UN special envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg arrives for a meeting with local officials in Yemen's third city of Taez on November 8, 2021. AFP
UN special envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg arrives for a meeting with local officials in Yemen's third city of Taez on November 8, 2021. AFP
UN special envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg arrives for a meeting with local officials in Yemen's third city of Taez on November 8, 2021. AFP
UN special envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg arrives for a meeting with local officials in Yemen's third city of Taez on November 8, 2021. AFP

Yemen: 2021 ending on tragic note for civilians, says UN


Mina Aldroubi
  • English
  • Arabic

The final days of the year will end on a tragic note for Yemeni civilians, the UN envoy to the country, Hans Grundberg, said on Wednesday.

Yemen has been mired in war since Iran-backed Houthi rebels ousted the internationally recognised government from the capital Sanaa in 2014.

“2021 is ending on a tragic note for Yemenis, millions of whom are struggling with poverty, hunger and severe restrictions on their freedom of movement,” Mr Grundberg said.

The UN official called for Sanaa airport to be opened and for the removal of obstacles hindering Yemenis’ ability to move within or between governorates in Yemen.

Since 2014, the airport has been controlled by the Houthis. They said the airport had been put out of operation after air strikes by the Saudi-led coalition.

Since the fighting began in 2015, the airport has been closed to civilian flights, although UN planes have been permitted to land there.

On Monday, the rebels said they allowed the resumption of UN flights to Sanaa airport "after malfunctions in communications and navigational devices were temporarily fixed", the agency report said.

They also urged the UN to help facilitate the delivery of air traffic control equipment from Djibouti.

Mr Grundberg "denounced the recent major military escalation in Yemen and called on the warring parties to immediately de-escalate".

“The escalation in recent weeks is among the worst we have seen in Yemen for years and the threat to civilian lives is increasing," he said.

An airport worker in a building destroyed by a reported air strike by the Saudi-led coalition targeting Sanaa airport on December 21, 2021. AFP
An airport worker in a building destroyed by a reported air strike by the Saudi-led coalition targeting Sanaa airport on December 21, 2021. AFP

The continued offensive on Marib and missile attacks on the governorate are "resulting in civilian casualties, damage to civilian objects and mass displacement”, Mr Grundberg said.

The battle for Marib began in February and has intensified in recent weeks, with Houthi gains across the gas and oil-producing region, and increased air strikes by the Saudi Arabia-led coalition to deter them.

The UN envoy expressed his concern about "sustained attacks against Saudi Arabia, which also resulted in civilian casualties and damaged civilian infrastructure".

In recent weeks, attacks against the kingdom by the rebels have increased. On Saturday, an attack on the Saudi border town of Jizan killed two civilians and injured seven.

The war in Yemen has created what the UN called the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

More than half of Yemen’s population of 16.2 million people faces acute hunger, with 2.3 million children at risk of malnutrition, the UN food agency estimates.

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Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

Brief scores:

Toss: South Africa, chose to field

Pakistan: 177 & 294

South Africa: 431 & 43-1

Man of the Match: Faf du Plessis (South Africa)

Series: South Africa lead three-match series 2-0

MATCH INFO

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Liverpool v Roma

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.

A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.

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Roll of honour 2019-2020

Dubai Rugby Sevens

Winners: Dubai Hurricanes

Runners up: Bahrain

 

West Asia Premiership

Winners: Bahrain

Runners up: UAE Premiership

 

UAE Premiership

Winners: Dubai Exiles

Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes

 

UAE Division One

Winners: Abu Dhabi Saracens

Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes II

 

UAE Division Two

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MATCH INFO

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United States 17 (Tries: Scully (2), Lasike; Cons: MacGinty)

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U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES

UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)
Saturday 15 January: v Canada
Thursday 20 January: v England
Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh

UAE squad
Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly, Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya Shetty, Kai Smith

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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4

Seemar’s top six for the Dubai World Cup Carnival:

1. Reynaldothewizard
2. North America
3. Raven’s Corner
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Company Fact Box

Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019

Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO

Based: Amman, Jordan

Sector: Education Technology

Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed

Stage: early-stage startup 

Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.

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match info

Southampton 2 (Ings 32' & pen 89') Tottenham Hotspur 5 (Son 45', 47', 64', & 73', Kane 82')

Man of the match Son Heung-min (Tottenham)

THE SPECS

BMW X7 xDrive 50i

Engine: 4.4-litre V8

Transmission: Eight-speed Steptronic transmission

Power: 462hp

Torque: 650Nm

Price: Dh600,000

Company profile

Date started: 2015

Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki

Based: Dubai

Sector: Online grocery delivery

Staff: 200

Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends

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Fixtures

Friday Leganes v Alaves, 10.15pm; Valencia v Las Palmas, 12.15am

Saturday Celta Vigo v Real Sociedad, 8.15pm; Girona v Atletico Madrid, 10.15pm; Sevilla v Espanyol, 12.15am

Sunday Athletic Bilbao v Getafe, 8.15am; Barcelona v Real Betis, 10.15pm; Deportivo v Real Madrid, 12.15am

Monday Levante v Villarreal, 10.15pm; Malaga v Eibar, midnight

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On sale: Now

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Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

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England v South Africa schedule:

  • First Test: At Lord's, England won by 219 runs
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  • Third Test: The Oval, London, July 27-31, 2pm
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Tips to stay safe during hot weather
  • Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
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Specs

Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric

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Power: 905hp

Torque: 985Nm

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Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor

Power: 727hp

Torque: 1,000Nm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km

On sale: Now

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Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

Company%20Profile
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Brief scoreline:

Liverpool 2

Keita 5', Firmino 26'

Porto 0

Updated: December 29, 2021, 9:27 AM`