A screengrab of a video showing released Houthi prisoners on board a plane from Saudi Arabia to Yemen. Photo: Spa
A screengrab of a video showing released Houthi prisoners on board a plane from Saudi Arabia to Yemen. Photo: Spa
A screengrab of a video showing released Houthi prisoners on board a plane from Saudi Arabia to Yemen. Photo: Spa
A screengrab of a video showing released Houthi prisoners on board a plane from Saudi Arabia to Yemen. Photo: Spa

Red Cross plane to fly from Sanaa to Riyadh for prisoner swap


Nada AlTaher
  • English
  • Arabic

An International Committee of the Red Cross flight from Sanaa will take prisoners to Riyadh on Friday as part of a highly anticipated exchange set to begin on Thursday, a Yemeni official told The National.

Originally scheduled for Tuesday, the start of the swap was moved first to Friday and then back to Thursday after the process of interviewing and gathering information on the 877 captives was completed.

“On the first day of the exchange [Thursday], ICRC flights will transport detainees between Aden and Sanaa,” Yemen's Deputy Human Rights Minister Majed Fadhil, who is part of the negotiation committee, told The National on Tuesday.

Friday will see flights from Sanaa to Riyadh, Abhaa to Sanaa, and both ways between Mokha and Sanaa, while Saturday will see flights both ways between Marib and Sanaa, he added.

“The ICRC interviews every individual on every side and takes down all their details, verifies their identity and documents everything there is about them,” Mr Fadhil said.

“These people are in different areas and in several military locations and fronts. Therefore, there are major efforts being exerted to move and transport them safely.”

The ICRC's spokeswoman in the UAE, Jessica Moussan, told The National that operations may take place in the next few days.

“We are hoping that the upcoming detainee release operation in Yemen will take place in the next few days. However, considering the complexity of such an operation, we are not in a position to confirm any specific dates as the situation continues to evolve,” Ms Moussan said.

The ICRC is committed to its role as a neutral intermediary and is in constant communication with all sides to ensure the exchange is carried out in line with international humanitarian law, she said.

Teams on the ground are “working to facilitate the safe transfer and repatriation of detainees”, she said.

The prisoner exchange comes amid a push by Saudi Arabia — which leads a coalition to restore the internationally recognised government to power in Yemen — to revive a UN-brokered truce that expired in October.

As part of the truce and a permanent ceasefire, all prisoners on both sides will be released, The National previously reported.

Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Yemen Mohammed Al Jaber visited Sanaa at the weekend to discuss the details of an anticipated ceasefire that would end Saudi Arabia's military role in Yemen.

“Continuing the kingdom’s efforts to end the Yemeni crisis, and in support of the Saudi Initiative of 2021 to reach a comprehensive political solution in Yemen, I visit Sanaa along with a delegation from the brotherly Sultanate of Oman to stabilise the truce and ceasefire,” he tweeted on Monday night.

He said Saudi Arabia has always supported Yemen to achieve “security, stability and economic prosperity”.

Yemeni government sources previously told The National that a ceasefire would entail the merging of the two central banks, one based in Houthi-run Sanaa and the other in de facto capital Aden.

The prisoner swap beginning on Thursday will also involve the release of several prominent Yemeni detainees currently in Houthi jails.

They include Nasser Mansur Hadi, brother of Yemen's former president Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, former defence minister Mahmoud Al Subaihi and Mohammad Saleh, brother of leader of National Resistance Tareq Saleh.

The prisoners also include 23 Saudis and three Sudanese civilians, Hamed Ghalib, of Yemen's National Resistance, which is involved in the negotiations with the Houthis, earlier told The National.

The UN, which had brokered last year's truce, welcomed the meetings in Sanaa.

“[The talks are] a welcome step towards the de-escalations of tensions in Yemen and the region. And we very much hope that it can contribute to the overall peace efforts,” UN Secretary General spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Monday.

UN special envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg had also called the talks the “closest Yemen has been to real progress towards lasting peace”.

Ahead of Mr Al Jaber's visit to Sanaa, Saudi Arabia released 13 Houthi prisoners in exchange for one Saudi detainee.

The Houthis have been at war with the Yemeni government since they took over the capital in 2014, prompting Saudi Arabia to intervene to restore the government to power.

Qosty Byogaani

Starring: Hani Razmzi, Maya Nasir and Hassan Hosny

Four stars

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

Profile of RentSher

Started: October 2015 in India, November 2016 in UAE

Founders: Harsh Dhand; Vaibhav and Purvashi Doshi

Based: Bangalore, India and Dubai, UAE

Sector: Online rental marketplace

Size: 40 employees

Investment: $2 million

North Pole stats

Distance covered: 160km

Temperature: -40°C

Weight of equipment: 45kg

Altitude (metres above sea level): 0

Terrain: Ice rock

South Pole stats

Distance covered: 130km

Temperature: -50°C

Weight of equipment: 50kg

Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300

Terrain: Flat ice
 

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 48V hybrid

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Power: 325bhp

Torque: 450Nm

Price: Dh289,000

Company profile

Company name: Dharma

Date started: 2018

Founders: Charaf El Mansouri, Nisma Benani, Leah Howe

Based: Abu Dhabi

Sector: TravelTech

Funding stage: Pre-series A 

Investors: Convivialite Ventures, BY Partners, Shorooq Partners, L& Ventures, Flat6Labs

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy 

Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong

Rating: 4.5/5

Tearful appearance

Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday. 

Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow. 

She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.

A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.

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Specs

Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
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Personalities on the Plate: The Lives and Minds of Animals We Eat

Barbara J King, University of Chicago Press 

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Infiniti QX80 specs

Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6

Power: 450hp

Torque: 700Nm

Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000

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How it works

A $10 hand-powered LED light and battery bank

Device is operated by hand cranking it at any time during the day or night 

The charge is stored inside a battery

The ratio is that for every minute you crank, it provides 10 minutes light on the brightest mode

A full hand wound charge is of 16.5minutes 

This gives 1.1 hours of light on high mode or 2.5 hours of light on low mode

When more light is needed, it can be recharged by winding again

The larger version costs between $18-20 and generates more than 15 hours of light with a 45-minute charge

No limit on how many times you can charge

 

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The Buckingham Murders

Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu

Director: Hansal Mehta

Rating: 4 / 5

Results

2pm: Al Sahel Contracting Company – Maiden (PA) Dh50,000 (Dirt) 1,200m; Winner: AF Mutakafel, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)

2.30pm: Dubai Real Estate Centre – Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: El Baareq, Antonio Fresu, Rashed Bouresly

3pm: Shadwell – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,950m; Winner: Lost Eden, Andrea Atzeni, Doug Watson

3.30pm: Keeneland – Handicap (TB) Dh84,000 (D) 1,000m; Winner: Alkaraama, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi

4pm: Keeneland – Handicap (TB) Dh76,000 (D) 1,800m; Winner: Lady Snazz, Saif Al Balushi, Bhupat Seemar

4.30pm: Hive – Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Down On Da Bayou, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer

5pm: Dubai Real Estate Centre – (TB) Handicap Dh64,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Lahmoom, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer

WOMAN AND CHILD

Director: Saeed Roustaee

Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi

Rating: 4/5

The specs: Lamborghini Aventador SVJ

Price, base: Dh1,731,672

Engine: 6.5-litre V12

Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic

Power: 770hp @ 8,500rpm

Torque: 720Nm @ 6,750rpm

Fuel economy: 19.6L / 100km

Ferrari
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ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

Normcore explained

Something of a fashion anomaly, normcore is essentially a celebration of the unremarkable. The term was first popularised by an article in New York magazine in 2014 and has been dubbed “ugly”, “bland’ and "anti-style" by fashion writers. It’s hallmarks are comfort, a lack of pretentiousness and neutrality – it is a trend for those who would rather not stand out from the crowd. For the most part, the style is unisex, favouring loose silhouettes, thrift-shop threads, baseball caps and boyish trainers. It is important to note that normcore is not synonymous with cheapness or low quality; there are high-fashion brands, including Parisian label Vetements, that specialise in this style. Embraced by fashion-forward street-style stars around the globe, it’s uptake in the UAE has been relatively slow.

The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
MATCH INFO

Norwich City 1 (Cantwell 75') Manchester United 2 (Aghalo 51' 118') After extra time.

Man of the match Harry Maguire (Manchester United)

Updated: April 11, 2023, 4:47 PM`