UN food agency stops delivery to millions in Yemen's Houthi-run areas

The UN's World Food Programme said it had been "compelled to pause" distribution of food to millions of people living in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.

The WFP said it had failed to reach an agreement with the de facto authorities in the capital Sanaa, despite talks throughout the year to scale down operations.

“This difficult decision, made in consultation with donors, comes after nearly a year of negotiations during which no agreement was reached, to reduce the number of people served from 9.5 million to 6.5 million,” it said in a statement.

Food stocks in areas under Houthi control “are now almost completely depleted and resuming food assistance, even with an immediate agreement, could take up to as long as four months due to the disruption of the supply chain", the WFP said.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the WFP had tried unsuccessfully “to establish a system that is safe and accountable for the aid going through” to rebel-held areas.

The war in Yemen began when the Houthis seized Sanaa in 2014. More than 150,000 people have since been killed by the violence and three million displaced.

The WFP said it would continue its nutrition and school-feeding projects, to limit the impact of the pause in food distribution.

In government-controlled areas of Yemen, the WFP said general distribution would continue “with a heightened focus on the most vulnerable families".

“Similar prioritisation is taking place in nearly half of WFP’s operations around the world as the agency navigates the challenging financial landscape that the entire humanitarian sector is facing,” it added.

Groom and Two Brides

Director: Elie Semaan

Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla

Rating: 3/5

Directed: Smeep Kang
Produced: Soham Rockstar Entertainment; SKE Production
Cast: Rishi Kapoor, Jimmy Sheirgill, Sunny Singh, Omkar Kapoor, Rajesh Sharma
Rating: Two out of five stars

Mountain Classification Tour de France after Stage 8 on Saturday:

1. Lilian Calmejane (France / Direct Energie) 11
2. Fabio Aru (Italy / Astana) 10
3. Daniel Martin (Ireland / Quick-Step) 8
4. Robert Gesink (Netherlands / LottoNL) 8
5. Warren Barguil (France / Sunweb) 7
6. Chris Froome (Britain / Team Sky) 6
7. Guillaume Martin (France / Wanty) 6
8. Jan Bakelants (Belgium / AG2R) 5
9. Serge Pauwels (Belgium / Dimension Data) 5
10. Richie Porte (Australia / BMC Racing) 4

COMPANY%20PROFILE

%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Eco%20Way%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20December%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ivan%20Kroshnyi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Electric%20vehicles%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Bootstrapped%20with%20undisclosed%20funding.%20Looking%20to%20raise%20funds%20from%20outside%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

MATCH INFO

Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm

Who was Alfred Nobel?

The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.

In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.

US households add $601bn of debt in 2019

American households borrowed another $601 billion (Dh2.2bn) in 2019, the largest yearly gain since 2007, just before the global financial crisis, according to February data from the New York Federal Reserve Bank.

Fuelled by rising mortgage debt as homebuyers continued to take advantage of low interest rates, the increase last year brought total household debt to a record high, surpassing the previous peak reached in 2008 just before the market crash, according to the report.

Following the 22nd straight quarter of growth, American household debt swelled to $14.15 trillion by the end of 2019, the New York Fed said in its quarterly report.

In the final three months of the year, new home loans jumped to their highest volume since the fourth quarter of 2005, while credit cards and auto loans also added to the increase.

The bad debt load is taking its toll on some households, and the New York Fed warned that more and more credit card borrowers — particularly young people — were falling behind on their payments.

"Younger borrowers, who are disproportionately likely to have credit cards and student loans as their primary form of debt, struggle more than others with on-time repayment," New York Fed researchers said.