Latest news with #UAE-backed
MTV Lebanon
13-07-2025
- Politics
- MTV Lebanon
Blast in Yemen Kills 5 Children Who Were Playing Soccer
Five children in southwestern Yemen died after an explosive device detonated in a residential area where they were playing soccer, rights groups and eye witnesses said Saturday. The circumstances surrounding their deaths on Friday night in the Al-Hashmah subdistrict of Taiz province remain unclear. However, the Yemen Center for Human Rights and another rights group called Eye of Humanity along with Houthi-controlled Al-Masirah TV said an artillery shell was fired by militias backed by the Islah party, which is allied to the internationally recognized government in south Yemen. A spokesperson for the United Nations children's agency UNICEF told The Associated Press that they are aware of reports about the incident but can't verify the facts at the moment. Two local residents who were eyewitnesses, Ahmed al-Sharee and Khaled al-Areki, told the AP that the children were playing soccer when the explosion happened. At least three people with minor to moderate injuries were also taken to the hospital, according to the eyewitnesses. Meanwhile, Mahmoud al-Mansi, another eyewitness, said the explosive was directed from an area where forces allied with the Islah party were present. The Yemen Center for Human Rights condemned the incident in a report that included graphic photos of the children's torn bodies. Citing healthcare sources at Al-Rafai Hospital, where the victims arrived unresponsive, the group said they died from shrapnel injuries. Two of the children were 12 years old, while two others were 14 years old, according to the group. The age of the fifth child is unknown. Taiz city, the capital of the province of the same name, has been a battleground, pitting the Iran-backed Houthi militias and other militias backed by the Islah party against each other and other factions in Yemen's civil war. The city was under Houthi blockade since 2016, restricting the freedom of movement and flow of essential goods to residents, but Houthis recently opened key roads. Yemen's ruinous civil war began in 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and much of northern Yemen, forcing the internationally recognized government into exile. A coalition led by Saudi Arabia and including the United Arab Emirates intervened the following year to try to restore the government to power. The UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council controls much of the south, which has been fractured by the civil war. The council advocates for the south's secession and has its own militia forces, allied to the internationally recognized government fighting the Houthis.
Japan Today
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Japan Today
Blast in Yemen kills 5 children who were playing soccer
By AHMED AL-HAJ and FATMA KHALED Five children in southwestern Yemen died after an explosive device detonated in a residential area where they were playing soccer, rights groups and eye witnesses said Saturday. The circumstances surrounding their deaths on Friday night in the Al-Hashmah subdistrict of Taiz province remain unclear. However, the Yemen Center for Human Rights and another rights group called Eye of Humanity along with Houthi-controlled Al-Masirah TV said an artillery shell was fired by militias backed by the Islah party, which is allied to the internationally recognized government in south Yemen. A spokesperson for the United Nations children's agency UNICEF told The Associated Press that they are aware of reports about the incident but can't verify the facts at the moment. Two local residents who were eyewitnesses, Ahmed al-Sharee and Khaled al-Areki, told the AP that the children were playing soccer when the explosion happened. At least three people with minor to moderate injuries were also taken to the hospital, according to the eyewitnesses. Meanwhile, Mahmoud al-Mansi, another eyewitness, said the explosive was directed from an area where forces allied with the Islah party were present. The Yemen Center for Human Rights condemned the incident in a report that included graphic photos of the children's torn bodies. Citing healthcare sources at Al-Rafai Hospital, where the victims arrived unresponsive, the group said they died from shrapnel injuries. Two of the children were 12 years old, while two others were 14 years old, according to the group. The age of the fifth child is unknown. Taiz city, the capital of the province of the same name, has been a battleground, pitting the Iran-backed Houthi militias and other militias backed by the Islah party against each other and other factions in Yemen's civil war. The city was under Houthi blockade since 2016, restricting the freedom of movement and flow of essential goods to residents, but Houthis recently opened key roads. Yemen's ruinous civil war began in 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and much of northern Yemen, forcing the internationally recognized government into exile. A coalition led by Saudi Arabia and including the United Arab Emirates intervened the following year to try to restore the government to power. The UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council controls much of the south, which has been fractured by the civil war. The council advocates for the south's secession and has its own militia forces, allied to the internationally recognized government fighting the Houthis. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Perth Now
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Perth Now
Five children killed in blast while playing football
Five children in southwestern Yemen died after an explosive device detonated in a residential area where they were playing soccer, rights groups and eye witnesses say. The circumstances surrounding their deaths on Friday night in the Al-Hashmah subdistrict of Taiz province remain unclear. However, the Yemen Center for Human Rights and another rights group called Eye of Humanity along with Houthi-controlled Al-Masirah TV said an artillery shell was fired by militias backed by the Islah party, which is allied to the internationally recognised government in south Yemen. A spokesperson for the United Nations children's agency UNICEF told The Associated Press that they are aware of reports about the incident but can't verify the facts at the moment. Two local residents who were eyewitnesses, Ahmed al-Sharee and Khaled al-Areki, told the AP that the children were playing soccer when the explosion happened. At least three people with minor to moderate injuries were also taken to the hospital, according to the eyewitnesses. Meanwhile, Mahmoud al-Mansi, another eyewitness, said the explosive was directed from an area where forces allied with the Islah party were present. The Yemen Center for Human Rights condemned the incident in a report that included graphic photos of the children's torn bodies. Citing healthcare sources at Al-Rafai Hospital, where the victims arrived unresponsive, the group said they died from shrapnel injuries. Two of the children were 12 years old, while two others were 14 years old, according to the group. The age of the fifth child is unknown. Taiz city, the capital of the province of the same name, has been a battleground, pitting the Iran-backed Houthi militias and other militias backed by the Islah party against each other and other factions in Yemen's civil war. The city was under Houthi blockade since 2016, restricting the freedom of movement and flow of essential goods to residents, but Houthis recently opened key roads. Yemen's ruinous civil war began in 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and much of northern Yemen, forcing the internationally recognised government into exile. A coalition led by Saudi Arabia and including the United Arab Emirates intervened the following year to try to restore the government to power. The UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council controls much of the south, which has been fractured by the civil war. The council advocates for the south's secession and has its own militia forces, allied to the internationally-recognised government fighting the Houthis.
Business Insider
01-07-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Uganda to begin blending ethanol with petrol to boost quality
Starting January next year, Uganda will require all fuel distributors to blend locally produced ethanol into the petrol sold across the country. Uganda will require fuel dealers to blend ethanol into petrol starting next year. This aims to reduce the country's $2 billion annual petroleum import bill and promote cleaner energy. The blending process will begin with a 5% ethanol mix, with plans to increase to 20%. Starting January next year, Uganda will require all fuel distributors to blend locally produced ethanol into the petrol sold across the country. The development was announced by Energy Minister Ruth Nankabirwa, who revealed that the blending process will be spearheaded by the Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC). The move is aimed at reducing the country's $2 billion annual petroleum import bill and promoting cleaner energy alternatives, according to Reuters. "This initiative is not just about improving fuel quality; it's a significant step towards environmental protection and reducing the overall cost of fuel for Ugandans," said Nankabirwa. Under the new policy, fuel dealers must initially blend 5% ethanol into petrol, with plans to gradually increase the proportion to 20%, depending on local supply capacity. Fuel blending involves combining conventional fossil fuels, such as petrol or diesel, with renewable additives like ethanol or biodiesel. Cleaner energy Ethanol, a biofuel primarily derived from molasses, a byproduct of sugar production, is one of the most commonly used blending agents. It is considered a cleaner alternative to traditional fossil fuels and plays a key role in supporting the government's emissions-reduction goals. The policy aligns with Uganda's broader energy strategy. In 2023, the country awarded exclusive petroleum supply rights to a subsidiary of global energy giant Vitol, centralizing fuel imports. Although Uganda is currently reliant on imported refined petroleum products, the landlocked East African nation is preparing to begin commercial crude oil production next year, with plans to export via a pipeline to the Indian Ocean port in Tanzania. In a major step toward developing its energy sector, a UAE-backed firm secured a contract in March to build Uganda's first crude oil refinery, a 60,000-barrel-per-day (BPD) facility.
Time Magazine
26-06-2025
- Business
- Time Magazine
TIME100 Most Influential Companies 2025: G42
The largest AI infrastructure project outside the U.S. is now taking shape in Abu Dhabi. In May, President Trump joined United Arab Emirates officials in the Gulf state to unveil plans for a 10-sq.-mi. AI campus to be built by UAE-backed AI lab G42 and operated jointly with U.S. companies including OpenAI. G42 views other AI companies not "as competition, but [as] potential collaborators," chief marketing and communications officer Faheem Ahamed says. The campus, which will house supercomputers and a science park, is just one G42 initiative supporting UAE's 2031 AI superpower goal. With plans for Europe's first giga-scale AI supercomputer and other projects underway in Kenya and the U.S., G42's footprint is now global. Winning over Washington, however, has been key to the company's ambitions at home. In May, the Trump administration loosened restrictions aimed at stopping AI chips from being funneled to China via other countries, allowing U.S. companies to sell cutting-edge semiconductors to the Gulf nation at scale for the first time. For U.S. firms, closer ties offer access to substantial Emirati capital and energy, and closer proximity to half the globe's population, allowing high-speed AI services to be scaled globally faster. The thorny trade-off: giving an autocratic state with a history of surveillance and human rights abuses a greater hand in AI development. Ahamed sees things differently, however: 'My humble view is that [the] UAE has one of the strongest democratic values as a society.'
