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Yemen’s Houthi rebels freed 153 prisoners of war on Saturday, the Red Cross said. It is one of several moves in recent days to ease tensions after the ceasefire in Gaza.
Earlier prisoner releases had been regarded as a way to boost talks aimed at securing a permanent end to Yemen's decade-long civil war, which began when the Houthis seized the country's capital in 2014.
Saturday's release comes two days after the Iran-backed rebels detained seven Yemeni workers from the UN.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said it “welcomes this unilateral release as another positive step towards reviving negotiations”.
“This operation has brought much-needed relief and joy to families who have been anxiously waiting for the return of their loved ones,” said Christine Cipolla, the ICRC’s head of delegation in Yemen. “We know that many other families are also waiting for their chance to be reunited. We hope that today’s release will lead to many more moments like this.”
Abdul Qader Al Murtada, head of the Houthis' Committee for Prisoners’ Affairs, said in a statement carried by Houthi media that those released were "humanitarian cases that included the sick, wounded and the elderly".
“The goal of the initiative is to build trust and establish a new phase of serious and honest dealing,” Mr Al Murtada said.
The Red Cross has helped to oversee other prisoner releases between Yemen's warring factions, including when 1,000 prisoners were swapped in 2020, more than 800 were exchanged in 2023 and another release took place in 2024.
After the Gaza ceasefire took hold last weekend, the rebels said they would limit their attacks on ships in the Red Sea and released the 25-member crew of the Galaxy Leader, a ship they seized in November 2023.
The Houthis’ attacks on shipping during the Gaza war have helped deflect attention from their problems at home. But the rebels have faced casualties and damage from US-led air strikes for months now, as well as strikes by Israel.
The civil war in Yemen has killed more than 150,000 people, including fighters and civilians, and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters. Yemen's economy is in tatters, which has placed increasing pressure on the Houthis and others in the conflict to negotiate an end to the war. A de facto ceasefire has largely held for several years now even during the Houthis' attacks over the Gaza conflict.
Yet, the Houthis still conduct raids. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Friday demanded the immediate and unconditional release of the seven workers, as well as all other UN employees held by the Houthis, some since 2021.
“The continued targeting of UN personnel and its partners negatively impacts our ability to assist millions of people in need in Yemen,” he said in a statement. “The Houthis must deliver on their previous commitments and act in the best interests of the Yemeni people and the overall efforts to achieve peace in Yemen.”
The UN has halted work in Yemen, where it provides food, medicine and other aid to the impoverished nation.
US President Donald Trump has moved to reinstate a terrorism designation he made on the Houthis late in his first term that had been revoked by former president Joe Biden, which may renew tensions with the rebels.
Analysts have linked the latest UN detentions to that decision, although the Houthis have not yet commented.
TECH%20SPECS%3A%20APPLE%20WATCH%20SERIES%209
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JAPAN SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Masaaki Higashiguchi, Shuichi Gonda, Daniel Schmidt
Defenders: Yuto Nagatomo, Tomoaki Makino, Maya Yoshida, Sho Sasaki, Hiroki Sakai, Sei Muroya, Genta Miura, Takehiro Tomiyasu
Midfielders: Toshihiro Aoyama, Genki Haraguchi, Gaku Shibasaki, Wataru Endo, Junya Ito, Shoya Nakajima, Takumi Minamino, Hidemasa Morita, Ritsu Doan
Forwards: Yuya Osako, Takuma Asano, Koya Kitagawa
Family reunited
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was born and raised in Tehran and studied English literature before working as a translator in the relief effort for the Japanese International Co-operation Agency in 2003.
She moved to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies before moving to the World Health Organisation as a communications officer.
She came to the UK in 2007 after securing a scholarship at London Metropolitan University to study a master's in communication management and met her future husband through mutual friends a month later.
The couple were married in August 2009 in Winchester and their daughter was born in June 2014.
She was held in her native country a year later.
The Specs
Engine 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 582bhp (542bhp in GTS model)
Torque: 730Nm
Price: Dh649,000 (Dh549,000 for GTS)
The biog
Place of birth: Kalba
Family: Mother of eight children and has 10 grandchildren
Favourite traditional dish: Al Harees, a slow cooked porridge-like dish made from boiled cracked or coarsely ground wheat mixed with meat or chicken
Favourite book: My early life by Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, the Ruler of Sharjah
Favourite quote: By Sheikh Zayed, the UAE's Founding Father, “Those who have no past will have no present or future.”
Brief scores:
Scotland 371-5, 50 overs (C MacLeod 140 no, K Coetzer 58, G Munsey 55)
England 365 all out, 48.5 overs (J Bairstow 105, A Hales 52; M Watt 3-55)
Result: Scotland won by six runs
THE SPECS
Engine: 4.4-litre V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 523hp
Torque: 750Nm
Price: Dh469,000
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
Mane points for safe home colouring
- Natural and grey hair takes colour differently than chemically treated hair
- Taking hair from a dark to a light colour should involve a slow transition through warmer stages of colour
- When choosing a colour (especially a lighter tone), allow for a natural lift of warmth
- Most modern hair colours are technique-based, in that they require a confident hand and taught skills
- If you decide to be brave and go for it, seek professional advice and use a semi-permanent colour
