picture released, Getty Images
Yemeni forces backed by the UAE are fighting the Houthis in the Beihan area of Shabwa governorate.
We start our tour from the Independent newspaper, which asked about the reasons for the extension of the Yemen war to the UAE, after two attacks carried out by the Houthis last week on Emirati soil.
The newspaper reported that one of the groups targeted a British-American military base in the UAE.
It saw the attacks as “a sign of how a seven-year war has turned into a regional threat.”
The newspaper considered that one of the reasons for the recent escalation was “the Houthis’ failure to complete control of the north of the country, and they were held responsible for that by the UAE.”
According to The Independent, the Houthis are looking for “revenge after their offensive to seize Marib faltered.”
The newspaper said that the Houthis’ control of Marib would have given them control of northern Yemen, and thus an advanced position in the upcoming peace negotiations.
The newspaper saw that the turning point in the coalition forces’ defense of Marib was the UAE-backed forces’ control of Shabwa in the south, expelling the Houthis from it, and cutting their supply lines from Marib.
And the Independent continued, “The Houthis’ response was to launch ballistic missiles and drones carrying explosives, at Saudi Arabia and then at the UAE.”
She added that the Saudi-led coalition forces apparently responded by launching violent raids on Sanaa, and bombing a prison in Saada, killing more than 80 people.
Then the coalition bombed a communications building, which cut off the internet in Yemen for four days.
The Independent quoted an analyst on Yemen, Rayman al-Hamdani, as saying that “the Houthis are trying to plunge the UAE into a conflict that it was trying to get out of.”
She stated that the United States and United Nations diplomacy failed to hold negotiations between the two parties to the conflict, with the Houthis intensifying their attack on Marib.
And the newspaper added, “Some believe that Iran can play a role in escalating its Houthi allies.”
However, the newspaper quoted analyst Reman al-Hamdani as saying that he was not completely convinced by the idea of Iran seizing the strings.
Al-Hamdani told The Independent, “The Houthis may owe Iran its support, but Iran cannot order them to do something,” explaining, “This only happens when it is appropriate for both.”
picture released, AFP
An alternative to the Russian gas pipeline in Europe
We turn to the Guardian newspaper and an article by Julian Burger from Washington, about an American plan to avoid a gas crisis in Europe, in the event that Russian President Vladimir Putin decides to cut the Russian supply line.
In conjunction with growing fears of an invasion of Ukraine, US officials said on Tuesday that they were negotiating with global suppliers to divert natural gas supplies from around the world, “and they are now confident that Europe will not suffer a sudden loss of energy needed to heat in the middle of winter.” .
The writer quoted a senior US administration official as saying: “To ensure that Europe can get through winter and spring, we expect to be ready to secure alternative supplies that cover a large majority of potential shortfalls.”
Burger pointed out that “preparing to deliver gas supplies is part of a campaign by the United States with its European allies to show a united and cohesive front against Putin, in the hope of deterring him from invading Ukraine.”
He claimed that the rapprochement between the United States and the European Union over financial sanctions was noticeable, and that the impact of collective punitive measures on Russia would be much greater than the reaction to Russias annexation of Crimea in 2014. According to the author.
The newspaper pointed to what US officials said, that Russia has already restricted the flow of natural gas, through the pipeline that passes through Ukraine, from about 100 million cubic meters per day, to 50 million cubic meters.
Washington now assesses that nearly all of this can be quickly replaced if the pipeline was cut intentionally or as a result of conflict.
“Fears that Putin will cut off gas supplies have made some European countries, such as Germany, wary of imposing sanctions on Putin if he embarks on an invasion,” he said.
US discussions with Qatar were announced, but the US administration said the discussions were global.
The writer pointed out that the United States put 8,500 soldiers on high alert, with the aim of deploying them in Eastern Europe, in a move aimed at reassuring NATO members in the region that Washington is committed to defending them.
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What does low antibodies have to do with long-term Covid cases?
We stay with the Guardian, and an article by science editor Ian Sample deals with doctors’ discovery of an “antibody fingerprint”, which may help identify patients who are most vulnerable to infection with the Covid virus for a long time.
It is a circumstance in which severe symptoms can persist for several months.
The writer said, “Researchers at the University of Zurich in Switzerland, conducted blood analyzes of patients infected with the Covid virus, and found that low levels in some antibodies were more common in those who had suffered a long period of infection, compared to patients who recovered quickly.
He added that coupling the “antibody fingerprint” to the patient’s age, details of symptoms of Covid, and whether or not he had asthma, allows doctors to predict whether people are at medium, high, or very high risk of developing long-term Covid.
He continued, quoting doctors who participated in the tests, that the test cannot predict a person’s risk of contracting Covid for a long time, before he becomes infected, because details of his symptoms are required.
The author argued that the ability to identify those most at risk could help clinicians direct patients to clinical trials of long-term Covid treatments, and arrange early rehabilitation.
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https://www.bbc.com/arabic/inthepress-60135438
