Warring sides in Yemen's long conflict offered support on Thursday for the UN's call for a ceasefire to protect civilians from the coronavirus pandemic.
Yemen this week marked the fifth anniversary of the war aimed at restoring the internationally recognised government of President Abdrabu Mansur Hadi after the Iran-backed Houthi rebels overran areas.
Saudi Arabia, leading the coalition to restore Mr Hadi's government, the Yemen government and the rebels all welcomed an appeal from UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
Mr Guterres this week called for an "immediate global ceasefire" to help avert disaster for vulnerable people in conflict zones.
"The fury of the virus illustrates the folly of war," he said.
"That is why today, I am calling for an immediate global ceasefire in all corners of the world."
The call was welcomed by the government.
"The government of Yemen welcomes the call of the UN chief for a ceasefire in the face of coronavirus, and to de-escalate acts of violence in the entire country," the Yemen government said.
"The political, economic and health situation requires halting all escalations to preserve people's lives and deal responsibly with this pandemic."
The Saudi-led coalition also backed the initiative.
Yemen's broken healthcare system has so far recorded no cases of coronavirus.
But aid groups warn that if it does hit, the impact will be catastrophic in a country already facing the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
"We have a global coronavirus pandemic threatening to overwhelm an already broken healthcare system," said Tamuna Sabadze, country director at the International Rescue Committee.
Ms Sabadze said that Yemen was already battling a large cholera outbreak.
The Yemeni government has been rushing medical staff from across liberated areas to Aden to undergo training on how to identify and treat coronavirus patients.
But government officials admitted their medical services had little of the needed equipment due to years of fighting.
Saudi Arabia this week flew in vital supplies, the World Health Organisation said.
It included protective equipment for staff handling cases as well as drugs to try and help recovery.
Millions are dependent on humanitarian aid in Yemen, which has been mired in conflict since the Houthis ousted the government from power in the capital, Sanaa, in late 2014.
The group still controls most major urban centres despite years of war.
The Houthis, who are entering the sixth year of the conflict with more strategic gains in recent months in the country's north, also welcomed Mr Guterres's call to wind back fighting.
"The coalition's announcement is welcome. We are waiting for it to be applied practically," Mohammed Al Houthi, a senior Houthi official, tweeted late on Wednesday.
But the Yemen conflict has been punctuated by failed agreements, and negotiating a pause could be difficult.
None of the parties to the conflict spelt out any mechanism for the process.
The conflict has created a security vacuum in parts of the country, allowing Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and ISIS to resurface.
The UN Security Council on Thursday tweeted its thanks to the UAE for progress made against the extremists.
"The UAE has enabled huge gains against Aqap and ISIS in Yemen, and we are continuing these important efforts together," it said.
"After five years of conflict, it is more important now than ever for all parties to work towards a bright, peaceful and secure future for Yemen."
Yemen had experienced a lull in military action after Saudi Arabia and the Houthis launched talks late last year.
But Yemeni ministers were angered when the Houthis then launched a major offensive in the north and centre of the country.
They used the reduction in fighting under an earlier deal for the Red Sea city of Hodeidah as an opportunity to regroup and prepare.
Arab Coalition officials have repeatedly called for trust-building measures, accusing the Houthis of negotiating in bad faith.
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Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
ZAYED SUSTAINABILITY PRIZE
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
MATCH INFO
Liverpool 2 (Van Dijk 18', 24')
Brighton 1 (Dunk 79')
Red card: Alisson (Liverpool)
'The Sky is Everywhere'
Director:Josephine Decker
Stars:Grace Kaufman, Pico Alexander, Jacques Colimon
Rating:2/5
How do Sim card scams work?
Sim swap frauds are a form of identity theft.
They involve criminals conning mobile phone operators into issuing them with replacement Sim cards by claiming to be the victim, often pretending their phone has been lost or stolen in order to secure a new Sim.
They use the victim's personal details - obtained through criminal methods - to convince such companies of their identity.
The criminal can then access any online service that requires security codes to be sent to a user's mobile phone, such as banking services.
THE BIG MATCH
Arsenal v Manchester City,
Sunday, Emirates Stadium, 6.30pm
What is hepatitis?
Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver, which can lead to fibrosis (scarring), cirrhosis or liver cancer.
There are 5 main hepatitis viruses, referred to as types A, B, C, D and E.
Hepatitis C is mostly transmitted through exposure to infective blood. This can occur through blood transfusions, contaminated injections during medical procedures, and through injecting drugs. Sexual transmission is also possible, but is much less common.
People infected with hepatitis C experience few or no symptoms, meaning they can live with the virus for years without being diagnosed. This delay in treatment can increase the risk of significant liver damage.
There are an estimated 170 million carriers of Hepatitis C around the world.
The virus causes approximately 399,000 fatalities each year worldwide, according to WHO.
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
RACE CARD
6.30pm: Baniyas Group 2 (PA) Dh 97,500 (Dirt) 1,400m.
7.05pm Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,200m
7.40pm Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,400m
8.15pm Handicap (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,400m
8.50pm Rated Conditions (TB) Dh 120,000 (D) 1,600m
9.25pm Handicap (TB) Dh 95,000 (D) 1,200m
10pm Handicap (TB) Dh 85,000 (D) 2,000m
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Result
Arsenal 4
Monreal (51'), Ramsey (82'), Lacazette 85', 89')
West Ham United 1
Arnautovic (64')
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
PRO BASH
Thursday’s fixtures
6pm: Hyderabad Nawabs v Pakhtoon Warriors
10pm: Lahore Sikandars v Pakhtoon Blasters
Teams
Chennai Knights, Lahore Sikandars, Pakhtoon Blasters, Abu Dhabi Stars, Abu Dhabi Dragons, Pakhtoon Warriors and Hyderabad Nawabs.
Squad rules
All teams consist of 15-player squads that include those contracted in the diamond (3), platinum (2) and gold (2) categories, plus eight free to sign team members.
Tournament rules
The matches are of 25 over-a-side with an 8-over power play in which only two fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle. Teams play in a single round robin league followed by the semi-finals and final. The league toppers will feature in the semi-final eliminator.
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Bombshell
Director: Jay Roach
Stars: Nicole Kidman, Charlize Theron, Margot Robbie
Four out of five stars