UN envoy says prospect of return to war in Yemen is 'real' as truce deadline approaches

The prospect of a return to war in Yemen is “real”, UN special envoy to the country Hans Grundberg has said.

He was speaking after meetings with Yemeni, Saudi and Omani officials in Riyadh and Muscat this week as the deadline for renewing Yemen's truce approaches.

“We are at a crossroads where the risk of a return to war is real and I am urging the parties to choose an alternative that prioritises the needs of the Yemeni people”, Mr Grundberg said after the meetings on Tuesday evening.

Yemen has been experiencing relative calm and a significant reduction in violence on front lines since the UN-brokered truce among warring parties took effect in April.

Inaction on 'FSO Safer' worse than potential benefit to Houthis from salvage plan, UN says

It has since been renewed three times for two-month iterations and is set to expire on Saturday as the UN seeks a broader expansion.

The UN has been calling for a wider truce that extends beyond two months but long-standing sticking issues such as reopening the roads around the besieged city of Taez and paying civil servants' salaries after six years of stagnation have prevented real progress towards political peace from being made.

Deadly violations of the truce by the Iran-backed Houthis, including an attack that killed 10 military personnel in Taez last month, have also made matters more complicated for the government.

During the 77th UN General Assembly in New York last week, the head of Yemen's Presidential Council Rashad Al Alimi said his country welcomes the truce as long as it does not take place at the expense of the Yemeni public.

The truce has brought several benefits to Yemenis including the reopening of flights in and out of the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa, after the airport had been closed for six years, as well as fuel imports through the port of Hodeidah.

An oil tanker truck departs from the Red Sea port of Hodeida in western Yemen on April 13, 2022. AFP

“Tangible benefits of the truce to the Yemeni people include a 60 per cent reduction in casualties, the quadrupling of fuel through Hodeidah port, and commercial flights from Sanaa allowing 21,000 passenger to receive medical treatment and unite with families,” the UN said at a Security Council meeting early this month.

But not all Yemenis seemed to acknowledge the UN efforts or the results brought about since the agreement in April. Many expressed their disapproval by responding to the UN envoy's tweet about his regional meetings.

“What does the renewal of a truce mean if the conditions of the first and second version were not even met,” wrote Twitter user Mohammad Al Ghulisi.

“Extending the truce without the payment of salaries is folly and pointless,” wrote civil engineer Hamood Alhaddad.

“Open the roads to Taez. Enough lying to the people!” wrote Azan Almohalal.

Previous men's records

2:01:39: Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) on 16/9/19 in Berlin
2:02:57: Dennis Kimetto (KEN) on 28/09/2014 in Berlin
2:03:23: Wilson Kipsang (KEN) on 29/09/2013 in Berlin
2:03:38: Patrick Makau (KEN) on 25/09/2011 in Berlin
2:03:59: Haile Gebreselassie (ETH) on 28/09/2008 in Berlin
2:04:26: Haile Gebreselassie (ETH) on 30/09/2007 in Berlin
2:04:55: Paul Tergat (KEN) on 28/09/2003 in Berlin
2:05:38: Khalid Khannouchi (USA) 14/04/2002 in London
2:05:42: Khalid Khannouchi (USA) 24/10/1999 in Chicago
2:06:05: Ronaldo da Costa (BRA) 20/09/1998 in Berlin

Scores in brief:

Boost Defenders 205-5 in 20 overs
(Colin Ingram 84 not out, Cameron Delport 36, William Somerville 2-28)
bt Auckland Aces 170 for 5 in 20 overs
(Rob O’Donnell 67 not out, Kyle Abbott 3-21).

Young women have more “financial grit”, but fall behind on investing

In an October survey of young adults aged 16 to 25, Charles Schwab found young women are more driven to reach financial independence than young men (67 per cent versus. 58 per cent). They are more likely to take on extra work to make ends meet and see more value than men in creating a plan to achieve their financial goals. Yet, despite all these good ‘first’ measures, they are investing and saving less than young men – falling early into the financial gender gap.

While the women surveyed report spending 36 per cent less than men, they have far less savings than men ($1,267 versus $2,000) – a nearly 60 per cent difference.

In addition, twice as many young men as women say they would invest spare cash, and almost twice as many young men as women report having investment accounts (though most young adults do not invest at all).

“Despite their good intentions, young women start to fall behind their male counterparts in savings and investing early on in life,” said Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, senior vice president, Charles Schwab. “They start off showing a strong financial planning mindset, but there is still room for further education when it comes to managing their day-to-day finances.”

Ms Schwab-Pomerantz says parents should be conveying the same messages to boys and girls about money, but should tailor those conversations based on the individual and gender.

"Our study shows that while boys are spending more than girls, they also are saving more. Have open and honest conversations with your daughters about the wage and savings gap," she said. "Teach kids about the importance of investing – especially girls, who as we see in this study, aren’t investing as much. Part of being financially prepared is learning to make the most of your money, and that means investing early and consistently."