Saudi Arabia ready to receive Yemen aid flights after Sanaa airport closure

Saudi Arabia is prepared to receive flights carrying humanitarian aid for Yemen following the closure of Sanaa's international airport by the Houthi rebels, a coalition statement said.

“The Houthis have closed Sanaa airport to UN and international organisation flights since December 19,” the Saudi-led coalition supporting the internationally recognised Yemeni government said.

Aid workers must leave the airport immediately, the coalition said.

International aid organisations have called for the airport to be opened to allow the urgent delivery of aid to millions of Yemenis.

Seperatly, the World Food Program (WFP) said on Wednesday that it has cut aid to Yemen due to lack of funding from donor states.

The organisation also warned of an increase in hunger in the war-torn country.

"From January, 8 million will receive a reduced food ration, while 5 million at immediate risk of slipping into famine conditions will remain on a full ration," the United Nations agency said in a statement.

On Monday the Saudi-led coalition said it carried out air strikes on the airport after asking civilians to leave the area.

"The operation comes in response to threats and the use of the airport's facilities to launch cross-border attacks," it said.

The strikes hit six sites, coalition spokesman Brig Gen Turki Al Malki said. These included places used by the Iran-backed rebels for launching drone attacks, for training and housing drone personnel, and for storing the devices.

"Destroying these targets will not have any effect on the operational capacity of the airport, and will not affect managing the airspace, the air traffic and ground handling operations," he said.

The attacks came in response "to the threat and the use of the airport's facilities to launch cross-border attacks on Saudi Arabia," he said.

Gen Al Malki said the strikes were "in accordance with international humanitarian law" and should have no impact on the airport's operational capacity.

On Sunday, the coalition said it destroyed a drone launched from the airport that was aimed at civilians at Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Airport in Jizan, near the border with Yemen.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh149,900

The biog

Name: Abeer Al Shahi

Emirate: Sharjah – Khor Fakkan

Education: Master’s degree in special education, preparing for a PhD in philosophy.

Favourite activities: Bungee jumping

Favourite quote: “My people and I will not settle for anything less than first place” – Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid.

Getting%20there%20and%20where%20to%20stay

%3Cp%3EFly%20with%20Etihad%20Airways%20from%20Abu%20Dhabi%20to%20New%20York%E2%80%99s%20JFK.%20There's%2011%20flights%20a%20week%20and%20economy%20fares%20start%20at%20around%20Dh5%2C000.%3Cbr%3EStay%20at%20The%20Mark%20Hotel%20on%20the%20city%E2%80%99s%20Upper%20East%20Side.%20Overnight%20stays%20start%20from%20%241395%20per%20night.%3Cbr%3EVisit%20NYC%20Go%2C%20the%20official%20destination%20resource%20for%20New%20York%20City%20for%20all%20the%20latest%20events%2C%20activites%20and%20openings.%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?

The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.

Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.

New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.

“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.

The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.

The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.

Bloomberg