200,000 Yemenis Benefit from Saudi Relief Efforts During Ramadan

KSrelief aid is delivered in Yemen. (Government media)
KSrelief aid is delivered in Yemen. (Government media)
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200,000 Yemenis Benefit from Saudi Relief Efforts During Ramadan

KSrelief aid is delivered in Yemen. (Government media)
KSrelief aid is delivered in Yemen. (Government media)

Over 50,000 Yemenis have received food aid as part of the Etaam food basket initiative launched by Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) on March 9, two days before the beginning of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.

The initiative seeks to help people and countries in need throughout the world. It aims to benefit over 200,000 Yemenis.

Yemeni government and relief organizations revealed that some 7,400 food baskets have been distributed in the Yemeni provinces of al-Jawf, Abyan, al-Mahra and Hodeidah since the beginning of Ramadan. The aid has benefitted over 51,842 people.

The initiative will cover nine provinces this year: Hadhramout, Marib, al-Jawf, Hajjah, Saada, Hodeidah, Shabwa, al-Mahra and Socotra. It will benefit 30,312 families or 212,184 people.

A KSrelief team followed up on the distribution of the aid in al-Mahra.

Meanwhile, Secretary General of the al-Mahra local council Salem Nemer inaugurated the third phase of the operation of the dialysis center in al-Ghayda, the provincial capital, that is being funded by KSrelief.

The third phase will extend two years given the success of the first two phases.

Nemer hailed the KSrelief and Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen (SDRPY) on their relief efforts throughout Yemen, highlighting Saudi Arabia’s role in development efforts.

He said the dialysis center was a beacon of hope for kidney failure patients.

He vowed that the authorities will offer all facilitations and overcome all obstacles that the center may encounter.

Director of the project Mohammed Nashri said the first two phases of the initiative were major successes, crediting them to the Yemeni team at the center.

He added that the center provided free integrated health services to 128 patients at the dialysis department and 2,659 at the kidney disease clinic. Some 17,356 dialysis sessions were held.

Director of the Public Health and Population Office in al-Mahra Awad Mubarak Saad said the dialysis center there was one of the best in Yemen, underscoring its health, medical and lab expertise.

He stressed that the continuation of this pioneering project represents a cornerstone in providing healthcare to people in need.

In Hadhramout, director of the local KSrelief branch inspected the activities related to the training of orphans in several fields, such as mobile phone maintenance, sewing and embroidery, baking, and perfume and accessories making.

The training will support 440 families, which have lost breadwinners, in the Aden, Lahj, Taiz, Hadhramout, Marib, al-Jawf, al-Mahra and Hodeidah provinces.



Saudi Interior Minister, Singapore's Coordinating Minister for National Security Discuss Regional Security Development

The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
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Saudi Interior Minister, Singapore's Coordinating Minister for National Security Discuss Regional Security Development

The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat

Saudi Minister of Interior Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz received a phone call on Sunday from Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs of the Republic of Singapore K Shanmugam.

During the call, the two officials discussed the latest developments in the Middle East and current security developments amid the Iranian attacks targeting regional security and stability, SPA reported.

They also affirmed the importance of enhancing bilateral cooperation and coordination in support of regional security and stability, in addition to discussing a number of topics of mutual interest.

Shanmugam expressed his country's condemnation of the Iranian attacks targeting the Kingdom and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, affirming Singapore's solidarity with the Kingdom and the GCC states in all measures aimed at enhancing security and stability.


Saudi Arabia Condemns Riots Targeting UAE Embassy in Damascus

Saudi Arabia called for the protection of diplomatic missions. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Arabia called for the protection of diplomatic missions. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia Condemns Riots Targeting UAE Embassy in Damascus

Saudi Arabia called for the protection of diplomatic missions. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Arabia called for the protection of diplomatic missions. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia condemned on Sunday the riots, assaults, and attempted vandalism that targeted the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates and the residence of its head of mission in Damascus.

A Foreign Ministry statement said the Kingdom also slammed the “unacceptable offenses directed at the national symbols of the brotherly UAE.”

The ministry stressed the Kingdom’s “rejection of these attacks and all forms of violence against diplomats, stressing the need to ensure the protection of diplomats and diplomatic missions in line with relevant international laws and conventions.”

Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Albudaiwi also slammed the attack against the UAE embassy in Damascus, urging Syrian authorities to hold those responsible to account.


Oman, Iran Hold Talks on Strait of Hormuz

Traffic passing a huge political billboard reading in Persian "The Strait of Hormuz will remain closed", in Enghelb square in Tehran, Iran, 05 April 2026. (EPA)
Traffic passing a huge political billboard reading in Persian "The Strait of Hormuz will remain closed", in Enghelb square in Tehran, Iran, 05 April 2026. (EPA)
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Oman, Iran Hold Talks on Strait of Hormuz

Traffic passing a huge political billboard reading in Persian "The Strait of Hormuz will remain closed", in Enghelb square in Tehran, Iran, 05 April 2026. (EPA)
Traffic passing a huge political billboard reading in Persian "The Strait of Hormuz will remain closed", in Enghelb square in Tehran, Iran, 05 April 2026. (EPA)

Oman and Iran held talks on easing passage through the Strait of Hormuz, the Omani state news agency reported Sunday, with the key shipping chokepoint effectively closed due to war in the Middle East.

"Oman and Iran held a meeting at the deputy ministers level in the foreign ministries of the two countries, with the attendance of specialists from both sides, during which the possible options were discussed regarding ensuring the smooth passage through the Strait of Hormuz," the news agency posted on X.

"The experts from both sides put forward a number of visions and proposals regarding it," it added.