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Yemen's Saudi-backed government rejects UN troops in Hodeida city

Yemen's Saudi-backed government is willing to accept a U.N. role in Hodeida's seaport, a lifeline for millions of people during the country's war, but not a long-term presence in the city itself, Foreign Minister Khalid al Yamani said Monday. Mediator Martin Griffiths, who opened United...

Yemen calls for more humanitarian aid from Turkey

Yemen is calling for more humanitarian aid and protection from Turkey, said the undersecretary of Yemen's Ministry of Local Administration. Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Hasan Alsoudi said: "There is urgent need of humanitarian aid in Yemen. People in our country are now cutting trees and...

U.S. wants to continue support for Arab coalition in Yemen

The United States wants to continue support to the Arab coalition in Yemen's war and will remain engaged in efforts to combat Iranian influence and Islamist militancy in the Arab state, a State Department official said Sunday. Since the Oct 2. murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal...

Qatari Emir not to join Gulf summit in Saudi Arabia

The Qatari emir will not join a Gulf summit to be held in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, a Qatari official told Anadolu Agency late Saturday. The official, who asked not to be named, said that Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad al-Thani won't be in the 39th Gulf Cooperation Council summit in Saudi Arabia...

Yemen’s warring parties meet for 3rd day of talks in Sweden

Yemen’s warring parties are meeting for a third day of talks in Sweden aimed at halting the country’s catastrophic 4-year-old war. Both the internationally recognized government, which is backed by a U.S.-sponsored and Saudi-led coalition, and the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels say they...

Deposed aide to Saudi crown prince accused of role in female activists' torture

A top aide to Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, fired for his role in the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, personally oversaw the torture of at least one detained female activist earlier this year, two sources with knowledge of the matter said. Saud al-Qahtani was a royal adviser...

Pope to visit United Arab Emirates in February

Pope Francis will visit Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates from Feb. 3 to 5, where he will take part in an international "interfaith" meeting, the Vatican said Thursday. The pontiff was invited to the majority-Muslim country by both Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed...

UN-sponsored talks for Yemen start in Sweden

Representatives from Yemen's warring sides sat in the same room in Sweden on Thursday as U.N.-sponsored peace talks for the war-torn Arab country got underway, aimed at halting a catastrophic three-year civil war. Sweden's foreign minister, Margot Wallstrom, opened the talks at a castle...

Yemen's warring parties to convene for fragile peace talks in Sweden

Yemen’s warring parties convene in Sweden on Thursday for U.N.-led peace talks for the first time since 2016 in a small victory for special envoy Martin Griffiths as he attempts to relaunch negotiations to end nearly four years of war. Various U.N. mediators had sponsored a series of...

Expectations low as Yemen's parties meet

Yemen's warring parties will meet in Sweden this week for another attempt at talks aimed at halting their catastrophic 3-year-old war, but there are few incentives for major compromises, and the focus is likely to be on firming up a shaky de-escalation. U.N. officials say they don't...

Yemen's Houthis in Sweden for peace talks; U.N. warns of economic breakdown

A Houthi delegation arrived in Sweden on Tuesday for U.N.-sponsored Yemen peace talks, the first since 2016, as Western nations press for an end to the war and the United Nations warned of a looming economic disaster. The nearly four-year-old conflict, which has killed tens of thousands...

Saudi king invites Qatari emir to attend GCC summit

Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz on Tuesday invited Qatari Emir Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to attend 39th Gulf Cooperation Council Summit in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Dec. 9. According to Qatar’s state-run news agency QNA, the emir received an official invitation from the...

Yemen will need billions to run govt, avoid rial collapse: UN aid chief

Yemen's government will need billions of dollars in external support to finance its 2019 budget and avoid another currency collapse in addition to $4 billion in aid, U.N. aid chief Mark Lowcock said on Tuesday. Lowcock said he had discussed the balance of payments deficit and the need...

Yemen talks set to start in Sweden after wounded Houthis evacuated

Yemeni Houthi officials are expected to travel to Sweden shortly for talks as early as Wednesday to end the nearly four-year-old war after the Saudi-led coalition allowed the evacuation of some of their wounded for treatment. Prospects for convening talks have risen as Western...

Qatar to withdraw from OPEC as of January

Qatar will withdraw from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) as of January, the country’s energy minister announced on Monday. Speaking at a press conference, Saad al-Kaabi said the decision comes after Qatar reviewed ways in which it could improve its...

Wounded Yemeni rebels to be treated in Oman

Yemeni officials say some 50 rebels wounded in fighting will be flown to neighboring Oman for treatment. Their planned evacuation Monday on an Ethiopian Airways flight from Sanaa would meet one of the conditions set by the Houthi rebels to participate in peace talks in Sweden later this...

Yemen sterilizes Sanaa water supplies as cholera outbreak picks up again

Authorities in the Houthi-held Yemeni capital Sanaa are sterilizing water supplies at wells, distribution networks and houses to help stem the world’s worst outbreak of cholera. Nearly four years of war between a Saudi-led coalition and the Iranian-aligned Houthi group have crippled...

Yemen's central bank is awaiting $3 billion deposits: SABA

Yemen's central bank is awaiting deposits worth $3 billon from foreign sources, the state news agency SABA quoted its governor, Mohammed Zammam, as saying on Saturday. "There is a set of decisions the United Nations or some countries will take regarding the new deposits," Zammam said....