Houthis use civilians as human shields in Hodeidah — Yemen prime minister

Supporters of Yemen's Houthis attend a rally in Sanaa on April 26, 2018. (File/AFP)
Updated 28 November 2018
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Houthis use civilians as human shields in Hodeidah — Yemen prime minister

  • He urged the UN and international organizations to provide more assistance to those affected in Yemen
  • The prime minister urged aid organizations to open their offices in the Aden to ensure delivery of projects and supplies to Yemenis

DUBAI: Houthi militias are using civilians as human shields in Hodeidah, Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed told the UN humanitarian coordinator in Yemen during their meeting on Tuesday.

“The Iranian-backed Houthi militia controls the city, takes civilians as human shields, deprives them of humanitarian aid and sells it in the market for their personal gain and to finance their wars,” the Yemeni prime minister said.

At the meeting in the interim capital of Aden with Lise Grande, the prime minister discussed the efforts and projects of the United Nations in Yemen during the last period and the situation in Hodeidah.

He urged the UN and international organizations to provide more assistance to those affected in Yemen, suffering from the humanitarian crisis that has resulted from the war being waged by the militia against Yemeni people.

The prime minister urged aid organizations to open their offices in the Aden to ensure delivery of projects and supplies to Yemenis affected by the war in all areas.

Meanwhile, Yemeni Minister of Endowments and Guidance, Ahmad Attiya said that reinstating political leadership to the internationally recognized government and liberating Hodeidah from the Houthis was inevitable.

“The Houthi militias do not believe in peace and co-existence because they are a militia that receives its guidance from Iran and is trying to change the identity of Yemen and extract it from its Arab surroundings,” he said at a lecture given at the University of Saba in the Yemeni province of Marib.

Attiya claimed that the Houthi militias manipulate young people and recruit them into their wars, violating international human rights laws. 


New Riyadh Air route to boost Dubai airport’s growth projection

Updated 4 sec ago
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New Riyadh Air route to boost Dubai airport’s growth projection

  • World’s busiest travel hub adding more routes to Saudi Arabia
  • Dubai Airports forecasts 99.5 million passengers in 2026
DUBAI: Dubai International Airport (DXB), the world’s busiest travel hub, is expected to handle close to 100 million passengers this year, its operator said on Wednesday, building on a record performance in 2025.
Dubai Airports forecasts 99.5 million passengers in 2026, ‌it said in a ‌statement, as demand strengthens across several major markets.
DXB ‌handled ⁠95.2 million passengers ⁠last year, up 3.1 percent from 2024. India, Saudi Arabia and Britain remained among its largest markets, while China, Egypt and Italy recorded double-digit growth.
“We’ve had some pretty good growing markets … and those, I think, are the markets where there’s going to be considerable potential,” Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths said in an interview, mentioning countries including ⁠China and Russia.
“We’re adding more routes to ‌Saudi Arabia,” he said, adding that ‌Riyadh Air, which is owned by the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund and commenced ‌operations last year, will start operating a route to and ‌from DXB “over the next few months.”
Dubai, home to the world’s tallest tower and palm-shaped islands, is the Middle East’s biggest tourism and trade hub. It is also a key connecting point for flights between Europe ‌and Asia, and last year welcomed 19.6 million international overnight visitors, according to government data.
DXB had its ⁠busiest day, ⁠month, quarter and year on record in 2025, operating “at the edge of physical capacity,” Dubai Airports said.
Griffiths said investment to roll out advanced hand baggage screening machines was helping to smooth the flow of traffic.
To meet rising demand and a fast-growing population, the emirate has announced a major $35 billion expansion at its second airport, Al Maktoum International, also operated by Dubai Airports.
That airport reported 30 percent growth in flights over the last year and handled 1.4 million passengers.
The expansion is designed to allow it to handle 150 million passengers per year over the next decade, before reaching an annual capacity of 260 million passengers when complete.