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US air strikes on Sanaa kill at least 12, Yemen's Houthis say

Attacks reported in the capital as well as the western city of Hodeidah

The National

April 21, 2025

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US air strikes on Sanaa killed at least 12 people and wounded 30 overnight, Yemen's Houthi-run Health Ministry said early on Monday, as an American bombing campaign against the rebels intensifies.

The Houthis' Saba news agency quoted the ministry as saying the air strikes hit a market and a residential zone in the capital's Farwa district. That area has been attacked before by Washington.

Footage aired by the Houthis' Al Masirah satellite news channel showed damage to vehicles and buildings. Wounded people wailed as they were carried on stretchers heading to a hospital.

Other raids were also reported late on Sunday in the central province of Marib, Hodeidah in the west and the Houthi bastion of Saada in the north, Saba said.

The US military has been carrying out almost daily attacks on Yemen for the past month, saying it is targeting the “Iran-backed Houthi terrorists” to stop attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea.

One strike on Thursday hit Yemen's Ras Isa fuel port, killing at least 74 people and wounding 171 others.

A wrecked vehicle at the site of a strike in the Farwa area of Sanaa. Al Masirah TV via Reuters
A wrecked vehicle at the site of a strike in the Farwa area of Sanaa. Al Masirah TV via Reuters

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said on Saturday that he was “gravely concerned” by the US air strikes. But he also called on the Houthis to stop missile attacks on Israel and shipping.

The Houthis say they are carrying out their attacks in solidarity with Hamas as it fights Israeli troops in Gaza. The rebels are the last militant group in Iran’s self-described “Axis of Resistance” that is capable of regularly attacking Israel.

US raids on Yemen started in January last year but have been increased since President Donald Trump took office this year. The intensified US campaign started after the rebels threatened to begin attacking “Israeli” ships again when Israel resumed blocking aid from entering Gaza.

From November 2023 until this January, the Houthis attacked more than 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two of them and killing four sailors. That has greatly reduced the flow of trade through the Red Sea corridor, which is a crucial global trade route.

The US military has not released information about the American bombing campaign, including what was attacked and how many people have been killed.

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Libya's Gold

UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves. 

The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.

Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

While you're here
While you're here
Citizenship-by-investment programmes

United Kingdom

The UK offers three programmes for residency. The UK Overseas Business Representative Visa lets you open an overseas branch office of your existing company in the country at no extra investment. For the UK Tier 1 Innovator Visa, you are required to invest £50,000 (Dh238,000) into a business. You can also get a UK Tier 1 Investor Visa if you invest £2 million, £5m or £10m (the higher the investment, the sooner you obtain your permanent residency).

All UK residency visas get approved in 90 to 120 days and are valid for 3 years. After 3 years, the applicant can apply for extension of another 2 years. Once they have lived in the UK for a minimum of 6 months every year, they are eligible to apply for permanent residency (called Indefinite Leave to Remain). After one year of ILR, the applicant can apply for UK passport.

The Caribbean

Depending on the country, the investment amount starts from $100,000 (Dh367,250) and can go up to $400,000 in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take between four to five months to receive a passport. 

Portugal

The investment amount ranges from €350,000 to €500,000 (Dh1.5m to Dh2.16m) in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take a maximum of six months to receive a Golden Visa. Applicants can apply for permanent residency after five years and Portuguese citizenship after six years.

“Among European countries with residency programmes, Portugal has been the most popular because it offers the most cost-effective programme to eventually acquire citizenship of the European Union without ever residing in Portugal,” states Veronica Cotdemiey of Citizenship Invest.

Greece

The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Greece is €250,000, making it the cheapest real estate residency visa scheme in Europe. You can apply for residency in four months and citizenship after seven years.

Spain

The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Spain is €500,000. You can apply for permanent residency after five years and citizenship after 10 years. It is not necessary to live in Spain to retain and renew the residency visa permit.

Cyprus

Cyprus offers the quickest route to citizenship of a European country in only six months. An investment of €2m in real estate is required, making it the highest priced programme in Europe.

Malta

The Malta citizenship by investment programme is lengthy and investors are required to contribute sums as donations to the Maltese government. The applicant must either contribute at least €650,000 to the National Development & Social Fund. Spouses and children are required to contribute €25,000; unmarried children between 18 and 25 and dependent parents must contribute €50,000 each.

The second step is to make an investment in property of at least €350,000 or enter a property rental contract for at least €16,000 per annum for five years. The third step is to invest at least €150,000 in bonds or shares approved by the Maltese government to be kept for at least five years.

Candidates must commit to a minimum physical presence in Malta before citizenship is granted. While you get residency in two months, you can apply for citizenship after a year.

Egypt 

A one-year residency permit can be bought if you purchase property in Egypt worth $100,000. A three-year residency is available for those who invest $200,000 in property, and five years for those who purchase property worth $400,000.

Source: Citizenship Invest and Aqua Properties

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Retail gloom

Online grocer Ocado revealed retail sales fell 5.7 per cen in its first quarter as customers switched back to pre-pandemic shopping patterns.

It was a tough comparison from a year earlier, when the UK was in lockdown, but on a two-year basis its retail division, a joint venture with Marks&Spencer, rose 31.7 per cent over the quarter.

The group added that a 15 per cent drop in customer basket size offset an 11.6. per cent rise in the number of customer transactions.

RESULTS
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MATCH INFO

Newcastle 2-2 Manchester City
Burnley 0-2 Crystal Palace
Chelsea 0-1 West Ham
Liverpool 2-1 Brighton
Tottenham 3-2 Bournemouth
Southampton v Watford (late)

Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

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Updated: April 21, 2025, 6:56 AM
YemenUSIranHouthis