LONDON: The UK will significantly increase aid funding to Yemen aiming to feed more than 850,000 people in the war-torn country, Foreign Secretary David Cameron said on Wednesday.
New aid worth £139 million (around $175 million) to help alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Yemen was announced in a meeting between Cameron and Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak in London.
The aid will be delivered through partners such as the World Food Programme and Unicef, a statement read, and hopes to treat 700,000 severely malnourished children.
The move comes a week after the EU announced $125 million for NGOs and UN agencies working in Yemen, where more than half the 34 million population needs aid after nine years of war.
Nearly 200 aid groups called for more humanitarian aid this month to bridge a $2.3-billion shortfall in funds for Yemen.
Houthi rebel attacks on international shipping are also on the agenda in Cameron’s meeting with Bin Mubarak, who is Yemen’s former ambassador to the United States.
Cameron blamed the attacks on Red Sea shipping for aggravating the humanitarian crisis “through blocking aid from reaching those who need it in northern Yemen.”
British and US forces have been carrying out joint strikes since January aimed at curbing the raids.
The attacks, which began in November, were found to affect more than half of British exporters in a British Chambers of Commerce report from February.
Yemen has been gripped by conflict following a 2014 coup by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, which triggered a Saudi-led military intervention in support of the government the following year.
Hundreds of thousands have died from fighting and other indirect causes such as the lack of food, according to the UN.
While hostilities have remained at a low level since a six-month UN-brokered ceasefire came into force in 2022, threats including food insecurity and cholera remain rampant.

SINGAPORE: Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong stepped down on Wednesday, marking the end of an era after nearly two decades in office.

Lee is the son of Lee Kuan Yew, the founder of modern Singapore who stayed in politics until his death in 2015.

His resignation ended a family dynasty, as he formally handed over the reins to his deputy, Lawrence Wong.

As Singapore’s third premier, Lee oversaw his country’s economic growth into an international financial hub and top tourist destination. The island’s gross domestic product per capita more than doubled during his tenure, with the government also credited for competently steering the country through several recessions and successfully fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lee’s succession has been planned for years, but the transition was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 72-year-old will remain in Wong’s cabinet as senior minister, as former Singapore premiers have done.

In his final major speech on May 1, Lee urged Singaporeans to rally behind Wong and said that the country’s stable politics had made long-term planning possible.

“As I prepare to hand over Singapore in good order to my successor, I feel a sense of satisfaction and completeness. I have done my duty, and I am very happy I chose this path of public service all those many years ago,” he said.

“But leading a country is never a one-man job. It is always the effort of a national team. Your unwavering support enabled us to get here, with the country in good shape and heading in the right direction.”

Anand Gopalan, who runs a financial and strategy advisory firm, said Singapore managed to keep up with the times under Lee’s leadership.

“With Lee Hsien Loong, … there’s a lot more focus on technology and innovation,” he said.

Singapore also saw growth in entrepreneurship and start-ups, as well as financial technology and artificial intelligence-focused platforms, giving citizens a vast range of career options, he added.

Though the city-state flourished into one of the world’s wealthiest nations, it also became one of the most expensive cities to live in.

“The big problems now are the diminishing jobs, both middle-class and working-class jobs, increased taxes and cost of living,” Gopalan said.

For 63-year-old Alice Rani, Singapore’s transformation throughout the years was commendable.

“I was born in 1961. There have been a lot of changes that sometimes I would say to myself: ‘Wow, it’s amazing what the government did for Singapore’,” Rani told Arab News.

“I like the way our government works, and everything is going (well). There is a lot of improvement, but it is a bit expensive to live here. We can still manage, and the government has been providing a lot of (subsidies and assistance).”

Singaporeans have enjoyed good infrastructure over the years, especially its transportation and pedestrian-friendly streets that are some of the best in Southeast Asia.

“I think for Singaporeans, they benefited a lot. Roads are better, flats are better, and the hawker centers are very convenient for people,” artist Margaret Pereira said.

“With the local infrastructure, there are more trains and train lines being built … There are a lot of differences in the past 20 years.”