Saudi aid agency eyes 2,400 surgeries in fight against blindness in Yemen

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KSrelief's medical team in Aden has performed 286 surgeries so far. (SPA)
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KSrelief's medical team in Aden has performed 286 surgeries so far. (SPA)
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KSrelief's medical team in Aden has performed 286 surgeries so far. (SPA)
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KSrelief's medical team in Aden has performed 286 surgeries so far. (SPA)
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KSrelief's medical team in Aden has performed 286 surgeries so far. (SPA)
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KSrelief's medical team in Aden has performed 286 surgeries so far. (SPA)
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Updated 08 July 2021
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Saudi aid agency eyes 2,400 surgeries in fight against blindness in Yemen

  • KSrelief medical team has performed 286 eye surgeries so far 
  • Agency's food relief and potable water programs also continuing

ADEN: The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) is continuing its campaign in Aden to combat blindness and its causes, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

A KSrelief medical team has examined 309 patients, performed 286 surgeries, provided 286 pairs of glasses, and dispensed 286 prescriptions since the campaign was launched. 

The campaign helps families and individuals of limited income who cannot afford treatment costs. It falls within Saudi Arabia’s projects, being implemented through KSrelief, to combat blindness in Yemen. 

The aim is to perform more than 2,400 eye surgeries to combat blindness.




KSrelief's medical team in Aden has performed 286 surgeries so far. (SPA)

Al-Jaada Health Center clinics in Yemen’s Hajjah governorate have continued providing treatment services for patients with the support of KSrelief.

In one week, the clinics received 1,809 patients with various health conditions, provided them with the necessary medical services, and dispensed 1,288 prescriptions.

KSrelief distributed more than 20 tons of food baskets to displaced and needy families in Al-Mahrah governorate, helping 1,100 individuals and 190 families, and provided services for a child soldier rehabilitation project in Marib governorate.

There were individual and group sessions, as well as activities in psychological, cultural, social, educational, and sports rehabilitation. 

The project falls within the humanitarian inititatives being carried out by KSrelief to rehabilitate children recruited by the Houthis.




KSrelief's medical team in Aden has performed 286 surgeries so far. (SPA)

KSrelief, in cooperation with the World Health Organization, also held a water quality monitoring training course in Aden governorate.

The two-day course aims to train 30 technicians and engineers from the National Water Authority, and its branches in a number of Yemeni governorates, on the use of water biological testing devices in areas with a high risk of communicable disease and acquiring water purification skills.

KSrelief handed over 11 biological devices to test and purify water and combat cholera to course participants.


Pakistan invites Bangladesh’s new prime minister for official visit in post-election outreach

Updated 48 min 36 sec ago
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Pakistan invites Bangladesh’s new prime minister for official visit in post-election outreach

  • Planning minister Ahsan Iqbal attends swearing-in in Dhaka, proposes reviving regional cooperation
  • Islamabad offers scholarships, connectivity and academic exchanges to expand bilateral ties with Dhaka 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has formally invited Bangladesh’s newly elected prime minister, Tarique Rahman, to visit Islamabad, its information ministry said on Wednesday after senior minister Ahsan Iqbal met the new premier in Dhaka following the oath-taking ceremony.

The outreach signals a cautious attempt by the two South Asian nations to improve relations decades after the 1971 war that led to Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan, with diplomatic engagement historically limited and economic links underdeveloped compared with regional potential.

After former Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted during the 2024 political upheaval and fled to India, relations between Dhaka and Islamabad began to normalize after years of near-frozen contact. For over a decade under Hasina’s Awami League government, Bangladesh had aligned closely with India and kept Pakistan at diplomatic arm’s length. 

The political shift in Dhaka — culminating in the 2026 election victory of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) led by Tarique Rahman — created space for engagement, including the relaunch of direct flights, high-level political and military exchanges, technical cooperation and business ties. The reset reflects broader regional dynamics: Bangladesh diversifying its diplomacy beyond India, and Pakistan seeking economic partnerships in South Asia amid a geo-economic foreign policy push.

“Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal conveyed a formal invitation from the Prime Minister of Pakistan to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to undertake an official visit to Pakistan at a mutually convenient date,” a Pakistani information ministry statement said, quoting Iqbal who represented Islamabad at the oath taking. 

“The two leaders discussed avenues to reinvigorate bilateral relations and enhance regional cooperation.”

Pakistan’s Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal (left) meets Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Tarique Rahman (right) in Dhaka on February 17, 2026. (BDMOFA/X)

The two sides discussed expanding cooperation in education, research and digital governance, including a proposed “Pakistan–Bangladesh Knowledge Corridor” to promote academic partnerships and student exchanges.

Islamabad said it had allocated 500 scholarships for Bangladeshi students, with 75 already traveling to Pakistan for higher education, and proposed closer coordination between national data and statistics institutions in both countries.

Officials also discussed improving direct flight connectivity to boost trade, tourism and business links, as well as cooperation in small and medium-sized industries and technology-enabled services.

The statement added that both sides supported stronger cultural engagement, including joint celebrations next year marking the 150th birth anniversary of philosopher-poet Muhammad Iqbal.

Both countries reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening ties and promoting regional stability and economic cooperation, the statement added.