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UN Yemen envoy holds ‘fruitful’ discussion with Yemen parties

UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg holds a press conference at Sanaa International Airport before leaving the Yemeni capital on May 3, 2023. (AFP)
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Updated 04 May 2023
Saeed Al-Batati
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UN Yemen envoy holds ‘fruitful’ discussion with Yemen parties

  • Hans Grundberg urged the Yemeni government and the Iran-backed Houthis to take advantage of the recent progress in peace efforts
  • President Al-Alimi calls for Houthis to comply with peace efforts by releasing prisoners, ending human rights violations
Updated 04 May 2023
Saeed Al-Batati

AL-MUKALLA: The UN Yemen envoy said on Thursday that he had a productive meeting with Yemen’s leader of the Presidential Leadership Council in the country’s southern city of Aden, a day after expressing similar optimism following a meeting with Houthi leaders in Sanaa.

Hans Grundberg urged the Yemeni government and the Iran-backed Houthis to take advantage of the recent progress in peace efforts and the international support for ending the war in order to make concessions and begin negotiations, emphasizing that the Yemeni conflict can only be resolved through dialogue and political will. 

“I have engaged in a fruitful, substantive discussion with President Al-Alimi on the way forward that addresses the immediate concerns of Yemenis and advances an inclusive Yemeni-led process under United Nations auspices,” Grundberg said, referring to PLC head Rashad Al-Alimi.

“I remain committed to supporting a durable resolution to the conflict that reflects the will of the Yemeni people,” he added.

The UN envoy arrived in Aden on Wednesday and left the same day.

The official news agency SABA reported that Al-Alimi expressed the council’s support for the envoy’s efforts to achieve peace in Yemen and welcomed any peace initiative to end the war in Yemen.

He called for the Houthis to comply with peace efforts, including the Saudi initiative, by releasing prisoners, ending human rights violations, and closing their annual summer camps used to indoctrinate and recruit Yemeni children.

“The head of the Presidential Leadership Council stated that the Houthi militia was not prepared for the peace option, regardless of the worsening suffering, as evidenced by the tragic stampede disaster in Sanaa that claimed the lives of dozens of impoverished people seeking humanitarian aid,” the Yemeni leader said, according to SABA. 

Grundberg briefed reporters at Sanaa airport on Wednesday after concluding his two-day visit to the city, stating that he had constructive talks with the Houthis that could pave the way for moving forward with comprehensive peace talks.

He emphasized that the agreement between the Yemeni government and the Houthis should lead to the permanent cessation of hostilities, the lifting of restrictions on Sanaa airport and Hodeidah ports, and the lifting of the Houthis’ siege of Taiz.

“I am encouraged by the positive and constructive atmosphere during my meetings here in Sanaa. and I look forward to returning in the near future to continue our engagement,” the UN envoy said.

He added: “I have had positive engagements with the authorities in Sanaa. We had frank, detailed and constructive discussions on the way forward. And I am encouraged by what I’ve heard and indeed by the constructive engagement by all sides at this critical time.”

Yemen’s peace efforts gained a significant boost last month when the Saudi Ambassador to Yemen Mohammed Al-Jaber undertook a rare visit to Houthi-controlled Sanaa, bringing a semi-final text of the peace deal that tackles difficult points.

Paying public personnel in Houthi-controlled areas has been identified by Yemeni government officials as a point of contention between them and the Houthis.

The Houthis demanded that the Yemeni government transfer salaries to them so that they could distribute them to the employees, whereas the Yemeni government insisted on paying the salaries to the workers based on a payroll audited for 2014 without Houthi interference. 

At the same time, the Yemeni government and the Houthis announced that they are prepared to begin the second round of prisoner exchange negotiations to free all detainees and those who have been forcibly disappeared. 

Topics: Yemen Houthis Rashad Al-Alimi Hans Grundberg

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Man missing after reported shark attack off Israel’s coast

Updated 3 sec ago
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Man missing after reported shark attack off Israel’s coast

Updated 3 sec ago
Shark attacks have not been reported in Israel for decades
Police spokesman Aryeh Doron said that “several findings have been sent for examination“

HADERA, Israel: Israeli police have been searching for a man reported missing following a suspected shark attack off the country’s Mediterranean coast, the force said on Tuesday.
Shark attacks have not been reported in Israel for decades.
Police spokesman Aryeh Doron said that “several findings have been sent for examination,” without specifying the nature of the recovered evidence.
Search operations continued Tuesday in the southeastern Mediterranean, near the area of the central city of Hadera where the swimmer had disappeared.
“The search area is very large, very complex, especially due to the danger posed by diving near sharks,” said Doron Elmashali, commander of the fire and rescue unit involved in the operation.
He said underwater cameras were being used in the operation.
Emergency organizations Magen David Adom and Zaka on Monday said they had been informed of a man’s disappearance off the coast near Hadera, after witnesses said he had been attacked by a shark.
An AFP journalist at the site saw shark silhouettes with dorsal fins breaking through the water’s surface.
Israeli media have broadcast several videos in recent days showing sharks swimming near bathers, including children. One video appears to show a swimmer being attacked.
Police said Tuesday that a ban on entering the sea along large stretches of the coast would remain in effect.
Shark attacks in the calm waters of the Mediterranean are rare, but shark sightings, particularly off the coast of Hadera, are well documented, as dozens are known to gather near the local power station in winter months.
The plant uses sea water to cool its turbines, then discharges the warm water which is believed to attract sandbar and dusky sharks.
Although these species can grow to several meters in length, they are generally not aggressive toward humans.
The seasonal shark population off Hadera has increased in recent years, likely due to the expansion of the power plant and the implementation of legislation prohibiting their capture.
The Israeli Nature and Parks Authority and the Israeli diving association have issued warnings urging divers drawn by the presence of the sharks not to approach them.

Oman, China discuss strategic relations in political, economic sectors

Updated 49 min 42 sec ago
Arab News
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Oman, China discuss strategic relations in political, economic sectors

  • China commended Oman’s role ‘in promoting the settlement of regional hotspot issues’
  • Two sides discussed their bilateral cooperation in political, economic and cultural fields
Updated 49 min 42 sec ago
Arab News

LONDON: Oman and China held the 14th round of strategic consultations in Beijing to deepen their political, economic and cultural cooperation this week.

Khalifa Ali Al-Harthy, the undersecretary of the Omani foreign ministry for political affairs, and Liu Bin, the Chinese assistant minister of foreign affairs, led their respective delegations.

The two sides discussed their bilateral cooperation in political, economic and cultural fields on Monday, exploring ways to enhance strategic relations, the Oman News Agency reported.

Special Envoy Zhai Jun, of the Chinese government on the Middle East issue, said that the strategic partnership between Beijing and Muscat had continued to develop steadily, with successful cooperation in various fields.

“China appreciates the important role played by Oman in promoting the settlement of regional hotspot issues and easing regional tensions,” Jun said, according to a statement on the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ website.

Khalifa met Jun and Zhang Xiaoqiang, executive vice chairman of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges and vice chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, the ONA reported.

Nasser Mohammed Al-Busaidi, the Omani ambassador to China, and Abdulaziz Mohammed Al-Hosni, head of the Asia and Pacific Department at the Foreign Ministry, attended the consultations session.

Topics: Oman China

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Jordan’s prime minister warns against threat of ‘political opportunism’ and external loyalties

Updated 22 April 2025
Arab News
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Jordan’s prime minister warns against threat of ‘political opportunism’ and external loyalties

  • Jafar Hassan’s comments follow arrest of 16 people accused of planning acts of chaos and sabotage, and seizures of missiles, explosives and firearms
  • ‘Nothing transcends Jordan’s interests’ and there is no tolerance for ‘subversive elements seeking to propagate instability and impede national progress,’ he says
Updated 22 April 2025
Arab News

LONDON: Jordan’s Prime Minister Jafar Hassan cautioned on Tuesday against acts of “political opportunism” and any activities that might undermine public safety.

Speaking during a Cabinet meeting in Ajloun, he said: “The Jordanian state’s forbearance cannot be subjected to testing, nor can any entity prevail against it through performative displays or populist demagoguery, or jeopardize public welfare for any cause whatsoever,” the Jordan News Agency reported.

“Nothing transcends Jordan’s interests” and there is “no space for external loyalties or subversive elements seeking to propagate instability and impede national progress,” he added.

“Within Jordan’s borders, sovereignty is exclusively vested in constitutional legitimacy, with authority concentrated solely in state institutions and our independent judiciary.”

The prime minister’s comments came a week after Jordanian authorities said they foiled a series of plots that threatened the country’s national security. They arrested 16 people accused of planning acts of chaos and sabotage, and seized weapons including missiles, explosives and firearms.

Hassan said national unity is essential to the country’s strength and any attempt to compromise it “constitutes direct opposition to Jordan’s national interests and its citizenry.”

Topics: Jordan

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Syria arrests Assad-era officer accused of ‘war crimes’: ministry

Interior ministry announced that security forces had arrested the “criminal brigadier-general Sultan Al-Tinawi.”
Updated 22 April 2025
AFP
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Syria arrests Assad-era officer accused of ‘war crimes’: ministry

  • The statement accused Tinawi of involvement in “committing war crimes against civilians, including a massacre” in the Damascus countryside in 2016
Updated 22 April 2025
AFP

DAMASCUS: Syrian authorities said Tuesday they had arrested a former officer in the feared security apparatus of ousted ruler Bashar Assad, the latest such announcement as the new government pursues ex-officials accused of atrocities.
The interior ministry announced in a statement that security forces in the coastal province of Latakia had arrested the “criminal brigadier-general Sultan Al-Tinawi,” saying he was a key officer in the air force intelligence, one of the Assad family’s most trusted security agencies.
The statement accused Tinawi of involvement in “committing war crimes against civilians, including a massacre” in the Damascus countryside in 2016.
It said he was responsible for “coordinating between the leadership of the Lebanese Hezbollah militia and a number of sectarian groups in Syria.”
Tinawi has been referred to the public prosecution for further investigation, the statement said.
A security source, requesting anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media, said that Tinawi held senior administrative positions in the air force intelligence when Jamil Hassan was head of the notorious agency.
Hassan has been sentenced in absentia in France for complicity in crimes against humanity and war crimes, while the United States has accused him of “war crimes,” including overseeing barrel bomb attacks on Syrian people that killed thousands of civilians.
Tinawi had been “head of the information branch of the air force intelligence” before Assad’s ouster late last year, the security source told AFP, describing the branch as “one of the most powerful and secret security agencies in the country.”
Since taking power in December, Syria’s new authorities have announced a number of arrests of Assad-era security officials.
Assad fled to Moscow with only a handful of confidants, abandoning senior officials and security officers, some of whom have reportedly fled to neighboring countries or taken refuge in the coastal heartland of Assad’s Alawite minority community.

Topics: Fall of Assad

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Jerusalem patriarch hails pope’s commitment to Gaza

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, gives a press conference at the patriarchate headquarters.
Updated 22 April 2025
AFP
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Jerusalem patriarch hails pope’s commitment to Gaza

  • Patriarch thanked numerous Palestinian and Israeli public figures who offered condolences, did not comment on lack of any official message from Netanyahu
Updated 22 April 2025
AFP

JERUSALEM: The Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, on Tuesday hailed Pope Francis’s support for Gazans and engagement with the small Catholic community in the war-battered Palestinian territory.
The Catholic church’s highest authority in the region, who is considered a potential successor to the late pontiff, Pizzaballa told journalists in Jerusalem that “Gaza represents, a little bit, all what was the heart of his pontificate.”
Pope Francis, who died on Monday aged 88, advocated peace and “closeness to the poor... and to the neglected one,” said the patriarch.
These positions became particularly evident in Francis’s response to the Israel-Hamas war which broke out in October 2023, Pizzaballa said.
“He was very close to the community of Gaza, the parish of Gaza, he kept calling them many times — for a certain period, also every day, every evening at 7 pm,” said the patriarch.
He added that by doing so, the pope “became for the community something stable, and also comforting for them, and he knew this.”
Out of the Gaza Strip’s 2.4 million people, about 1,000 are Christians. Most of them are Orthodox, but according to the Latin Patriarchate, there are about 135 Catholics in the territory.
Since the early days of the war, members of the Catholic community have been sheltering at Holy Family Church compound in Gaza City, and some Orthodox Christians have also found refuge there.
Pope Francis repeatedly called for an end to the war. The day before his death, in a final Easter message delivered on Sunday, he condemned the “deplorable humanitarian situation” in the besieged territory.
“Work for justice... but without becoming part of the conflict,” said Pizzaballa of the late pontiff’s actions.
“For us, for the Church, it leaves an important legacy.”
The patriarch thanked the numerous Palestinian and Israeli public figures who have offered their condolences, preferring not to comment on the lack of any official message from Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Even as “the local authorities... were not always happy” with the pope’s positions or statements, they were “always very respectful,” he said.
Pizzaballa said he will travel to Rome on Wednesday, after leading a requiem mass for the pope at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem in the morning.
As one of the 135 cardinal electors, the Latin patriarch will participate in the conclave to elect a new pope.
Pizzaballa, a 60-year-old Italian Franciscan who also speaks English and Hebrew, arrived in Jerusalem in 1990 and was made a cardinal in September 2023, just before the Gaza war began.
His visits to Gaza and appeals for peace since then have attracted international attention.

Topics: War on Gaza Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa Pope Francis

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