US, UK strike Houthi targets in Yemen’s Taiz

DUBAI: US President Donald Trump on Friday capped his Gulf tour in Abu Dhabi after signing another raft of multi-billion-dollar deals, while also securing a $1.4 trillion investment pledge from the UAE.
The eye-watering amounts of money in investments were accompanied also by the lifting of decades-long sanctions on Syria and renewed optimism over an Iran nuclear deal during the multi-day trip across the Gulf.
On his first foreign tour of his second term, Trump oversaw a $200 billion order from Qatar Airways for Boeing jets and a $600 billion investment from Saudi Arabia — including nearly $142 billion in weapons, which the White House described as the largest-ever arms deal.
“I’m just thinking we have a president of the United States doing the selling,” Trump quipped, during a business roundtable alongside Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed.
“I think I have to be a cheerleader for our country,” he added.
On Thursday, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed lauded the strong partnership between the two countries that grew under Trump’s leadership and vowed to invest $1.4 trillion in the US economy over 10 years.
The White House said the two countries had also signed business deals worth more than $200 billion, including a $60 billion partnership with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company and a $14.5 billion Etihad Airways order of Boeing planes.
“You’re an amazing country. You’re a rich country. You can have your choice, but I know you’ll never leave my side,” Trump said after the $1.4 trillion announcement Thursday, addressing the UAE president.
“That’s your biggest investment that you’ve ever made, and we really appreciate it,” he added saying he will treat the UAE “magnificently” and that Sheikh Mohamed was “a magnificent man, and it’s an honor to be with you.”The White House also said both countries inked an AI agreement that will see the UAE invest in US data centers and commit to “further align their national security regulations with the United States, including strong protections to prevent the diversion of US-origin technology.”
The UAE is seeking to become a leader in technology and especially artificial intelligence to help diversify its oil-reliant economy.
But these ambitions hinge on access to advanced US technologies, including AI chips under stringent export restrictions, which the UAE president’s brother and spy chief Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed reportedly lobbied for during a Washington visit in March.
Earlier this week, Trump rescinded further controls on AI chips, which were imposed by his predecessor to make it harder for China to access advanced technology.
Later Friday, Trump will tour the Abrahamic Family House, a complex opened in 2023 that houses a mosque, church and the country’s first official synagogue with the aim of promoting interfaith co-existence in the Muslim nation.In Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, Trump was greeted with lavish welcomes and hailed the three Arab leaders in return.
He said that he and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman “like each other a lot” — in sharp contrast with the frosty Saudi-US relations that marked the start of his predecessor Joe Biden’s term.
He said the trip had resulted in securing “trillions of dollars” but the Gulf leaders’ largesse also stirred controversy, with Qatar offering Trump a luxury aircraft ahead of his visit for presidential and then personal use, in what Trump’s Democratic opponents charged was blatant corruption.
The deal-heavy tour also saw a major diplomatic shift. Trump became the first US president in 25 years to meet a Syrian leader, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, after announcing the removal of sanctions on the war-torn country following appeals from Saudi Arabia’s Prince Mohammed and Turkiye’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
During his Qatar visit, Trump said a deal was close on Iran’s nuclear program that would avert military action, sending oil prices tumbling.
There was no announcement of a breakthrough on the Gaza war, which Qatar has been a key mediator, with Trump repeating claims that Washington should “take” Gaza and turn it into a “freedom zone.”
But in Abu Dhabi he conceded that “a lot of people are starving” in Gaza, under Israeli aid blockade for more than two months, vowing to “get that taken care of.”
In remarks on Friday, Trump added that he would like to meet his Russian counterpart “as soon as we can set it up,” after President Vladimir Putin skipped the direct Ukraine-Russia talks in Istanbul — which Trump said he had been willing to attend.

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s parliament on Thursday approved an amendment to the law that aims to curb celebratory gunfire by doubling the penalties for those who fire shots into the air.

The new law imposes stricter penalties for individuals involved in actions that have led to numerous injuries and fatalities in recent years.

The action comes after Lebanese Army Command announced the arrest of eight people as part of efforts to identify those who fired gunshots during last Sunday’s municipal elections in the North Lebanon and Akkar governorates.

Army units, with support from a Directorate of Intelligence patrol, raided the homes of several suspects and seized weapons and ammunition they possessed.

The skies over the North and Akkar governorates were illuminated last Sunday night by gunfire, celebrating candidates’ victories in the municipal elections, where local families traditionally compete for seats on the city councils that govern their affairs.

The celebratory gunfire caused injury to a young man, Mohammed Jihad Khaled, from the town of Ain Al-Dahab in Akkar.

He is still fighting for his life after a bullet struck his head.

He remains in a coma after being moved to the intensive care unit of a hospital.

Journalist Nada Andraos was also injured by celebratory gunfire, as a bullet struck her leg after piercing the car she was in while covering the elections with her team from the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International.

Andraos, who seemed stunned by the incident — especially since the bullet could have struck her head instead of her leg — commented on social media: “In Lebanon, a stray bullet represents the value of life.”

Victims’ families often file lawsuits in court and with security agencies against unidentified people.

Many offenders escape punishment, leading to repeated tragedies where celebratory gunfire accompanies even minor school achievements.

The law prohibiting the firing of firearms into the air specifies that if such actions lead to a person’s illness or incapacity that causes them to miss work for fewer than 10 days, the offender will face a prison sentence of nine months to three years, in addition to a fine ranging from 10 to 15 times the official minimum wage.

MP Wadah Al-Sadiq said that the amendment had increased the penalty duration.

Previously, the penalty ranged from six months to three years; now it begins at one year in prison and can go up to six years.

The final decision will be made by the judge who issues the ruling.

Information Minister Paul Morcos, an international human rights defender, welcomed the amendment.

It serves as an additional deterrent, moving toward prohibiting such practices and ensuring accountability for perpetrators, he said.

Lawyer Imad Al-Masri, who specializes in criminal cases, said: “Any individual who discharges firearms or fireworks in populated areas or in the presence of a crowd, regardless of whether their firearm is licensed, will face a prison sentence of six months to three years.

“Additionally, they will incur a fine ranging from eight to 15 times the official minimum wage.

“The weapon shall be confiscated in all cases, and the perpetrator shall be referred to the military court for trial.”

Al-Masri said that the military court imposes penalties on individuals who fire bullets into the air, ranging from fines to prison sentences of six months to two years.

A judicial source said that the military court has numerous cases related to firing into the air. These offenses are punishable by law and escalate from a misdemeanor to a felony if the shooting results in casualties.

Al-Masri said: “Increasing the penalty is a deterrent if it is accompanied by strict prior measures and the enforcement of immediate prosecution and, most importantly, changing social behavior regarding this dangerous practice.”

Riots continued for a second day in Roumieh Prison, Lebanon’s largest prison, coinciding with the parliamentary session.

Inmates are demanding the approval of a general amnesty law and a reduction in their imprisonment period.

Tensions ran high among both convicts and detainees, some of whom hung symbolic gallows inside their cells as a form of protest.

Lawyer Rabih Qais, the program manager at the Lebanese Foundation for Permanent Civil Peace and a longtime observer of prison affairs, said: “The law proposal submitted by several MPs addresses the issue of delayed trials for detainees.

“Many of these people have spent years in prison, even though the sentences they might receive if tried could be significantly shorter than the time they have already served.”

Qais said Lebanon “evaluates every decision through the lens of sectarian power-sharing.

“As a result, many of those advocating for amnesty are Islamists and individuals from the Baalbek-Hermel region, many of whom are facing in absentia arrest warrants related to clashes with security forces or drug-related offenses.

“This may explain why the draft amnesty law was sent to parliamentary committees. However, what is truly needed is justice for the oppressed.”