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday at his office in Islamabad to discuss the situation in Gaza and a range of bilateral issues.
They will sign several agreements for boosting trade and economic ties between the nations, officials said.
Erdogan left his hotel amid tight security, and was welcomed by people in traditional Turkish and Pakistani dresses who lined a key city road that had been decorated with Turkish and Pakistani flags. The crowds danced to the beat of drums as the Turkish leader’s convoy passed through the streets.
Erdogan and his wife, Emine Erdogan, were welcomed by Sharif on their arrival at his office. A band played the national anthems of both countries before a ceremony that saw the leaders inspecting a guard of honor.
Erdogan will jointly chair bilateral strategic cooperation talks and the two sides are expected to sign a number of agreements, according to a government announcement.


Hamas to release hostages as planned, apparently resolving ceasefire dispute

Hamas to release hostages as planned, apparently resolving ceasefire dispute
Updated 55 min 41 sec ago
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Hamas to release hostages as planned, apparently resolving ceasefire dispute

Hamas to release hostages as planned, apparently resolving ceasefire dispute
  • Hamas suspends handover of Israeli hostages over what it said were Israeli violations of the terms
  • Israel has called up military reservists to brace for a possible re-eruption of war in Gaza

CAIRO: Hamas said Thursday it would release Israeli hostages as planned, apparently resolving a major dispute that threatened the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

The militant group said Egyptian and Qatari mediators have affirmed that they will work to “remove all hurdles,” and that it would implement the ceasefire deal.

The statement indicated three more Israeli hostages would be freed Saturday. There was no immediate comment from Israel after Hamas’ announcement.

That would allow the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip to continue for now, but its future remains in doubt.

Hamas had threatened to delay the next release of Israeli hostages, accusing Israel of failing to meet its obligations to allow in tents and shelters, among other alleged violations of the truce.

Israel, with the support of US President Donald Trump, had threatened to renew its offensive if hostages were not freed.

“We are not interested in the collapse of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, and we are keen on its implementation and ensuring that the occupation (Israel) adheres to it fully,” Hamas spokesperson Abdel-Latif Al-Qanoua said.

“The language of threats and intimidation used by Trump and Netanyahu does not serve the implementation of the ceasefire agreement,” Qanoua said.

A Hamas delegation led by the group’s Gaza chief, Khalil Al-Hayya, met Egyptian security officials on Wednesday to try to break the impasse.

A Palestinian official close to the talks told Reuters that mediators Egypt and Qatar were trying to find solutions to prevent a slide back into fighting.

In a statement, Hamas said the mediators were exerting pressure for the ceasefire deal to be fully implemented, ensure Israel abides by a humanitarian protocol and resume exchanges of Israeli hostages held in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners and detainees held by Israel on Saturday.

Israel has called up military reservists to brace for a possible re-eruption of war in Gaza if Hamas fails to meet a Saturday deadline to free further Israeli hostages.


Governments need to invest in digital infrastructure for the future, says UAE official

Governments need to invest in digital infrastructure for the future, says UAE official
Updated 13 February 2025
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Governments need to invest in digital infrastructure for the future, says UAE official

Governments need to invest in digital infrastructure for the future, says UAE official

DUBAI: Governments need to invest in digital resilience infrastructure not for today but for the future, Deputy Director General for UAE Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority Mohammed Al-Zarooni has said.

Speaking at the World Governments Summit on Thursday, Al-Zarooni referenced how countries responded to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and said countries that invested in digital infrastructure were able to adapt quickly.

“The UAE had sufficient infrastructure in 2020 to accommodate its school and university students on digital platforms and continue providing them with education,” he added.

Salman Al-Khalifa, National Cyber Security Centre of Bahrain CEO, said trust in digital systems and in governance was important.

“We need to have the utmost trust in these systems, without trust we can’t use them. Ensuring that there is resilience in our systems will contribute to overall efficiency,” he said.

On Tuesday, summit chairman and UAE Minister of Cabinet Affairs Mohammed Al-Gergawi said building strong relationships between governments and people was important. “Trust in government (worldwide) stands only at 52 percent,” he said, quoting findings from the Edelman Trust Barometer.

Al-Khalifa discussed his concerns over rapid growth in the artificial intelligence sector and said it was vital governments were prepared.

“AI helps hackers get a hold of information. AI creates an easier way for people to steal information, we need to be prepared,” he explained.

Al-Zarooni emphasized the importance of cybersecurity awareness and said those who did not know the risks would be most susceptible to cybercrime.

“These risks are borderless, they are spread out, without having digital cooperation we can’t achieve full digital resilience. Cybersecurity is not a one-country problem, but a world problem” he concluded.


UAE health minister highlights technology role in future care at World Governments Summit

UAE health minister highlights technology role in future care at World Governments Summit
Updated 13 February 2025
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UAE health minister highlights technology role in future care at World Governments Summit

UAE health minister highlights technology role in future care at World Governments Summit
  • Patient-centered care is the goal, says Abdulrahman Al Owais
  • New tech is helping with early diagnosis, minimal interventions

DUBAI: The healthcare system will be more accessible, innovative and resilient in future by harnessing newly emerging technologies, according to the UAE’s Health and Prevention Minister Abdulrahman Al Owais, who was speaking at the World Governments Summit here on Thursday.

“Technology and innovation will play a crucial role in reshaping healthcare to meet the needs and expectations of our communities,” Al Owais said at the opening of the summit’s Global Health Forum.

In his speech, Al Owais said: “The last couple of years have seen groundbreaking advancement and innovation that have changed the face of many sectors, and healthcare is no exception.

“The potential of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, telehealth, and precision medicine has enhanced early detection, diagnosis, and minimally invasive interventions.”

The minister acknowledged the significance of integrating traditional medicine with modern scientific advancements.

“The rise of technology has placed integrated medicine at the leading edge of healthcare innovation by seamlessly blending the time-honored practice of our heritage with the possibilities of modern science in a world where chronic diseases are on the rise.”

Al Owais reaffirmed the UAE’s commitment to leveraging these advancements, citing the nation’s “forward-thinking leadership, robust infrastructure, and strategic investments in healthcare technology.”

He highlighted the UAE Vision 2031 plan, which mandates the adoption of advanced technology across all hospitals, as a testament to the country’s proactive approach to fostering a high-tech, patient-centered healthcare ecosystem.

Beyond technological investments, the minister emphasized the importance of partnerships, both at the national and international levels.

He said collaborations between government and the private sector, along with global alliances, were vital to strengthening emergency preparedness, enhancing supply chains, and promoting knowledge exchange.

Closing his address, Al Owais echoed the words of UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, who believes that technology should serve as a bridge to progress, security, and stability for all.

“Let us challenge ourselves to think boldly and act with urgency to create a world where healthcare is not just advanced, but also deeply human,” he said.