A Yemeni child stands in the wreckage of a bus that was hit by a Saudi-led coalition air strike on the Dahyan market in August. AFP
A Yemeni child stands in the wreckage of a bus that was hit by a Saudi-led coalition air strike on the Dahyan market in August. AFP

Yemeni minister says Houthis are frustrating Geneva peace process



Yemen’s minister of human rights on Thursday raised doubts about the Houthis participating in Geneva peace talks, saying they had shown a lack of goodwill and accusing them of deception.

Mohammed Askar told reporters in Abu Dhabi that the Houthis were still using people as human shields and said a report on abuses was being prepared by his ministry and was due to be released next week.

"Our delegation is in Geneva. These militias, as usual, have proven in front of the international community that they don't take heed of the respected international organisations,” said Mr Askar, disputing accounts from rebel media that the Houthi delegation had not been granted permission to travel to Geneva.

“Until now [the militia] says it hasn’t been given authorisation for its exit [from Yemen] knowing we did give it to them," he said.

The Houthi delegation was expected to arrive in Geneva on Wednesday for the first round of UN peace talks in almost three years, in a bid to build confidence between the warring sides. UN special envoy Martin Griffiths said the Houthis wanted to attend talks and that he would make sure they did.

As of Thursday, only the Yemeni government delegation had arrived and the meeting had been postponed to Friday.

_________

Read more:

Editorial: Geneva talks offer best hope for Yemen peace

UN envoy to Yemen upbeat on peace talks despite delay  

Gargash praises UN envoy efforts on Yemen peace talks 

Investigators rebut allegations against Arab Coalition

_________

The Yemeni government report on human rights, announced by Mr Askar, follows a critical appraisal by the UN in which they said war crimes were possibly carried out by all parties in the Yemen conflict, which broke out in 2015.

The Yemeni government and Arab coalition rejected the UN report, saying it contained inaccuracies.

Mr Askar said his government was taking heat as a result of the report, adding, "this report is not neutral, it’s not objective, [there is a lack] of accuracy”.

He acknowledged however that human error was a reality of war, but stressed the need to inspect the actions of all sides.

The minister said the Iranian-backed rebels have been "using people as human shields in their commuting or in [busy] places… where they are storing arms and when the planes are used in this regard victims are killed."

One such incident was an air strike in August on Houthi rebels in Saada province that led to the death of 26 children travelling in a school bus.

"Saada is very painful," said Mr Askar. "A number of children, more than 26, were killed because they were in a market and in a bus and some leaders of the Houthi militia were there."

The Arab coalition, meanwhile, said on Thursday there may have been collateral damage and that its joint forces command had now completed an after-action review of the strikes.

"According to the results of the comprehensive review... there might have been collateral damage and civilian casualties," coalition spokesman Colonel Turki Al Malki said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.

"The alliance has said that yes this has occurred and now they are talking about compensation," said Mr Askar in reference to the deadly strike.

"If we look at this war and its time frame and the planes used, we find that the rate of the mistakes are very low,” said the minister. “We call on all parties to respect international rights and adopt measures to avoid incidents.”

Mr Askar took the time to thank both the UAE and Saudi Arabia’s for their role in restoring peace to Yemen.

"We cannot deny the assistance of the UAE in Yemen, they are a very effective partner, since the first day they stood by the civilians,” he said. “Without this pivotal role played by our brothers…we wouldn’t be able to have this kind of peace in our temporary capital Aden. It is a favour that we will never forget."

THE BIO

Bio Box

Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul

Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader

Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet

Favorite food: seafood

Favorite place to travel: Lebanon

Favorite movie: Braveheart

Long read

Mageed Yahia, director of WFP in UAE: Coronavirus knows no borders, and neither should the response

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At a glance

Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.

 

Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year

 

Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month

 

Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30 

 

Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse

 

Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth

 

Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances

PROFILE

Name: Enhance Fitness 

Year started: 2018 

Based: UAE 

Employees: 200 

Amount raised: $3m 

Investors: Global Ventures and angel investors 

How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
  1. Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
  2. Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
  3. Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
  4. Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
  5. Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
  6. The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
  7. Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269

*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year

Real estate tokenisation project

Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.

Ticket prices

General admission Dh295 (under-three free)

Buy a four-person Family & Friends ticket and pay for only three tickets, so the fourth family member is free

Buy tickets at: wbworldabudhabi.com/en/tickets

Day 2, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance

Moment of the day Dinesh Chandimal has inherited a challenging job, after being made Sri Lanka’s Test captain. He responded in perfect fashion, with an easy-natured century against Pakistan. He brought up three figures with a majestic cover drive, which he just stood and admired.

Stat of the day – 33 It took 33 balls for Dilruwan Perera to get off the mark. His time on zero was eventful enough. The Sri Lankan No 7 was given out LBW twice, but managed to have both decisions overturned on review. The TV replays showed both times that he had inside edged the ball onto his pad.

The verdict In the two previous times these two sides have met in Abu Dhabi, the Tests have been drawn. The docile nature of proceedings so far makes that the likely outcome again this time, but both sides will be harbouring thoughts that they can force their way into a winning position.

Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

Test

Director: S Sashikanth

Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan

Star rating: 2/5

One in four Americans don't plan to retire

Nearly a quarter of Americans say they never plan to retire, according to a poll that suggests a disconnection between individuals' retirement plans and the realities of ageing in the workforce.

Experts say illness, injury, layoffs and caregiving responsibilities often force older workers to leave their jobs sooner than they'd like.

According to the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research, 23 per cent of workers, including nearly two in 10 of those over 50, don't expect to stop working. Roughly another quarter of Americans say they will continue working beyond their 65th birthday.

According to government data, about one in five people 65 and older was working or actively looking for a job in June. The study surveyed 1,423 adults in February this year.

For many, money has a lot to do with the decision to keep working.

"The average retirement age that we see in the data has gone up a little bit, but it hasn't gone up that much," says Anqi Chen, assistant director of savings research at the Centre for Retirement Research at Boston College. "So people have to live in retirement much longer, and they may not have enough assets to support themselves in retirement."

When asked how financially comfortable they feel about retirement, 14 per cent of Americans under the age of 50 and 29 per cent over 50 say they feel extremely or very prepared, according to the poll. About another four in 10 older adults say they do feel somewhat prepared, while just about one-third feel unprepared. 

"One of the things about thinking about never retiring is that you didn't save a whole lot of money," says Ronni Bennett, 78, who was pushed out of her job as a New York City-based website editor at 63.

She searched for work in the immediate aftermath of her layoff, a process she describes as akin to "banging my head against a wall." Finding Manhattan too expensive without a steady stream of income, she eventually moved to Portland, Maine. A few years later, she moved again, to Lake Oswego, Oregon. "Sometimes I fantasise that if I win the lottery, I'd go back to New York," says Ms Bennett.

 

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid

When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

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A MINECRAFT MOVIE

Director: Jared Hess

Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa

Rating: 3/5

Specs

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Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
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THE SPECS

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Power: 420kW

Torque: 780Nm

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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What are the influencer academy modules?
  1. Mastery of audio-visual content creation. 
  2. Cinematography, shots and movement.
  3. All aspects of post-production.
  4. Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
  5. Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
  6. Tourism industry knowledge.
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The bio

Favourite book: Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer

Favourite quote: “The world makes way for the man who knows where he is going.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist

Favourite Authors: Arab poet Abu At-Tayyib Al-Mutanabbi

Favourite Emirati food: Luqaimat, a deep-fried dough soaked in date syrup

Hobbies: Reading and drawing

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Director: Spike Lee

Starring: John David Washington; Adam Driver 

Five stars

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
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