RIYADH: Yemen’s prime minister called on Sunday for a return to implementing the Riyadh Agreement as it is a “win-win for all.”
Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed said the goals of the deal reached last year between the government and southern separatists are aimed at “uniting all forces and efforts within the state structure” and defeating the Houthi militia, Yemen’s state news agency reported.
The agreement was signed last year after government forces and troops loyal to the Southern Transitional Council (STC) clashed last summer. While the agreement was widely hailed at the time, tensions have flared in recent months between the two forces, which are meant to be allies in the war against the Iran-backed Houthis.
Last week, the Arab Coalition said the STC and government had agreed a cease-fire and talks would take place again in Riyadh to make sure the Riyadh was fully adopted.
Speaking at a meeting of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi’s advisory body and the presidency of the House of Representatives, Saeed said he valued the role of Saudi Arabia its support for the Yemeni state and its people.
“The government worked … to implement its obligations regarding the Riyadh Agreement and took serious action to ensure that the main and crucial battle compass against the Houthi coup was not diverted,” he said.
Sultan Al-Barakani, speaker of the Yemeni House of Representatives highlighted the importance of implementing the Riyadh Agreement and the consultations being held “at a high level to accomplish this under the auspices and supervision of Saudi Arabia.”

BEIRUT: Lebanese media broadcast interviews with the US ambassador on Sunday, ignoring a ruling by a judge who banned the diplomat from television for a year over remarks that criticized the powerful Shiite movement Hezbollah.
Hezbollah is the main political force behind the Lebanese government. Washington considers the heavily armed pro-Iran movement to be a terrorist group.

In an interview with Saudi-owned AlHadath television on Friday, US ambassador Dorothy Shea said Hezbollah’s behavior was preventing Lebanon from properly dealing with a deep economic crisis.
A Shiite judge in the southern city of Tyre ruled on Saturday that Shea’s comments had incited sectarian strife, and banned broadcasting interviews with her for a year. State-owned National News Agency (NAA) said media that violate the ban would be fined $200,000.
But the government has repudiated the court ruling, while criticizing Shea over the remarks that had prompted it.
Information Minister Manal Abdel Samad tweeted that while she understood the judge’s concerns about diplomats meddling in Lebanon’s internal affairs “no one had the right to prevent the media from covering news, or to curb press freedoms.”
A Lebanese government official and a Western diplomatic source both said Shea had been summoned to the foreign ministry on Sunday. No further details were given.
In one of several media appearances on Sunday, Shea told broadcaster MTV that a senior government official had assured her the court did not have the authority to order the ban, and that the government would take steps to reverse it.
She described the ruling as a “really pathetic” attempt to silence the media, and said the government should focus more on implementing economic reforms.
“I would suggest that we all try to put this chapter behind us,” she said.

JERUSALEM: Hundreds of Israelis protested Saturday evening against Benjamin Netanyahu outside his Jerusalem residence as the Israeli prime minister faces corruption charges.
The demonstration was fueled by the detention of seven protesters Friday who held a smaller rally against Netanyahu’s continuation as premier despite being under indictment. The demonstrators held banners describing Netanyahu as “crime minister.”
Among the seven detainees was a former top Israeli air force general. On Saturday, Israeli police said the protest a day earlier was “illegal” because demonstrators blocked the roads.
Three of the protesters, including retired Brig. Gen. Amir Haskel, remained in detention for refusing the police’s release terms and insisting on participating in Saturday’s protest, Israeli media reported.
Last month, Netanyahu’s trial on charges of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes opened in a Jerusalem court. It is scheduled to resume next month.
Netanyahu’s new government took office last month, ending more than a year of political stalemate.
Under a power sharing deal, Netanyahu was permitted to remain as prime minister, while his rival, Benny Gantz, was named defense minister and alternate prime minister.
The two men have agreed to switch posts after 18 months, though many analysts do not expect the government to last that long.

CAIRO: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases continue to rise worldwide. While many acknowledge the indispensable role of physicians in diagnosing and treating patients infected with it, there persists a lack of awareness regarding the importance of physical therapy, especially during recovery.

“Physiotherapists have been at the frontlines in Egypt during this crisis. At least three were infected and died while working with COVID-19 patients,” Dr. Mohammed Magdy El-Meligie, lecturer of physical therapy at the October 6 University in Cairo, told Arab News.

“Physiotherapists are an important part of a multidisciplinary team that provides treatment for patients infected with COVID-19,” El-Meligie said. “The role of physical therapy during this crisis can be summed up in this simple statement: A doctor may save your life, while a physiotherapist can improve your quality of life.”

According to El-Meligie, nearly half of COVID-19 patients who require hospitalization need oxygen treatment, while five percent of cases are held in intensive care units (ICUs) to receive the necessary support. These patients pass through different stages as they face an uphill battle to recover and return to prior levels of function. The role of physical therapy in each stage varies according to the severity of the case.

For example, during the intensive care stage, patients suffer from mucous hypersecretion with difficulty in clearing these secretions.

“This is may lead to several complications, such as difficulty breathing and respiratory tract obstruction, which may eventually cause respiratory failure,” El-Maligie explained.

“Physiotherapy during this stage aims to facilitate the clearance of these secretions and improve breathing capacity by applying airway clearance techniques. These include deep breathing exercises, which encourage coughing and strengthen respiratory muscles,” he said.

El-Maligie added that manual therapy techniques such as percussion and vibration help to mobilize secretions from stubborn peripheral areas in the lungs to more central areas, which may help patients expel them in the easiest way possible. Sometimes, airway mechanical suctioning may be used in critically ill patients.

El-Meligie pointed out that COVID-19 patients suffer from a lack of physical activity and prolonged bed rest, which have a negative impact on several body systems, such as the musculoskeletal, cardiovascular and even cognitive systems.

Prolonged bed rest may affect a patient’s ability to return to normal life even after complete recovery. It is thus important to maintain muscular status and prevent weakness from developing in skeletal muscles. Neuromuscular electrical stimulation can restore muscle function in critically ill patients who are unable to perform any sort of activity.

El-Meligie emphasized that the role of physical therapy is not limited to the hospitalization period only, but must also continue when the patient returns home.

“After full recovery, patients often become worried that it will take them quite a while to return to their normal energy and fitness levels. That is why we have a home program suitable for each patient. The program includes exercises that strengthen muscles, restore joint flexibility and improve lung capacity,” he said.

El-Meligie stressed the importance of physiotherapy for recovering patients.

“Due to the increasing number of ICU admissions and prolonged bed rest associated with COVID-19, comprehensive physiotherapy programs should be implemented to accelerate patients’ functional recovery and prevent the complications of immobilization, especially in ventilator-dependent patients,” he said.

RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories: The governor of Bethlehem announced Saturday the temporary closure of the Palestinian city to contain the spread of coronavirus after a sharp rise in infections in the occupied West Bank.
The 48-hour closure will begin Monday from 6.00am (0300 GMT), governor Kamil Hmeid said in a statement.
The closure comes after the West Bank cities of Hebron and Nablus were closed last week for five days and 48 hours respectively.
The two cities, alongside Bethlehem, have recorded a major spike in new coronavirus cases.
The Palestinian health ministry announced 67 new cases of the COVID-19 respiratory illness on Saturday, of which 33 were in the Bethlehem district.
The ministry has recorded a total of 1,552 virus cases in the West Bank, including two deaths.
Like the West Bank, Israel has also recorded a recent surge in coronavirus cases.
Meanwhile, in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian enclave blockaded by Israel, 72 people have tested positive for coronavirus, with one death.
Bethlehem, where Christians believe Christ was born, was initially put into lockdown in March, after recording the first coronavirus case in the West Bank.
Schools were closed and non-essential travel and activities were that month banned, as part of the efforts to tackle the virus.