The UN mission in Yemen is calling for an immediate ceasefire after heavy fighting between Iran-backed Houthi militias and Yemeni government forces.
The safety and security of the local population remains of paramount importance
Heavy clashes took place in eastern and southern Hodeidah, western Yemen, according to the United Nations Mission to Support the Hodeidah Agreement.
In a press release sent to The National from its press office, the mission said it had received disturbing reports of a significant increase in clashes in parts of the Hodeidah governorate in recent days, particularly in Hays and Al Duraihimi.
The head of the UN mission and chairman of the redeployment co-ordination committee, retired Lt Gen Abhijit Guha, said the new Houthi offensive was contrary to the obligations of the parties to the ceasefire, and the resulting casualties to civilians are unacceptable.
"The safety and security of the local population remains of paramount importance and is the essential reason behind the ceasefire agreement. We will be doing everything possible to remind both parties of their obligations under the Hodeidah Agreement and international humanitarian law. I urge them to stop this escalation before it causes any further harm to civilians," Lt Gen Guha said.
The statement emphasised that both parties must “enable UNMHA teams to visit locations of concern, including heavily-contested areas and sites of recent significant incidents”.
On the ground, fierce confrontations in the district of Hays in southern Hodeidah continued over the past couple of days, resulting in civilian casualties.
"Yesterday a woman and a child were injured,," Faisal Durami, a resident of Hays, said.
"The day before, an elderly woman was killed when a Houthi sniper shot at her house in Beit Maghazi village, in western Hays, south Hodeidah."
The Houthi militias have been arbitrarily shelling the city for more than three days, Mr Durami said.
"The indiscriminate shelling caused tremendous fear among the residents. Nobody dares to flee the city because the Houthis have been sending reinforcements and they target anything moving before them,” he said.
On the ground, the Joint Forces Command announced on Monday that senior Houthi field commanders were killed in clashes with Coalition troops in Hays and Al Duraihimi in the past three days.
“Dozens of Houthi fighters were killed in confrontations with our forces, among them Abdulwahab Mohammed Badriddin Al Houthi, a senior Houthi commander close to Abdulmalik Al Houthi, the most senior leader of the Houthis,” said Aseel Al Sakladi, a spokesperson for the government’s Al Amalika Brigade.
“Our forces also killed Abu Taha Al Murtadha, the commander of the Rapid Action Force of the Houthi militias in Hodeidah,” he said.
In Al Duraihimi, fierce clashes between Houthi militias and the Joint Forces continued on Monday.
A source from the Joint Forces based on the front lines said Houthi militias attacked their positions in eastern Al Duraihimi city.
“They heavily pounded our sites using drones and mortars, attempting to advance to extract corpses of their fighters. One commander and four soldiers from our forces were killed in the bombardment,” the military source said.
Fighting around Ad Durayhimi forced villagers near the front lines to flee their homes as mortars hit Wadi Al Roman and Dakhnan, to the east of Hodeidah.
The port at Hodeidah is a lifeline for food and aid to millions in northern Yemen, and was threatened with destruction by Houthis when the government appeared ready to take the city, in a months-long offensive in 2018.
Fighting paused to allow time for peace talks in Sweden. While a deal was brokered and both sides have pulled back, the terms of the agreement have not been honoured.
UAE tour of the Netherlands
UAE squad: Rohan Mustafa (captain), Shaiman Anwar, Ghulam Shabber, Mohammed Qasim, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Chirag Suri, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Mohammed Naveed, Amjad Javed, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Fixtures and results:
Monday, UAE won by three wickets
Wednesday, 2nd 50-over match
Thursday, 3rd 50-over match
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Virtual banks explained
What is a virtual bank?
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority defines it as a bank that delivers services through the internet or other electronic channels instead of physical branches. That means not only facilitating payments but accepting deposits and making loans, just like traditional ones. Other terms used interchangeably include digital or digital-only banks or neobanks. By contrast, so-called digital wallets or e-wallets such as Apple Pay, PayPal or Google Pay usually serve as intermediaries between a consumer’s traditional account or credit card and a merchant, usually via a smartphone or computer.
What’s the draw in Asia?
Hundreds of millions of people under-served by traditional institutions, for one thing. In China, India and elsewhere, digital wallets such as Alipay, WeChat Pay and Paytm have already become ubiquitous, offering millions of people an easy way to store and spend their money via mobile phone. Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines are also among the world’s biggest under-banked countries; together they have almost half a billion people.
Is Hong Kong short of banks?
No, but the city is among the most cash-reliant major economies, leaving room for newcomers to disrupt the entrenched industry. Ant Financial, an Alibaba Group Holding affiliate that runs Alipay and MYBank, and Tencent Holdings, the company behind WeBank and WeChat Pay, are among the owners of the eight ventures licensed to create virtual banks in Hong Kong, with operations expected to start as early as the end of the year.
HER%20FIRST%20PALESTINIAN
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20Saeed%20Teebi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPages%3A%20256%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPublisher%3A%C2%A0House%20of%20Anansi%20Press%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
THE%20SWIMMERS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESally%20El-Hosaini%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENathalie%20Issa%2C%20Manal%20Issa%2C%20Ahmed%20Malek%20and%20Ali%20Suliman%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The view from The National
Marathon results
Men:
1. Titus Ekiru(KEN) 2:06:13
2. Alphonce Simbu(TAN) 2:07:50
3. Reuben Kipyego(KEN) 2:08:25
4. Abel Kirui(KEN) 2:08:46
5. Felix Kemutai(KEN) 2:10:48
Women:
1. Judith Korir(KEN) 2:22:30
2. Eunice Chumba(BHR) 2:26:01
3. Immaculate Chemutai(UGA) 2:28:30
4. Abebech Bekele(ETH) 2:29:43
5. Aleksandra Morozova(RUS) 2:33:01
Recent winners
2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)
2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)
2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)
2007 Grace Bijjani (Mexico)
2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)
2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)
2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)
2011 Maria Farah (Canada)
2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)
2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)
2014 Lia Saad (UAE)
2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)
2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)
2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)
2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)
Recipe: Spirulina Coconut Brothie
Ingredients
1 tbsp Spirulina powder
1 banana
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (full fat preferable)
1 tbsp fresh turmeric or turmeric powder
½ cup fresh spinach leaves
½ cup vegan broth
2 crushed ice cubes (optional)
Method
Blend all the ingredients together on high in a high-speed blender until smooth and creamy.
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
RIDE%20ON
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Larry%20Yang%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStars%3A%20Jackie%20Chan%2C%20Liu%20Haocun%2C%20Kevin%20Guo%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Twin-turbocharged%204-litre%20V8%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E542bhp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E770Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEight-speed%20automatic%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh1%2C450%2C000%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO
Uefa Nations League
League A, Group 4
Spain v England, 10.45pm (UAE)
Afghanistan fixtures
- v Australia, today
- v Sri Lanka, Tuesday
- v New Zealand, Saturday,
- v South Africa, June 15
- v England, June 18
- v India, June 22
- v Bangladesh, June 24
- v Pakistan, June 29
- v West Indies, July 4
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
