Saudi Arabia has delivered a letter to the UN Security Council detailing the “terrorist actions” of the Houthi rebels in Yemen and calling for measures to be taken against Iran for supporting them.
The letter was sent as the UN issued a warning that Yemen is facing the worst famine the world has seen in decades.
Saudi Arabia said on Sunday it had closed all air, sea and land borders with Yemen, allowing only humanitarian supplies to pass through. The measure was taken after the kingdom shot down a ballistic missile near Riyadh on Saturday that was fired by the Houthis and supplied by Iran, Saudi authorities said.
The Saudi-led coalition, which is fighting to restore the internationally-backed government, have also repeatedly accused the Houthis and their allies of blocking and hindering the distribution of aid in the country.
“The Houthi's continued resort to violence, refusal to return to legitimacy and abide by the relevant Security Council resolutions, have resulted in the catastrophic humanitarian situation and is obstructing the political solution to the conflict,” Saudi Arabia’s UN mission said on Twitter.
The letter said Iran continues to import weapons and ballistics into Yemen, allowing the Houthis to continue the violence.
This is “clear evidence of Iran's hostile behaviour, its support of violence and terrorism threatening the kingdom, the region and the world”.
Despite the coalition’s assurances, Mark Lowcock, the UN under secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, said on Wednesday that unless aid shipments resumed to Yemen "it will be the largest famine the world has seen for many decades, with millions of victims".
Mr Lowcock told a Security Council meeting that UN humanitarian flights should be allowed to resume to the rebel-held capital Sanaa and to the government-controlled city of Aden.
The coalition said Yemen’s borders had been closed "to fill the gaps in the inspection procedures, which enable the continued smuggling of missiles and military equipment to the Houthi militias loyal to Iran in Yemen".
Mr Lowcock urged for there to be "immediate access to all seaports" for deliveries of fuel, food and other vital supplies — as well as assurances from the coalition that there will be no further disruption.
Some 17 million Yemenis are in desperate need of food, seven million of whom are at risk of famine and a cholera outbreak has killed more than 2,000 people.
April Longley Alley, senior analyst at International Crisis Group, said that the closure of borders, ports and airports could have “devastating consequences for an already desperate humanitarian situation,” depending on how long it goes on for.
With shrinking supplies from Hodeida port, which is controlled by the rebels on the Red Sea coast, “the Saudi border crossing and Aden have increasingly filled the gap for supplying Houthi controlled areas, which contain the majority of Yemen’s population”, she said.
The UN meeting took place hours after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the Yemeni President Abdrabu Mansur Hadi discussed efforts made towards preserving security and stability in Yemen.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE are the two main pillars of the Arab coalition, which is supporting troops allied to Mr Hadi's UN-recognized government against the Houthis.
The coalition intervened in Yemen in March 2015 after the Houthis seized Sanaa by force, attacked Mr Hadi and government officials several times, forcing them into exile.
The coalition drove the Houthis from much of Yemen’s south but the conflict became bogged down around the central city of Taez and along the Red Sea coast.
EMIRATES'S%20REVISED%20A350%20DEPLOYMENT%20SCHEDULE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEdinburgh%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20November%204%20%3Cem%3E(unchanged)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBahrain%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20November%2015%20%3Cem%3E(from%20September%2015)%3C%2Fem%3E%3B%20second%20daily%20service%20from%20January%201%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EKuwait%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20November%2015%20%3Cem%3E(from%20September%2016)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMumbai%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%201%20%3Cem%3E(from%20October%2027)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAhmedabad%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%201%20%3Cem%3E(from%20October%2027)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EColombo%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%202%20%3Cem%3E(from%20January%201)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMuscat%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cem%3E%20%3C%2Fem%3EMarch%201%3Cem%3E%20(from%20December%201)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ELyon%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20March%201%20%3Cem%3E(from%20December%201)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBologna%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20March%201%20%3Cem%3E(from%20December%201)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3ESource%3A%20Emirates%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
What's in the deal?
Agreement aims to boost trade by £25.5bn a year in the long run, compared with a total of £42.6bn in 2024
India will slash levies on medical devices, machinery, cosmetics, soft drinks and lamb.
India will also cut automotive tariffs to 10% under a quota from over 100% currently.
Indian employees in the UK will receive three years exemption from social security payments
India expects 99% of exports to benefit from zero duty, raising opportunities for textiles, marine products, footwear and jewellery
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
The years Ramadan fell in May
How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs: 2018 Renault Koleos
Price, base: From Dh77,900
Engine: 2.5L, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 170hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 233Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.3L / 100km
The biog
Prefers vegetables and fish to meat and would choose salad over pizza
Walks daily as part of regular exercise routine
France is her favourite country to visit
Has written books and manuals on women’s education, first aid and health for the family
Family: Husband, three sons and a daughter
Fathiya Nadhari's instructions to her children was to give back to the country
The children worked as young volunteers in social, education and health campaigns
Her motto is to never stop working for the country
