RESPECT MYPM

DUBAI: A UAE court has sentenced “a group composed of Arabs and Canadians” to six months in prison after being convicted of having links to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
WAM news agency said those sentenced Monday later would be deported. It did not name those sentenced or say how many there were.
The Canadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi referred questions to Global Affairs Canada, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. Lebanese officials and Hezbollah offered no comment.
The Gulf-wide move against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah comes after Iranian protesters stormed Saudi diplomatic missions in Mashhad and Tehran.

NEW YORK/RIYADH: A special UN envoy announced Wednesday a cease-fire across Yemen on April 10 followed a week later by fresh peace talks, raising hopes for a breakthrough.
Yemen has been gripped by violence since September 2014, when Iran-backed Houthi rebels stormed the capital Sanaa and forced the internationally recognized government out.
“The parties to the conflict have agreed to a nationwide cessation of hostilities beginning April 10 at midnight in advance of the upcoming round of the peace talks, which will take place on April 18 in Kuwait,” Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed told a press conference in New York.
A Saudi-led coalition began an air war in March last year to push back an offensive by Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who control Sanaa.
“The aim is to reach an agreement which will end the conflict and allow the resumption of an inclusive political dialogue,” Cheikh Ahmed said Wednesday, telling reporters that he had held intense discussions with the internationally recognized government and the rebels.
The face-to-face negotiations are in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2216, which states that the rebels must withdraw from seized territories and disarm.
The envoy said he hoped the cessation of hostilities would allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access to millions of suffering Yemenis.
Earlier, Riyadh urged the UN to pressure militant groups in Yemen into accepting peace resolutions.
This was the call made by Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during a meeting with Cheikh Ahmed.
“During the meeting on Tuesday, the two discussed the latest developments in Yemen and efforts to bring security and stability to the country,” a UN official said on Wednesday.
Before their meeting, Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Ahmed met with President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who said his government was ready to oversee a transition that would bring peace to the country.
Ahmed had earlier traveled to Sanaa for reconciliation talks.

— With input from agencies

Sumber Dari-Arab News

JERUSALEM: The Palestinian government has announced products from five Israeli companies will be prevented from entering the occupied West Bank, calling it a response to a similar decision by the Jewish state.
“In response to the Israeli decision to ban the entry to Jerusalem of products from five Palestinian companies, the government decided to ban the entry of products from five Israeli companies” to the West Bank, a statement issued after the weekly cabinet meeting on Tuesday said.
The decision takes effect immediately, it added.
The five targeted firms are dairy companies Tnuva, Strauss and Tara, meat firm Zoglobeck and drinks company Tapuzina.
Palestinians have often threatened to stop buying Israeli products, which represent more than two-thirds of Palestinian imports and amount to nearly $6.5 billion (5.7 billion euros) per year.
But the decision on Tuesday, if implemented effectively, would be a first.
Recently, Israel banned products from five Palestinian businesses from entering Jerusalem, according to Palestinian officials.
-Arab Saudi News