SANAA/NEW YORK: Yemeni militias on Wednesday dispersed a protest in Sanaa staged by dozens of women demanding the handover of the body of slain former President Ali Abdullah Saleh for burial.
“There is no god but Allah and the martyr is a friend of Allah,” the women shouted in front of the Saleh Mosque, named after the former president, and the largest in the capital.
Witnesses say the protest lasted less than an hour before Houthi militias violently dispersed it. Video footage of the women fleeing the scene was posted on social media.
Witnesses said a second group of women gathered in front of Sanaa Military Hospital, shouting, “The people want the remains of the leader.”
It was unclear on Wednesday whether the Houthis had already buried Saleh’s body, according to the Agency France-Presse.
The previous day, Khaled Hussein Al-Yamani, Yemen’s permanent representative to the UN, revealed that the UN’s special envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, told a closed session of the UN Security Council that Houthi militias are assassinating leaders of Saleh’s General People’s Congress party (GPC).
Al-Yamani said Houthi militants have executed “thousands” of people in the past two days, adding that there is an agreement to evacuate UN humanitarian workers from Sanaa in light of recent developments.
Koro Bessho, president of the UN Security Council, said the council strongly condemns the missile attacks carried out by Houthi militias against Saudi Arabia, stressing that the council has imposed an arms embargo on the rebels.
Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, called for a negotiated settlement.
In Washington, US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said that Saleh’s murder would either push the conflict toward UN-led peace negotiations or create an “even more vicious war.”
Either way, he suggested, in the short-term, it would likely worsen an already dire humanitarian situation “for the innocent people” in Yemen.
“This is where we’ve all got to roll up our sleeves,” Mattis said. “What are you going to do about medicine and food and clean water and cholera? I think there has got to be a lot more focus on the humanitarian side right now.”
In another development, the Houthi militias have detained more than 40 media staff, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said on Wednesday, demanding their immediate release.
They reportedly include staff of Yemen Today — a channel affiliated with Saleh. Houthis overran the channel’s Sanaa offices on Saturday, attaching with rocket-propelled grenades and wounding three guards the press watchdog said.
“This hostage-taking is typical of the climate of hostility in Yemen toward journalists, who are often targeted in this conflict,” said RSF’s Alexandra El-Khazen.
A GPC official said some of the detained staff had since been transferred to prison while others were still being held in the television’s offices.
“The Houthis were exerting pressure on them to change their coverage, to issue certain statements, and report the betrayal of former President Saleh and accuse him of working for the Arab coalition. But the journalists refused to do it,” the official said.
A spokesman for the Committee to Protect Journalists called for the immediate release of the journalists, saying the Houthi attack on Yemen Today “shows profound contempt for press freedom.”
Houthis execute ‘thousands’ in two days: UN’s Yemen envoy
Houthis execute ‘thousands’ in two days: UN’s Yemen envoy
Zverev equals Becker record to reach Rome Open final
By making Sunday’s championship match, the 27-year-old Zverev has tied Becker’s record for the most Masters finals by a German since the series began in 1990
ROME: Germany’s Alexander Zverev equalled compatriot Boris Becker’s record by reaching an 11th Masters final on Friday when he ended the Rome Open giant-killing run of Alejandro Tabilo.
World number five Zverev, who lifted the Rome trophy in 2017, battled back to see off the Chilean 1-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 in their semifinal.
The 26-year-old Tabilo had shocked Novak Djokovic in the third round and the 32nd-ranked player showed little fear of Zverev until he began to play more passively in the second set tie-break.
Third seed Zverev then raced through the decider to make the Rome final for the third time.
“I was just hanging on in the second set. I brought my energy up. I was really just hanging on and waiting and the patience was kind of good today,” Zverev said on court.
“He hit me off the court in the first set and I did not play well at all, but he was a big reason why. He gave me no rhythm and I am happy I turned it around in the tie-break and ran away in the third set.”
In Sunday’s final, he will take on either another Chilean in Nicolas Jarry or Tommy Paul of the United States.
By making Sunday’s championship match, the 27-year-old Zverev has tied Becker’s record for the most Masters finals by a German since the series began in 1990.
Leading fintech outlines vision for affordable remittances for Pakistani users at Dubai summit
- Unencumbered by traditional banking infrastructure, top JazzCash official sees fintechs offering greater financial inclusion
- Murtaza Ali says women already constitute 30 percent of JazzCash customers and 17 percent of its lending users
KARACHI: The top official of a leading Pakistani fintech told a summit in Dubai on Friday financial platforms offered by companies like his could boost remittances to the country, making these transfers more affordable and remotely accessible while making the platforms pivotal for millions of local households.
JazzCash, a mobile wallet and branchless banking service provided by a major telecom operator in Pakistan, was originally launched as “MobiCash” in 2012 before it was rebranded four years later.
Earlier this week, it announced a partnership with the United Arab Emirates-based financial service provider, du Pay, for smooth cross-border payments, saying the collaboration, powered by Western Union, would allow Pakistani nationals to send money directly to JazzCash mobile wallets.
According to a statement issued by the company, the JazzCash head, Murtaza Ali, spoke about the financial inclusion provided by fintech organizations while discussing their impact on the country’s economic landscape.
“Detached from traditional limitations like bank branches and agent networks, digital remittances can reach even remote, low-income households, empowering them to participate in the formal financial system,” he told the participants of the Dubai summit.
The Gulf nation hosts a vast Pakistani expatriate community and holds the distinction of being the second-largest contributor of remittances to Pakistan after Saudi Arabia, with $548 million transferred to the South Asian country in March.
Ali also revealed that women constituted 30 percent of JazzCash customers, 17 percent of lending users, 23,000 merchants and 6,000 agents.
“These encouraging numbers reflect the company’s ongoing commitment to enhancing female participation in its services,” he added.
The statement informed he also praised Pakistan’s central bank, telecom authority and financial regulatory agency for their collaborative approach that propelled digital and financial inclusion across the country.
“With a large unbanked population and a cash-dependent SME [small and medium enterprise] sector, we anticipate exponential growth,” it quoted Ali as saying. “Our roadmap involves leveraging data for risk assessment, venturing into Insurtech, and further integrating financial services into everyday transactions.”
King Charles III to attend D-Day anniversary in France: palace
- The 75-year-old British head of state will be at a commemorative event at the British Normandy Memorial in northern France on June 6
- Charles will be accompanied by his wife Queen Camilla and elder son Prince William
LONDON: King Charles III is to make his first overseas trip since being diagnosed with cancer, at an event to mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings, Buckingham Palace said on Friday.
The 75-year-old British head of state, who only recently resumed public engagements, will be at a commemorative event at the British Normandy Memorial in northern France on June 6, a statement read.
The memorial, at Ver-sur-Mer, is near Gold Beach, the codename for one of five separate beachheads in northern France where Allied troops came ashore on June 6, 1944.
Charles will be accompanied by his wife Queen Camilla, 76, and elder son Prince William, 41, who will join Canadian veterans at the Juno Beach Center at Courseulles-sur-Mer, along the Channel coast.
William will then join more than 25 heads of state, representing his father at the international commemorative ceremony at Omaha Beach, where US troops landed.
Charles and Camilla will head to France, where they made a three-day state visit last year, after attending the UK’s national commemorative event in Portsmouth, southern England, on June 5.
Senior royals will be out in force in both the UK and France for the anniversary, which is likely to be among the last to feature veterans who served in World War II.
As head of state, Charles is commander-in-chief of the British armed forces but also served in the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force.
His heir William was an RAF search and rescue pilot before becoming a full-time royal.
One notable absentee from the commemorations will be William’s wife Catherine, 42, who is receiving chemotherapy treatment for cancer, and was last seen at a public engagement in December last year.
Charles announced his diagnosis in February but last month royal officials said doctors were “very encouraged” by the progress of his treatment, allowing him to resume his official duties.
This week he has attended a Buckingham Palace garden party and a commemoration service at St. Paul’s Cathedral, as well as unveiling a new official portrait of himself.
An annual rich list says Paul McCartney is Britain’s first billionaire musician
- The annual Sunday Times Rich List calculated that the wealth of the 81-year-old musician and his wife, Nancy Shevell, had grown by 50 million pounds since last year
- McCartney ranked 165th overall on the newspaper’s respected and widely perused list of the UK’s 350 richest people
LONDON: According to figures released Friday, the former member of the Fab Four is the first British musician to be worth 1 billion pounds ($1.27 billion).
The annual Sunday Times Rich List calculated that the wealth of the 81-year-old musician and his wife, Nancy Shevell, had grown by 50 million pounds since last year thanks to McCartney’s 2023 Got Back tour, the rising value of his back catalogue and Beyonce’s cover of The Beatles’ “Blackbird” on her “Cowboy Carter” album.
A “final” Beatles song, “Now and Then,” was also released in November and topped music charts in the US, the UK and other countries. Surviving Beatles McCartney and Ringo Starr completed a demo track recorded in 1977 by the late John Lennon, adding in guitar by George Harrison, who died in 2001.
The newspaper estimated 50 million pounds of the couple’s wealth is due to Shevell, daughter of the late US trucking tycoon Mike Shevell.
McCartney ranked 165th overall on the newspaper’s respected and widely perused list of the UK’s 350 richest people. Top spot went to Gopi Hinduja and his family, who own the banking, media and entertainment conglomerate Hinduja Group and are worth an estimated 37 billion pounds.
Other entertainment figures on the list include “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling, whose fortune is estimated at 945 million pounds, and singer Elton John, estimated to be worth 470 million pounds.
King Charles III ranked 258th with an estimated wealth of 610 million pounds. The king’s fortune includes the large inherited private estates of Sandringham in England and Balmoral in Scotland. The total does not include items that are held in trust by the monarch for the nation, such as the Crown Jewels.
Saudi crown prince receives princes, officials, scholars, citizens in Eastern Region
- The audience was also attended by energy minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman
DAMMAM: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Friday received several princes, officials, scholars and a group of citizens at the Gulf Palace in Dammam, Saudi Press Agency reported.
At the beginning of the reception, they all listened to a recitation of verses from the Holy Qu’ran, SPA added.
The audience was also attended by Prince Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, governor of the Eastern Region, energy minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, and Prince Mishari bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Musaed.
