The UAE's deputy permanent representative and charge d'affaires to the UN has pledged that the country will exert every effort to de-escalate matters in southern Yemen.
Speaking to the Security Council in New York on Tuesday, Saud Al Shamsi highlighted the important role the UAE has played in liberating areas of Yemen from the Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
“My country has in an official statement expressed extreme concern over the armed confrontations in Aden between the legitimate Yemeni government and the Southern Transitional Council, and it has called for calm, non-escalation and the preservation of the security and safety of Yemeni citizens," Mr Al Shamsi said.
"This is the same position it has adopted as a main partner in the Arab Coalition, led by the sister kingdom Saudi Arabia.
“The United Arab Emirates will exert every effort to de-escalate matters in southern Yemen.
“We must not forget the important part my country has played in the liberation of Aden and most of the country occupied by the Houthi rebellion.
"The UAE has prevented the terrorist parties from taking advantage of the security vacuum during this critical and difficult phase of Yemen's life, and the UAE has managed to play a great part in reconstructing the liberated areas.”
Mr Al Shamsi reminded the council that the UAE’s “generous support” helped to neutralise the threat of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
His words came as Martin Griffiths, the UN's special envoy for Yemen, said the recent violence in Aden increased the chances of a resurgence of Aqap and others, such as ISIS.
Also speaking to the Security Council, Mr Griffiths thanked the Arab Coalition for its efforts to temper the situation in Yemen, which has suffered from civil war since 2015.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE have called for dialogue between pro-government Yemeni groups and the Southern Transitional Council, with a meeting planned in Jeddah welcomed by the UN, the US and other leading world powers.
“I am grateful to all those member states, including members of this council, who have called for restraint and dialogue,” Mr Griffiths said.
“In particular, I welcome the efforts of the [Arab] Coalition to restore calm and the efforts exerted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to convene a dialogue in Jeddah.”
In new clashes overnight, STC forces took full control of bases belonging to pro-government special forces and military police in Abyan, a southern governorate.
The commanders handed their positions over to the STC on Tuesday and left with their men.
Mr Griffiths said the situation was changing with great pace, but he described the latest fighting as provocative and said it proved the pressing need for talks to restore calm.
“The fragmentation of Yemen is becoming a stronger and more pressing threat,” Mr Griffiths told the Security Council by video link from Amman.
"This makes our efforts in the Yemeni peace process more urgent than ever. There is no time to lose. We cannot underestimate the risks that these events pose for the future of the country."
Scores were killed and hundreds wounded in the clashes in Aden earlier this month, spurring the calls for de-escalation from the Arab Coalition that is fighting the Houthis.
Aden is the temporary base of Yemen’s government, a status conferred after Iranian-backed Houthi rebels seized the capital Sanaa in late 2014.
But Mr Griffiths said recent actions were unacceptable.
"A continuation of this current situation is simply untenable. At this time it is difficult to know where events will lead us," he said.
Saudi King Salman and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, met in Makkah last week to discuss the situation in Yemen.
In a statement afterwards they reaffirmed their call for parties to “prioritise dialogue and reason in the interest of Yemen and its people”.
On Sunday, STC leader Gen Aidarous Al Zubaidi said he was committed to a ceasefire in Aden and to taking part in Saudi-brokered peace talks with the government of Yemeni President Abdrabu Mansur Hadi.
The government also affirmed “its commitment to respect the call of the Saudi-led coalition to a ceasefire”.
STC spokesman Saleh Alnoud later said the group was looking for an equal seat at the table in peace talks, a rejoinder to the group’s exclusion from the UN-brokered summit in Stockholm last December that led to a limited ceasefire agreement in the southern port city of Hodeidah.
Only representatives of the Houthis and Mr Hadi’s administration took part.
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
'Project Power'
Stars: Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Dominique Fishback
Director: Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
The Greatest Royal Rumble card
50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
WWE World Heavyweight ChampionshipAJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura
Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt
Casket match The Undertaker v Rusev
Singles match John Cena v Triple H
Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v Kalisto
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
RESULTS
5pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 2,200m
Winner: Jawal Al Reef, Fernando Jara (jockey), Ahmed Al Mehairbi (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: AF Seven Skies, Bernardo Pinheiro, Qais Aboud
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m
Winner: Almahroosa, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
6.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m
Winner: AF Sumoud, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,200m
Winner: AF Majalis, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Adventurous, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE fixtures:
Men
Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final
Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final
U19 World Cup in South Africa
Group A: India, Japan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka
Group B: Australia, England, Nigeria, West Indies
Group C: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Scotland, Zimbabwe
Group D: Afghanistan, Canada, South Africa, UAE
UAE fixtures
Saturday, January 18, v Canada
Wednesday, January 22, v Afghanistan
Saturday, January 25, v South Africa
UAE squad
Aryan Lakra (captain), Vriitya Aravind, Deshan Chethyia, Mohammed Farazuddin, Jonathan Figy, Osama Hassan, Karthik Meiyappan, Rishabh Mukherjee, Ali Naseer, Wasi Shah, Alishan Sharafu, Sanchit Sharma, Kai Smith, Akasha Tahir, Ansh Tandon
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The biog
Born: Kuwait in 1986
Family: She is the youngest of seven siblings
Time in the UAE: 10 years
Hobbies: audiobooks and fitness: she works out every day, enjoying kickboxing and basketball
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
The Land between Two Rivers: Writing in an Age of Refugees
Tom Sleigh, Graywolf Press
Other must-tries
Tomato and walnut salad
A lesson in simple, seasonal eating. Wedges of tomato, chunks of cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, coriander or parsley leaves, and perhaps some fresh dill are drizzled with a crushed walnut and garlic dressing. Do consider yourself warned: if you eat this salad in Georgia during the summer months, the tomatoes will be so ripe and flavourful that every tomato you eat from that day forth will taste lacklustre in comparison.
Badrijani nigvzit
A delicious vegetarian snack or starter. It consists of thinly sliced, fried then cooled aubergine smothered with a thick and creamy walnut sauce and folded or rolled. Take note, even though it seems like you should be able to pick these morsels up with your hands, they’re not as durable as they look. A knife and fork is the way to go.
Pkhali
This healthy little dish (a nice antidote to the khachapuri) is usually made with steamed then chopped cabbage, spinach, beetroot or green beans, combined with walnuts, garlic and herbs to make a vegetable pâté or paste. The mix is then often formed into rounds, chilled in the fridge and topped with pomegranate seeds before being served.
Champions League Last 16
Red Bull Salzburg (AUT) v Bayern Munich (GER)
Sporting Lisbon (POR) v Manchester City (ENG)
Benfica (POR) v Ajax (NED)
Chelsea (ENG) v Lille (FRA)
Atletico Madrid (ESP) v Manchester United (ENG)
Villarreal (ESP) v Juventus (ITA)
Inter Milan (ITA) v Liverpool (ENG)
Paris Saint-Germain v Real Madrid (ESP)
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Tesalam Aleik
Abdullah Al Ruwaished
(Rotana)
Brief scoreline:
Liverpool 2
Mane 51', Salah 53'
Chelsea 0
Man of the Match: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
The specs: 2018 Bentley Bentayga V8
Price, base: Dh853,226
Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 550hp @ 6,000pm
Torque: 770Nm @ 1,960rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.4L / 100km
The Details
Kabir Singh
Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series
Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa
Rating: 2.5/5
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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Stree
Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Movies
Director: Amar Kaushik
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee
Rating: 3.5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
