The Arab coalition in Yemen on Tuesday deployed 10,000 additional troops to the rebel held port of Hodeidah, ahead of a new offensive, Yemeni government officials told The National.
"Preparations and military endeavours are underway to put an end to people's misery that are caused by the Houthi rebels," Hamza Ali Kamali, member of the Yemeni government delegation to Geneva, told The National.
Military operations have been renewed during the last two days in the vital port city aiming to push back the rebels, but they still hold parts of Hodeidah and the capital Sanaa.
"We have received military equipment from the legitimate forces and the Arab coalition to start a new offensive in the Hodeidah front and the Yemen west coast to regain the port," Mr Al Kamali said.
Millions of civilians are on the brink of famine as aid agencies are struggling to find a way to ensure relief reaches those in need especially in Houthi held areas, despite assistance from the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
The port is the entry point for more than 70 per cent of imports to the country, which is on the brink of famine.
Houthi militias are accused of blocking vital aid from entering vulnerable cities as the country experiences one the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, Mohammed Askar, Yemen's Human Rights Minister, told The National.
Civilians are struggling to survive as the economy collapses and cripples state institutions.
After the failure of UN-backed talks in September, the coalition announced it was relaunching an assault on the port.
Clashes between Houthi rebels and government forces erupted last week, prompting the Arab coalition to caution residents to avoid Houthi gatherings and to stay indoors.
More than 40 rebels were killed and wounded in clashes with the Yemeni army in east of Hodeidah, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the newly-appointed Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed has vowed to improve the country's economic crisis.
Mr Saeed arrived for the first time since he assumed office to Aden on Tuesday and said that the government is facing “great difficulties as a result of the country’s deteriorating economic and humanitarian situation”.
"Economic and public reforms, reconstruction, infrastructure repair and normalisation of conditions in liberated areas are at the top of my government’s agenda," Mr Saeed told reporters.
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Read more:
Saudi ambassador to Yemen oversees fuel aid delivery to Aden
Houthi rebels seize fuel and food cargo entering port city of Hodeidah
Yemeni government launches cholera immunisation drive
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The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.3-litre%204cyl%20turbo%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E299hp%20at%205%2C500rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E420Nm%20at%202%2C750rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E10-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E12.4L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh157%2C395%20(XLS)%3B%20Dh199%2C395%20(Limited)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
SPECS
Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 235hp
Torque: 350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Price: From Dh167,500 ($45,000)
On sale: Now
What is Genes in Space?
Genes in Space is an annual competition first launched by the UAE Space Agency, The National and Boeing in 2015.
It challenges school pupils to design experiments to be conducted in space and it aims to encourage future talent for the UAE’s fledgling space industry. It is the first of its kind in the UAE and, as well as encouraging talent, it also aims to raise interest and awareness among the general population about space exploration.
It's up to you to go green
Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.
“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”
When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.
He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.
“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.
One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.
The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.
Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.
But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”
Abramovich London
A Kensington Palace Gardens house with 15 bedrooms is valued at more than £150 million.
A three-storey penthouse at Chelsea Waterfront bought for £22 million.
Steel company Evraz drops more than 10 per cent in trading after UK officials said it was potentially supplying the Russian military.
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Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
