US President Donald Trump announced Sunday that an agreement with Iran had been finalized and said he was authorizing the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the removal of a US naval blockade.
“The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete. Congratulations to all!,” Trump declared in a post on his Truth Social platform.
“I hereby fully authorize the toll free opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and, simultaneously herewith, authorize the immediate removal of the United States Naval blockade,” he added. Anadolu
Ibrahim Hassan Sarhan was born in Jaffa in 1915. He was the first Palestinian filmmaker. His first film was a documentary about the visit of Saudi King Abdul Aziz in 1935 and included rare footage of Palestine. He also filmed the visit of Ahmed Hilmi Pasha, a member of the Arab Higher Committee, to Palestine and subsequently founded Studio Palestine in Jaffa. He was displaced to Jordan during the 1948 Nakba, where he participated in the first Jordanian feature film, directed by Wasef Sheikh Yassin, titled “Struggle in Jerash” in 1958.
His Death He died in 1987 in the Shatila refugee camp near Beirut, Lebanon. [1]
References ^ Alaa Al-Ali (November 2, 2009). “Palestine Was Not a Desert: Sarhan Filmed It.” Al-Akhbar (962). Shatila. Archived from the original on April 3, 2010. Retrieved March 27, 2018
Asma Toubi (1905-1983), a broadcaster, writer, and poet, was born in Nazareth and received her early education there and later in Jerusalem. She then pursued academic studies at the American University of Beirut in 1932. She became the first female broadcaster on Radio Jerusalem in 1936, hosting a weekly program called “A Conversation with Arab Women,” where she addressed women on raising their children, their behavior, and offered guidance in education and work. Several other female broadcasters worked alongside her at the radio station, including Henriette Siksik, Fatima Alami, Rabiha Dajani, and Mary Akawi. She married and moved to Acre, remaining there until the Nakba, after which she was displaced to Beirut.
She authored numerous books and publications. She passed away in 1983 and was buried in Beirut.
Yemen remains gripped by one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with 22 million – out of a population of 35 million – requiring assistance. Women and girls account for half of those in need, and two-thirds of them are of childbearing age, placing reproductive health at the heart of the emergency.
The UN agency supporting women and girls in the field (UNFPA) is working across the country to meet urgent reproductive needs. It warns that a combination of malnutrition, limited healthcare and rising protection risks is putting lives in jeopardy.
‘Malnutrition is on the rise’
One of the most immediate concerns is food insecurity. “Unfortunately, malnutrition is on the rise,” says Francesco Galtieri, the agency’s senior official in Yemen.
The consequences are particularly severe for pregnant women – when they lack adequate nutrition during pregnancy, the risks to their babies’ development and health increase significantly.
Healthcare access, especially in rural and remote areas, is another critical challenge.
The country has the highest maternal mortality rate in the Arab region, and three women die every day due to pregnancy complications or during childbirth. Around two-thirds of these deaths could be prevented if they had access to a midwife or doctor.
Beyond health, protection from violence is a pressing concern. Conflict and economic hardship have heightened risks for women and girls, who often bear the brunt.
Funding cuts result in death
Safe spaces supported by UNFPA offer women refuge and a path to recovery, providing psychosocial support, vocational training and economic empowerment initiatives designed to help survivors rebuild their lives.
The agency also provides legal assistance to those seeking justice through Yemen’s legal system.
Despite these achievements, funding cuts are putting the programmes under severe strain. Mr. Galtieri told UN News that around 40 per cent of UNFPA’s humanitarian funding was cut last year, forcing the agency to suspend or halt support for roughly one third of its services.
In a country with high maternal mortality, reduced services mean that a woman experiencing complications may be unable to access lifesaving care, often resulting in the death of both mother and child.
Protection services have also been affected. This year, UNFPA-supported shelters have been unable to accept new survivors of gender-based violence, and the cuts can lead to lasting effects on children affected by malnutrition and trauma.
Photo: WHO/ Abdullah Al-Halabi The World Health Organization (WHO) has provided the Al-Thawra Hospital in Hudaydah, Yemen, with 30 medical beds, 5 infant radiant warmers and 1 trauma kit.
Healthy debate?
Mr Galtieri is currently in New York attending meetings of UNFPA’s Executive Board, where representatives from conflict-affected areas are engaging with Member States.
Discussions have highlighted renewed debate around sexual and reproductive health and rights, an issue he says has not been under such scrutiny in decades.
“I always wonder why, when a society enters into a phase of tension and confrontation, women and girls become the focus of that political confrontation,” he says.
Appealing directly to decision-makers, Mr. Galtieri urges greater investment in essential services such as midwifery, arguing that prioritising lifesaving care over other expenditures should not be controversial.
Funding decisions often favour other priorities, despite the clear human cost. In Yemen, he warns, that cost is measured in the lives of women and girls who might otherwise have survived. UN News
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