At least 15 civilians were killed in attacks on minibuses in Yemen's embattled Hodeida province, a UN agency said Sunday, as Huthi rebels blamed air strikes by the Saudi-led coalition. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs did not specify the type of strikes Saturday in the Jabal Ras district, but Yemeni rebels said they were air raids by the coalition fighting alongside the government. The coalition's spokesman, contacted by AFP, had no immediate comment. The UN agency said at least 20 more civilians were injured, in what Lisa Grande, the world body's humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, termed "a horrific incident". The Norwegian Refugee Council condemned "an unacceptable pattern of attacks on civilian women, men and children by parties to the conflict who profess concern for the interests and welfare of Yemeni people". Saudi Arabia and its allies intervened in Yemen in 2015 to support President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi's government after the Iran-aligned Huthis … [Read more...] about 15 civilians dead in strikes on minibuses in Yemen’s Hodeida: UN
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Combative Saudi foreign policy stirs international ire
Experts have said Saudi Arabia's maneuvers against Canada illustrate how the oil-rich kingdom is increasingly seeking to use its economic and diplomatic muscle to quell foreign criticism under its young de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman AFP/BANDAR AL-JALOUD An air strike by the Saudi-led coalition hit a bus in rebel-held northern Yemen on Thursday, killing dozens of what aid groups said were school children, with the United States and United Nations both calling for an investigation. The coalition insisted Huthi rebel combatants were aboard the bus, but international media have photographed dazed and bloodied children flooding into hospitals struggling to cope with a three-year conflict that the UN has dubbed the world's worst humanitarian crisis. "The war is becoming increasingly unpopular with the international community, including in the US Congress," Sigurd Neubauer, a Middle East analyst in Washington, said. "(This) attack has unfortunately become the norm and … [Read more...] about Combative Saudi foreign policy stirs international ire
Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait offer $2.5 bn in aid to crisis-hit Jordan
Viet Nam News RIYADH — Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait have offered $2.5 billion in aid for Jordan to ease its economic crisis following a wave of anti-austerity protests, the Saudi state media announced early Monday. "In light of the close brotherly ties... it was agreed that the three countries would provide an economic aid package to Jordan totalling $2.5 billion," the official Saudi Press Agency said. The package, announced at a summit of the four nations in the holy city of Mecca, will include a deposit in the Jordanian central bank, World Bank guarantees, budgetary support over five years and financing for development projects, SPA said. The summit, called by Saudi King Salman, was attended by Jordan’s King Abdullah II along with leaders of the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait. Mass protests against price rises and a proposed tax hike have rocked Jordan in recent days as the government pushes austerity measures to slash the country’s … [Read more...] about Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait offer $2.5 bn in aid to crisis-hit Jordan
Trump’s travel ban faces US Supreme Court showdown
The first big showdown at the U.S. Supreme Court over President Donald Trump’s immigration policies is set for Wednesday when the justices hear a challenge to the lawfulness of his travel ban targeting people from several Muslim-majority countries. The case represents a test of the limits of presidential power. Trump’s policy, announced in September, blocks entry into the United States of most people from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen. Chad previously was on the list but Trump lifted those restrictions on April 10. The high court has never decided the legal merits of the travel ban or any other major Trump immigration policy, including his move to rescind protections for young immigrants sometimes called Dreamers brought into the United States illegally as children. It has previously acted on Trump requests to undo lower court orders blocking those two policies, siding with him on the travel ban and opposing him on the Dreamers. Trump’s immigration policies - … [Read more...] about Trump’s travel ban faces US Supreme Court showdown
International donors to plough billions into Lebanon
PARIS — International donors are set to give the green light to a US$10-billion investment plan for Lebanon at a conference in Paris on Friday, hoping to stave off an economic crisis. Lebanon’s economic growth has plummeted due to repeated political crises, compounded by the Syrian war which has sent a million refugees across the border — equivalent to a quarter of the Lebanese population before the conflict. Some 41 countries are sending representatives to the CEDRE conference along with officials from the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and other global bodies. "This support is a means of building a safety wall between Lebanon and troubles elsewhere in the region at a time of huge political uncertainty," said an aide to French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. The office of French President Emmanuel Macron, who will close the conference, said donors were set to approve an investment plan that would notably pour cash into Lebanon’s … [Read more...] about International donors to plough billions into Lebanon