US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in a call on Friday with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, reiterated Washington's commitment to helping Gulf partners improve their defence capabilities against the Houthi rebels in Yemen, the State Department said.
“The secretary condemned the January 17 Houthi attack on both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates that struck civilian sites in the UAE, including Abu Dhabi’s international airport, and killed and wounded civilians,” the State Department said in a readout of the call.
“Secretary Blinken reiterated the US commitment to help Gulf partners improve their capabilities to defend against threats from Yemen and elsewhere in the region and underscored the importance of mitigating civilian harm.”
The UN Security Council earlier on Friday unanimously condemned this week’s strikes on Abu Dhabi by Yemen's armed Houthi rebel group as “heinous terrorist attacks” and called for the perpetrators to face justice.
Meanwhile, the US Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking held meetings Riyadh about the recent escalation. The US state department said Mr Lenderking met with representatives of the permanent members of the UN security council and the special envoy of the United Nations secretary general for Yemen, Hans Grundberg. In a tweet, the US State Department said “they condemned Houthi attacks against civilians in the UAE, expressed deep concern about Yemen's civilian casualties, and called for de-escalation and support for the UN-led peace process”.
The US State Department issued a statement late Friday night voicing concern about the deaths of Yemeni civilians. Mr Blinken posted a tweet stating that “the escalation in fighting and attacks across Yemen must come to an end. We urge all parties to commit to a peaceful, diplomatic solution to ending the conflict”. He added “the Yemeni people deserve to live in peace and determine their own future”.
UK's plans to cut net migration
Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.
Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.
The National in Davos
We are bringing you the inside story from the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos, a gathering of hundreds of world leaders, top executives and billionaires.
'The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas are Setting up a Generation for Failure'
Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt, Penguin Randomhouse
Where to Find Me by Alba Arikha
Alma Books
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
'I Want You Back'
Director:Jason Orley
Stars:Jenny Slate, Charlie Day
Rating:4/5
England World Cup squad
Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wkt), Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Vince, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
'The Ice Road'
Director: Jonathan Hensleigh
Stars: Liam Neeson, Amber Midthunder, Laurence Fishburne
2/5
Joy%20Ride%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Adele%20Lim%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAshley%20Park%2C%20Sherry%20Cola%2C%20Stephanie%20Hsu%2C%20Sabrina%20Wu%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand
UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final
