British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt is pictured during a meeting with his Yemeni counterpart in government-held Aden on March 3, 2019. Hunt's visit to Aden comes a day after he met with Yemen's embattled president Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi in Saudi Arabia, where he has lived in self-imposed exile since 2015. / AFP / Nabil HASAN
British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt is pictured during a meeting with his Yemeni counterpart in government-held Aden on March 3, 2019. Hunt's visit to Aden comes a day after he met with Yemen's embattled president Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi in Saudi Arabia, where he has lived in self-imposed exile since 2015. / AFP / Nabil HASAN
British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt is pictured during a meeting with his Yemeni counterpart in government-held Aden on March 3, 2019. Hunt's visit to Aden comes a day after he met with Yemen's embattled president Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi in Saudi Arabia, where he has lived in self-imposed exile since 2015. / AFP / Nabil HASAN
British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt is pictured during a meeting with his Yemeni counterpart in government-held Aden on March 3, 2019. Hunt's visit to Aden comes a day after he met with Yemen's emba

Jeremy Hunt demands Houthis leave Hodeidah


  • English
  • Arabic

British foreign minister Jeremy Hunt has called for the Houthis to leave Hodeidah or risk the fragile peace deal falling apart.


Speaking to the BBC, Mr Hunt said trust was crucial in the Stockholm agreement signed in December so the Houthi rebels should leave the port city in the hands on independent troops.

“They agreed that they would leave, but what they are saying, and I think the cause of the deadlock, is we agreed to leave because we wanted Hodeidah to be under neutral control … they are worried that if they leave Hodeidah, the other side will just move in,” he said.

The coalition and the Houthis remain at an impasse.

“We keep being on the brink of a breakthrough but not quite getting there and the worry is it’s now over 80 days since this agreement and the longer it takes, the more confidence is dented that we will see our way through to this peace process,” he said.

Mr Hunt said that the bombs may have stopped, but the humanitarian crisis has continued. As food aid continues to build up in storage in Houthi-controlled Hodeidah, millions are in danger of starvation.

Mr Hunt returned to the UK on Monday after a three-day visit to the region, in which he met Yemeni Foreign Minister Khaled Al Yamani in Yemen's port city of Aden and Houthi officials including Mohammed Abdel Salem in Oman. He finished his trip in the UAE.

The war in Yemen has lasted four years since Houthi rebels, allied with troops loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, captured much of the country.

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ESSENTIALS

The flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.

The hotels

Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.

The tours

A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages. 

Profile of Bitex UAE

Date of launch: November 2018

Founder: Monark Modi

Based: Business Bay, Dubai

Sector: Financial services

Size: Eight employees

Investors: Self-funded to date with $1m of personal savings

The specs

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COMPANY PROFILE
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Based: Muscat

Launch year: 2018

Number of employees: 40

Sector: Online food delivery

Funding: Raised $3.2m since inception 

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. 

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

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Sole survivors
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The bio

Job: Coder, website designer and chief executive, Trinet solutions

School: Year 8 pupil at Elite English School in Abu Hail, Deira

Role Models: Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk

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Sand storm

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  • Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
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  • Travel distance: Limited 
  • Source: Open desert areas with strong winds

Dust storm

  • Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
  • Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
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The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat 

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
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204.4-litre%20twin-turbo%20V8%20with%2048V%20mild%20hybrid%20system%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E544hp%20at%205%2C500rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E750Nm%20at%201%2C800-5%2C000rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E8-speed%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Efrom%20Dh700%2C000%20(estimate)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Elate%20November%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
While you're here
Our legal consultant

Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

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