Yemen's Foreign Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak announced on Friday the release of the first two fuel ships through the port of Hodeidah, under instructions from President Abdrabu Mansur Hadi.
Consultations are being held between Yemeni political factions in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh in a bid to revive UN-led peace talks aimed at ending the war.
“We immediately announce the release of the first two fuel ships through the port of Hodeidah,” Mr Mubarak said on Twitter.
Mr bin Mubarak said he had also been instructed to “facilitate all the arrangements for the release of all prisoners” as well as “opening Sanaa airport” and “opening roads in the besieged [city of] Taez” in the south.
The ports of Hodeidah and Salif are controlled by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. The Saudi-led coalition has said the Houthis use them as launching points for military and marine operations.
However, some areas on the outskirts are under the control of pro-government forces.
A peace deal was signed by Yemen's warring sides in Stockholm in 2018 which aimed to keep the ports operational.
Air and sea access to Houthi-held areas are controlled by the coalition, which intervened at the request of the internationally recognised government in 2015, after they it ousted by the rebels.
Mr bin Mubarak said he is “affirming the government's firm position in supporting any efforts that alleviate the humanitarian suffering of our people in light with the positive atmosphere the Yemeni talks in Riyadh.”
“I received clear directives from President Hadi to take necessary steps to facilitate all the arrangements for the release of all prisoners, opening Sanaa airport, releasing oil ships via Hodeidah, opening roads in the besieged Taez, to alleviate the suffering caused by the Houthis,” he said.
A major element of contention in the conflict has been the restrictions on the import of fuel and humanitarian goods into Yemen, where millions of people are on the brink of famine.
For years, the internationally recognised government accused the Houthis of controlling the distribution of supplies from the port, allowing them to decide who will benefit from foreign aid.
The announcement comes as the UN envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, has called for a truce over Ramadan, which is likely to start this weekend.
Mr Grundberg said he was engaging with warring parties about the ceasefire.
The Saudi-led coalition announced on Tuesday it would begin a ceasefire at 6am on Wednesday to enable the political talks to take place.
The Riyadh summit is expected to continue until April 7.
MATCH INFO
Sheffield United 3
Fleck 19, Mousset 52, McBurnie 90
Manchester United 3
Williams 72, Greenwood 77, Rashford 79
What She Ate: Six Remarkable Women & the Food That Tells Their Stories
Laura Shapiro
Fourth Estate
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Vaccine Progress in the Middle East
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What is 'Soft Power'?
Soft power was first mentioned in 1990 by former US Defence Secretary Joseph Nye.
He believed that there were alternative ways of cultivating support from other countries, instead of achieving goals using military strength.
Soft power is, at its root, the ability to convince other states to do what you want without force.
This is traditionally achieved by proving that you share morals and values.
Company%C2%A0profile
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Keep it fun and engaging
Stuart Ritchie, director of wealth advice at AES International, says children cannot learn something overnight, so it helps to have a fun routine that keeps them engaged and interested.
“I explain to my daughter that the money I draw from an ATM or the money on my bank card doesn’t just magically appear – it’s money I have earned from my job. I show her how this works by giving her little chores around the house so she can earn pocket money,” says Mr Ritchie.
His daughter is allowed to spend half of her pocket money, while the other half goes into a bank account. When this money hits a certain milestone, Mr Ritchie rewards his daughter with a small lump sum.
He also recommends books that teach the importance of money management for children, such as The Squirrel Manifesto by Ric Edelman and Jean Edelman.
Stree
Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Movies
Director: Amar Kaushik
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee
Rating: 3.5
In numbers
- Number of children under five will fall from 681 million in 2017 to 401m in 2100
- Over-80s will rise from 141m in 2017 to 866m in 2100
- Nigeria will become the world’s second most populous country with 791m by 2100, behind India
- China will fall dramatically from a peak of 2.4 billion in 2024 to 732 million by 2100
- an average of 2.1 children per woman is required to sustain population growth
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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The specs
Engine: 2.3-litre, turbo four-cylinder
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Power: 300hp
Torque: 420Nm
Price: Dh189,900
On sale: now
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Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors
Transmission: two-speed
Power: 671hp
Torque: 849Nm
Range: 456km
Price: from Dh437,900
On sale: now
