Washington

Analysis | At Last, Some Good News From Yemen

Published

2 years ago

April 3, 2023

Analysis | At Last, Some Good News From Yemen

Remark

It’s been so lengthy since there was any trigger for optimism in Yemen that you just would possibly wish to cross your fingers earlier than you learn on: The probability of an environmental disaster within the Pink Sea, one of many nation’s many calamities, is abating.

The United Nations Growth Programme has bought a ship to take 1.1 million barrels of crude oil that has been sitting in a decrepit supertanker, SFO Safer, off the port of Ras Isa in Yemen’s west coast. It has contracted SMIT Salvage BV, a Dutch agency specializing in marine salvage, to extract the oil and take away the Safer to security.

The alternative vessel is at the moment in drydock in South Korea, being fitted for its new function as a floating oil storage vessel. It’s anticipated to reach within the Pink Sea subsequent month. Relying on the climate and the situation of the Safer, the siphoning operation might take a number of weeks. Thereafter, a brand new mooring system will should be put in for the alternative vessel. “We should settle for that that is a really difficult and sophisticated operation,” mentioned Achim Steiner, administrator of the UNDP.

The FSO Safer has for years been likened to a time bomb, liable to interrupt aside or explode at any second, devastating the marine ecology in a big part of the Pink Sea. Fish shares would take 25 years to get better. A spill would shut the ports of Hudaydah and Saleef, via which humanitarian provides are introduced into the war-torn nation. It might additionally shut desalination vegetation that present water to tens of millions of Yemenis.

A spill would have an effect on the seven different littoral international locations — Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel, Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea and Djibouti — and worldwide transport on one of many world’s busiest commerce routes.

The UN reckons a clean-up operation would price $20 billion. The toll on the worldwide financial system might be magnitudes larger. Keep in mind what occurred the final time the Pink Sea lanes had been backed up when a single ship choked the Suez Canal.

Inbuilt 1976, the Safer is 360 meters lengthy — a fifth once more so long as the Exxon Valdez. Offered to the Yemeni authorities in 1988, its title (pronounced “saffar”) comes from the desert location of the nation’s first oil discovery. For the reason that civil struggle broke out in 2014, no survey has been finished of its seaworthiness. However given its age and lengthy neglect, consultants reckon its hull could also be past restore.

The Houthis, the Iran-backed insurgent group that began the struggle, has used the hazard posed by the Safer to blackmail the worldwide group for help and favorable phrases in ceasefire negotiations with Saudi Arabia, which leads an Arab coalition backing the authentic Yemeni authorities. A 12 months in the past, they lastly agreed to permit the oil to be offloaded.

However by then, the struggle in Ukraine had sophisticated the UNDP’s rescue plan: The worth of oil tankers spiked as hovering freight charges prompted many corporations to purchase quite than lease vessels. The UN says it has raised $95 million, most of which has gone into the acquisition of the alternative vessel. It wants one other $34 million for the primary section of the operation, and has needed to resort to on-line crowd-funding.

Issues might nonetheless go unsuitable. If the latest diplomatic thaw between Iran and Saudi Arabia doesn’t yield the political and financial dividends the Houthis need, they might but impede the UNDP operation. If the ship’s situation is worse than anticipated, the siphoning course of might be much more sophisticated than anyone is aware of.

The UN’s crowdfunding efforts are persevering with. Hold your fingers crossed!

Extra From Bloomberg Opinion:

Yemen Truce Is Good Information for the Wider World: Bobby Ghosh

OPEC+ Mulls When to Fireplace Its Final Oil Manufacturing Bullets: Javier Blas

Russia’s Sunken Warship Is a Warning to All Navies: James Stavridis

This column doesn’t essentially replicate the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its house owners.

Bobby Ghosh is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist protecting international affairs. Beforehand, he was editor in chief at Hindustan Instances, managing editor at Quartz and worldwide editor at Time.

Extra tales like this can be found on bloomberg.com/opinion

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Washington

Al Washington Says He “Had A Great Time” at Ohio State, Believes “Culture of Toughness and Hard Work” Has Led to OSU and Notre Dame’s Success

Published

4 hours ago

January 19, 2025

Press Room

Al Washington Says He “Had A Great Time” at Ohio State, Believes “Culture of Toughness and Hard Work” Has Led to OSU and Notre Dame’s Success

Al Washington was a member of Ryan Day’s inaugural staff at Ohio State. Now, he’ll be looking to prevent Day from winning his first national championship on Monday night.

Ohio State’s linebackers coach from 2019-21, Washington is now in his third season as Notre Dame’s defensive line coach. Washington joined Marcus Freeman’s inaugural staff in 2022 when he and Ohio State parted ways following the hiring of Jim Knowles as defensive coordinator.

Despite their split three years ago, Washington still has nothing but good things to say about Day and Ohio State.

“A ton of respect for Ryan. I’ve known him for a long time,” Washington said of Day, who Washington previously worked with at Boston College. “I had a great time at Ohio State. Unbelievable experiences with the kids. … My time at Ohio State has been valuable to me professionally and personally.”

Asked if he had a favorite memory from his time at Ohio State, Washington said “there’s too many to name” but said most of them center around his relationships with the players.

Washington’s lasting bonds with Ohio State go beyond his relationship with Day, as Ohio State’s linebacker unit still includes multiple players he either coached or recruited to Ohio State, namely Cody Simon in the former category and C.J. Hicks in the latter. He also knows the coach who currently holds the position he used to hold on Ryan Day’s staff, as current Ohio State linebackers coach James Laurinaitis was a graduate assistant at Notre Dame in 2022 before joining the Buckeyes’ staff in 2023.

“James is the best,” Washington told Eleven Warriors at Saturday’s national championship game media day. “Obviously, he’s knowledgeable, well-versed in linebacker play and just football, but just a great person, man. Ton of respect for him and the job he’s done over there. I know a lot of those guys that he’s working with – not all of them, some of them – and I know they’re in the best of hands, man. He’s doing a great job.”

With Washington coaching up its defensive linemen, Notre Dame’s defense has been one of the best in the country this season just like Ohio State’s, ranking just behind OSU as the No. 2 scoring defense in the country with only 14.3 points allowed per game. He believes the Fighting Irish’s success this season has stemmed from its togetherness and competitiveness, and Washington says that starts with the leadership of Freeman, an Ohio State alumnus who Washington had also previously worked with when both were on the defensive staff at Cincinnati in 2017.

“High-character person, great leader of people and cares for people,” Washington said of Freeman. “Those things really impacted my decision (to join Notre Dame’s staff).”

As his current team prepares to face his former team in the national championship game, Washington sees a lot of common threads between them that have allowed both Ohio State and Notre Dame to get to this point.

“I think they’re both led by good people, and I think there’s a culture of toughness and hard work that’s common throughout both teams,” Washington said. “A lot of pride.”

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Washington

RECAP: Lions vs. Commanders

Published

12 hours ago

January 19, 2025

Press Room

The Detroit Lions’ historic season has come to a heartbreaking end.

The top-seeded Lions were upset by the No. 6 seed Washington Commanders, 45-31, Saturday night at Ford Field in the Divisional Round of the playoffs as their season ends in disappointment after a record-setting 15-win regular season and their second straight NFC North title.

“They earned that win and we didn’t,” an emotional Lions head coach Dan Campbell said after the game. “We just didn’t play good enough. Really, we never complemented each other. I felt that way going into halftime and it really never got better.”

The Lions’ defense knew they had a tough task coming in trying to limit Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, who will likely be the Offensive Rookie of the Year, and the Lions had few answers defensively for Daniels and the Commanders’ fifth-ranked scoring offense all evening.

Daniels led three first-half touchdown drives as Washington racked up over 300 yards of offense in the first 30 minutes and led 31-21 at halftime. The Commanders also got a 40-yard pick-six by safety Quan Martin on a ball overthrown by quarterback Jared Goff intended for wide receiver Tim Patrick in the second quarter that helped push the halftime lead to double digits.

The Lions gained 521 yards of offense but ultimately couldn’t overcome five turnovers with three Goff interceptions, one Goff fumble and a Jameson Williams interception on a trick play end-around pass.

“We turn the ball over five times, the (last) one is whatever, so call it four, it’s just too much,” Campbell said. “Too hard against a team like that to come back. We tried, but couldn’t quite get over the hump.”

After Detroit trimmed the lead to 31-28 midway through the third quarter, Daniels led a 15-play, 70-yard scoring drive that took up eight and a half minutes off the clock and culminated with a 1-yard Brian Robinson Jr. touchdown to push the lead back up to 10 to begin the fourth quarter.

Washington essentially sealed the win after the Williams interception on Detroit’s next possession by turning it into a Jeremy McNichols 1-yard touchdown run and a 45-28 lead midway through the fourth quarter. Washington converted a 4th & 2 at the Detroit 13-yard line down to the 1-yard line that proved to be the dagger on the scoring drive.

Daniels finished the game 22-for-31 passing for 299 yards with two touchdowns, no interceptions and a 122.9 passer rating. He also added 51 rushing yards.

Detroit’s injuries on defense finally seemed to catch up with them. Cornerback Amik Robertson left the game with an elbow injury on the second play of the game and didn’t return. The Lions came into the game with 13 defensive players on IR, including six starters. Washington ended the game with 481 yards of total offense and were 3-for-4 converting on fourth down.

Goff ended the game completing 23 of his 40 pass attempts for 313 yards with one touchdown. His three interceptions and one fumble were costly turnovers for the Lions as he finished with just a 59.7 passer rating. Goff fumbled at the Washington 25-yard line that killed a scoring chance. He had the pick-six and also threw an interception in the Washington end zone late in the first half and one at the Washington 2-yard line late in the fourth quarter.

“It sucks. Worst part of this job,” Goff said after the game. “You hate when you feel like you let guys down. It’s hard to put into words. It just sucks.

“I wish I could have played a little bit better. Wish I could have taken care of the ball a little better. The pick six is really the one I’d like back. That was just a poor decision by me. It’s on me. I have to take care of it better.”

Detroit got touchdowns on a 1-yard run by Jahmyr Gibbs, a 2-yard catch by tight end Sam LaPorta, a 61-yard run by Williams and an 8-yard Gibbs run.

Gibbs finished the game with 105 rushing yards and two touchdowns with six receptions for 70 yards. Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown had eight receptions for 137 yards.

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Washington

Washington Commanders Roster Moves: Colson Yankoff is back!

Published

20 hours ago

January 18, 2025

Press Room

Washington Commanders Roster Moves: Colson Yankoff is back!

The Washington Commanders are in Detroit to play the Lions tonight at 8pm. It’s been a pretty quiet, and healthy, week for the Commanders as they prepared for their first divisional playoff game since 2006. They only ruled one player out for tonight’s game, and just announced their practice squad elevations and roster moves.

Rookie LB Jordan Magee was ruled out after aggravating his hamstring injury. He was placed on injured reserve today. That gives Washington an open roster spot which was used to activate TE Colson Yankoff from IR. His 21-day practice window was opened last Wednesday, and he was a full participant in every practice over the last two weeks.

Washington also elevated CB Kevon Seymour and DE Andre Jones Jr from the practice squad for tonight’s playoff game. Seymour has been used exclusively on special teams this season. Andre Jones Jr was elevated twice during the season, and played 17 snaps on defense.

We have made the following roster moves:
— Placed LB Jordan Magee on the Reserve/Injured List
— Activated TE Colson Yankoff from the Reserve/Injured List and removed him from the injury report
— Elevated DE Andre Jones Jr. and CB Kevon Seymour from the practice squad pic.twitter.com/1z96W9N2Xb
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) January 18, 2025
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