Yemen aid held up by Saudis, claim
LONDON: Aid to Yemen was being slowed by a Saudi-led coalition which had warned commercial vessels to stay away from areas hit by fighting, a US Navy report revealed.
The Arab coalition, fighting to end control of much of Yemen by the Iran-allied Houthi movement, denied the allegation and said it was keen for ships to take in relief.
Yemen had been suffering what the UN said was one of its worst humanitarian crises. Aid efforts have been hampered by fighting and air and sea ports being blocked for long periods.
The report published yesterday revealed that coalition warships off the Red Sea port of Hodeida were “broadcasting” a warning to commercial vessels to stay clear of operational areas. “Only vessels with valid permit/clearance numbers will be granted entry into the port,” the document reported the message as saying.
It said the Yemeni government had permitted the vessels to enter, but the coalition was preventing this.
However, coalition spokesman Brigadier-General Ahmed al-Asseri denied warships had sent any messages aimed at deterring vessels from docking.
He said vessels were being asked to submit to inspection by its warships to check for possible attempts to smuggle weapons to Houthi forces.
Asseri urged international relief organisations to open offices in Yemen to expedite the distribution of aid.
Hodeidah officials said two cargo ships entered the port yesterday. Asseri said a third vessel was nearby while a further five had been inspected and approved and were on their way to Hodeida. – Reuters NEW YORK: Former NBA player and reality television star Lamar Odom was reported to be on a respirator and fighting for his life in a Las Vegas hospital yesterday after being found unresponsive at a Nevada brothel.
Odom, 35, the exhusband of Khloe Kardashian, suffered a medical emergency on Tuesday at the Love Ranch in Crystal, Nevada, about 50km north-west of Las Vegas, the Nye County Sheriff ’s Office said.
Odom, who starred for the Los Angeles Lakers from 2004 through 2011, was taken to Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas, the statement said.
Sunrise Hospital could not be reached for information. But celebrity website, TMZ.com, which broke the news, cited sources on Wednesday as saying Odom was in a coma and that some of his organs were failing. Kardashian, whose whirlwind romance with Odom was captured in the reality show, Keeping Up With the Kardashians, and its spin-off, Khloe and Lamar was at his bedside. – Reuters