"Childhood in Yemen is a special kind of hell." Antonio Guterres, the UN SecretaryGeneral, did not mince his words at Monday's fundraising meeting for the country. More than three quarters of Yemen's population are expected to go hungry this year. Five million are at risk of famine.
And yet, foreign aid to the nation is faltering. In 2020, the UN received $1.9 billion, a little over half the amount it requested. This year, the total fell to $1.7bn, now under 50 per cent of the target figure of $3.85bn. This is just money pledged. The amounts delivered are frequently less.
As funding decreases, the intensity of Yemen's crisis increases. Houthi terrorists maintain their grip on large parts of the country and, by the day, are pushing further into new territory.
Economic recovery from Covid-19 is the top priority for governments across the world. Foreign aid budgets are regarded as easy targets for spending cuts. And when crises drag on, some donors can become weary. Others insist on maintaining their commitments. Saudi Arabia has committed $430 million, by far the largest annual pledge of any country at the meeting. The UAE promised $230m, America $191m and Germany $240m. The future of Yemen has global consequences, and the effort to secure it must involve more countries.
Millions are at risk of famine in Yemen. EPA
This year, total pledges fell to $1.7bn, under 50 per cent of the target figure of $3.85bn
Meanwhile, the UK, which has tried to rebrand itself as "Global Britain", has slashed its 2021 contribution. London has promised $121m, almost half of what it pledged in 2020. While frugality is not a bad quality for a state to have, well-spent foreign aid is an investment that can pay big dividends in terms of national security and international influence.
Donor reluctance is understandable. There is room for international organisations to spend more efficiently, and some experts justifiably wonder whether money would be used more efficiently if given directly to local governments, even in cases where they may misappropriate a portion of it or struggle without the full capacity to deploy the funds. To keep the pipeline flowing smoothly, the UN must enhance its efforts to maximise the returns for the intended beneficiaries of aid – that is to say, civilians on the ground. More engagement from donor countries, not less, will help to hold the organisation to high standards.
But used well, there is no doubt that aid saves lives. In 2018 and 2019, when the UN World Food Programme sought funds to fight global hunger, the success of its appeal helped to stave off famine.
Of course, foreign aid is not the total solution to Yemen's crisis. Houthi rebels continue hold the country hostage, killing and injuring the innocent, preventing the flow of aid into certain areas and using the impending environmental catastrophe of FSO Safer – a stranded, decaying tanker loaded with oil that could explode at any moment – as a bargaining chip.
But all the same, choosing to step back from foreign aid now, would make a bad situation worse.
MATCH INFO
Day 1 at Mount Maunganui
England 241-4
Denly 74, Stokes 67 not out, De Grandhomme 2-28
New Zealand
Yet to bat
BMW M5 specs
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
Price: From Dh650,000
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
Riders must be 14-years-old or over
Wear a protective helmet
Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
5pm: Warsan Lake – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 2,200m; Winner: Dhaw Al Reef, Sam Hitchcott (jockey), Abdallah Al Hammadi (trainer)
5.30pm: Al Quadra Lake – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Mrouwah Al Gharbia, Sando Paiva, Abubakar Daud
6pm: Hatta Lake – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: AF Yatroq, George Buckell, Ernst Oertel
6.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Ashton Tourettes, Adries de Vries, Ibrahim Aseel
7pm: Abu Dhabi Championship – Listed (PA) Dh180,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Bahar Muscat, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7.30pm: Zakher Lake – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Alfareeq, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi.
TOURNAMENT INFO
Fixtures
Sunday January 5 - Oman v UAE
Monday January 6 - UAE v Namibia
Wednesday January 8 - Oman v Namibia
Thursday January 9 - Oman v UAE
Saturday January 11 - UAE v Namibia
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Waheed Ahmed, Zawar Farid, Darius D’Silva, Karthik Meiyappan, Jonathan Figy, Vriitya Aravind, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Chirag Suri
Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.
The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?
My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.
The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.
So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
Priority access to new homes from participating developers
Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
Flexible payment plans from developers
Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister. "We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know. “All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.” It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins. Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement. The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
Why seagrass matters
Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
