Two American hostages held in Yemen were freed in a prisoner swap involving more than 200 Houthis.
Aid worker Sandra Loli was held for three years and businessman Mikael Gidada for about one year, Kash Patel, a deputy assistant to US President Donald Trump, told The Wall Street Journal.
They were flown out of Sanaa, the Yemeni capital held by the Iran-backed Houthis, on a Royal Air Force of Oman plane. The body of a third American, Bilal Fateen, was also on board.
The US gave no details about how the freed hostages were captured or what they had been doing in Yemen.
Mr Patel said the US was ensuring that the released Houthis did not return to fighting.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo thanked American officials, Saudi Arabia's King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Sultan Haitham of Oman for their diplomatic efforts.
"My deepest condolences go out to the family of a third American who died while in captivity but whose remains are being repatriated," Mr Pompeo said.
A source in Sanaa told The National that two Omani jets landed in Sanaa airport on Wednesday afternoon carrying 283 Houthis from Muscat.
The source said the Omani planes took off from Sanaa airport back to Muscat transferring Houthis and the freed American hostages.
“One of the Omani planes evacuated American detainees released from the Houthi prisons in Sanaa and the other plane flew Houthi loyalists from Sanaa back to Oman,” the source said.
The source did not give details about the Houthis who were taken to Muscat.
A member in the Yemen government prisoner swap team told The National that the release of the American hostages from the Houthi prisons was part of a deal struck by the Arab Coalition and the US with the rebels.
The prisoner swap committee convened in Geneva in September and reached a deal to swap 1,081 detainees, including Saudi Arabians and Sudanese.
“We didn’t discuss topics related to foreign prisoners during the last negotiation round in Geneva,” Yaser Al Haddi, a member in the Yemen government team, said on Wednesday
“We have no idea about this deal. I think it was struck by the coalition and the Americans with the Houthis.
Mr Al Haddi said the prisoner swap agreed to with the Houthis would begin on October 16 led by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Saudi officials were said to be reluctantly supportive of the swap.
For months, UN envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths has been pushing all sides to agree to a ceasefire that would pave the way for broader peace talks.
The conflict erupted in 2014, when the Houthis seized Sanaa and much of the country’s north.
A Saudi-led Arab Coalition intervened the following year in an effort to restore the government of President Abdrabu Mansur Hadi to power.
Yemen’s internationally recognised government said that at least 1,000 Houthi fighters were killed in September as the Arab Coalition thwarted a rebel attack.
The rebels have been pushing on several fronts towards the last government-controlled major northern city, Marib, and other towns.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ABU DHABI ORDER OF PLAY
Starting at 10am:
Daria Kasatkina v Qiang Wang
Veronika Kudermetova v Annet Kontaveit (10)
Maria Sakkari (9) v Anastasia Potapova
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova v Ons Jabeur (15)
Donna Vekic (16) v Bernarda Pera
Ekaterina Alexandrova v Zarina Diyas
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
EVIL%20DEAD%20RISE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ELee%20Cronin%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAlyssa%20Sutherland%2C%20Morgan%20Davies%2C%20Lily%20Sullivan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%205%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Fight card
Preliminaries:
Nouredine Samir (UAE) v Sheroz Kholmirzav (UZB); Lucas Porst (SWE) v Ellis Barboza (GBR); Mouhmad Amine Alharar (MAR) v Mohammed Mardi (UAE); Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) v Spyro Besiri (GRE); Aslamjan Ortikov (UZB) v Joshua Ridgwell (GBR)
Main card:
Carlos Prates (BRA) v Dmitry Valent (BLR); Bobirjon Tagiev (UZB) v Valentin Thibaut (FRA); Arthur Meyer (FRA) v Hicham Moujtahid (BEL); Ines Es Salehy (BEL) v Myriame Djedidi (FRA); Craig Coakley (IRE) v Deniz Demirkapu (TUR); Artem Avanesov (ARM) v Badreddine Attif (MAR); Abdulvosid Buranov (RUS) v Akram Hamidi (FRA)
Title card:
Intercontinental Lightweight: Ilyass Habibali (UAE) v Angel Marquez (ESP)
Intercontinental Middleweight: Amine El Moatassime (UAE) v Francesco Iadanza (ITA)
Asian Featherweight: Zakaria El Jamari (UAE) v Phillip Delarmino (PHI)
THURSDAY'S ORDER OF PLAY
Centre Court
Starting at 10am:
Lucrezia Stefanini v Elena Rybakina (6)
Aryna Sabalenka (4) v Polona Hercog
Sofia Kenin (1) v Zhaoxuan Yan
Kristina Mladenovic v Garbine Muguruza (5)
Sorana Cirstea v Karolina Pliskova (3)
Jessica Pegula v Elina Svitolina (2)
Court 1
Starting at 10am:
Sara Sorribes Tormo v Nadia Podoroska
Marketa Vondrousova v Su-Wei Hsieh
Elise Mertens (7) v Alize Cornet
Tamara Zidansek v Jennifer Brady (11)
Heather Watson v Jodie Burrage
Vera Zvonareva v Amandine Hesse
Court 2
Starting at 10am:
Arantxa Rus v Xiyu Wang
Maria Kostyuk v Lucie Hradecka
Karolina Muchova v Danka Kovinic
Cori Gauff v Ulrikke Eikeri
Mona Barthel v Anastasia Gasanova
Court 3
Starting at 10am:
Kateryna Bondarenko v Yafan Wang
Aliaksandra Sasnovich v Anna Bondar
Bianca Turati v Yaroslava Shvedova
