Local sources said the Southern Transitional Council (STC) abducted three Yemeni football officials on Monday in Abyan. According to the sources, the three abductees were on their way to Aden International Airport as they were planning to travel to Egypt. The STC has been accused of human rights abuses, including arbitrary detentions and abductions. The abductions come amid a continued power struggle between the STC and the internationally recognized government of Yemen. The separatists dominate several southern provinces, including Aden, Lahj, Dhale, Shabwa and Abyan.
A UN statement said Monday that more than thousands of Yemenis have been displaced due to the harsh weather conditions the country is witnessing. The United Nations Population Fund indicated on the "X" platform that the extreme weather conditions in Yemen caused the displacement of more than 200,000, several of whom had been displaced more than once due to the conflict. The statement pointed out that the United Nations' rapid response mechanism helped more than 150,000 people affected by floods and rains in 2023.
Iran's new ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Alireza Enayati, was expected to arrive in Riyadh on Tuesday, Iran's state news agency Irna reported on Monday. Enayati will lead a diplomatic mission that was reopened in early June. Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed in March to a Chinese-brokered deal to resume diplomatic and economic relations, seven years after the countries cut diplomatic ties. The Saudi embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Iran have also reopened.
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has launched an international water organization to address global water challenges. The organization, which will be based in Riyadh, aims to establish quality projects, facilitate financing, exchange expertise, advance technology, foster innovation, and share research and development experiences. The hashtag "united for water" is widely circulating on social media in Saudi Arabia. According to reports, global water demand is expected to rise by 2050, fuelled by a population projected to have reached 9.8 billion.
Yemeni Prime Minister Dr. Moein Abdulmalik defended his government's performance and slammed his critics, including the Yemeni Parliament. This came during a press conference held in the interim capital, Aden, to respond to the report of the parliamentary fact-finding committee, which said the government had been involved in corruption in the oil, electricity, communications, and financial sectors. Abdulmalik considered the report's contents as "accusations, rumors, and political polarization."
