A senior Houthi fighter and 50 of his men surrendered to the Yemeni army in the port city of Hodeidah on Saturday.
The surrender came after Ebrahim Adabu and his fighters were besieged by army troops in Hyais district, Aseel Al Sakladi, a journalist on the ground there, told The National.
The army has been making rapid advances in Hodeidah, hoping to cut off the last main route used by the rebels to smuggle in weapons from Iran.
Some of the Houthis who surrendered were children, Al Sakladi said, adding that they had been taken to the government-held city of Aden for psychological assessments.
"The rebels are [breathing] their last breath" in Hodeidah, said Al Sakladi. "They are suffering huge cracks because they lost [control of the] main roads used to get fuel and food supplies from Ibb and Taez provinces."
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Earlier in the day, tens of Houthis were killed by army shelling in Taez province's Al Salw district, said Tariq Al Mulaiki, a journalist working for the military-run 26 September news site. He added that government troops had encircled military sites controlled by Houthis in the district.
Elsewhere, the Yemeni army scored a new gain in the northern province of Al Jouf on Sunday.
"Troops advanced to liberate Al Kuaitah mountain — part of the Ham mountain chain — in Al Mutoon district," said Tariq Razaz, a journalist covering the ongoing heavy fighting in Al Jouf between the Houthis and pro-government forces.
It came a day after the Yemeni army's chief of staff was injured by a landmine explosion in Al Jouf.
A senior government official told Reuters that Brigadier General Taher Al Aqeeli suffered minor injuries in the explosion, which happened on Friday while he was inspecting government positions in Khub wa Al Sha'af, the largest district in Al Jouf.
Forces loyal to the internationally-recognised government of Yemeni president Abdrabu Mansur Hadi captured most of the district in heavy fighting with the Houthis last month.
Razaz confirmed to The National on Saturday that Brig Gen Al Aqeeli had been injured in a mine explosion, saying that five other military commanders had also been injured, including the governor of Al Jouf province, Ameen Al Okaimi. None of the men were seriously injured, he said.
"The chief of staff (Brig Gen Al Aqeeli) was ferried to Saudi Arabia to be treated for his injuries, while his other comrades received necessary medical treatment in a local hospital in Marib province," said Razaz.
Pro-government forces have a strong presence in Marib province, which is located to the east of the capital.
Forces loyal to the government, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, have intensified an offensive against the Iran-backed Houthis since former president Ali Abdullah Saleh was killed last month after switching sides in the war.
The Houthis killed Saleh, their former ally, after surrounding his compound in the capital, Sanaa. They accused the former president of trying to sow sedition in the country. In turn, Saleh's General People's Congress party accused the Houthis of trying to establish a monopoly in running the country.
The rebels control the capital as well as much of the north of the country.
The Houthis said Brig Gen Al Aqeeli and several of his aides were injured in Friday's blast, describing the general's injuries as serious.
President Hadi appointed Brig Gen Al Aqeeli in September last year, replacing Major General Mohammed Al Maqdeshi, who was appointed as a presidential adviser.
The UAE's state news agency, Wam, reported earlier this week that local Yemeni fighters in the south-west, backed by Emirati forces, had killed dozens of armed Houthi group members and cut one of their main supply routes to Taez, the country's third largest city.
As the Houthis lose ground elsewhere, they are trying to strengthen their presence in provinces close to the capital, Sanaa, such as Dhamar and Ammran, by recruiting public school students as fighters, a journalist based in Dhamar said on Saturday.
The Houthis seized Sanaa in September 2014 and later advanced south, forcing Mr Hadi's government to flee to the second city of Aden and prompting the Saudi-led coalition to intervene in the war the following March.
The conflict has displaced more than two million people, caused a cholera epidemic and pushed the country to the brink of famine. At least 10,000 people have been killed.
The deputy UN envoy to Yemen, Ma'aeen Al Shuriem, arrived in Sanaa on Saturday afternoon to resume peace negotiations. He is expected to meet with Houthi rebels and GPC leaders who did not flee the capital after Saleh's death to discuss paving the way for a new round of negotiations with the government. He is due to give a statement to the press on Monday.
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Bharatanatyam
A ancient classical dance from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Intricate footwork and expressions are used to denote spiritual stories and ideas.
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
The bio
Who inspires you?
I am in awe of the remarkable women in the Arab region, both big and small, pushing boundaries and becoming role models for generations. Emily Nasrallah was a writer, journalist, teacher and women’s rights activist
How do you relax?
Yoga relaxes me and helps me relieve tension, especially now when we’re practically chained to laptops and desks. I enjoy learning more about music and the history of famous music bands and genres.
What is favourite book?
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I think I've read it more than 7 times
What is your favourite Arabic film?
Hala2 Lawen (Translation: Where Do We Go Now?) by Nadine Labaki
What is favourite English film?
Mamma Mia
Best piece of advice to someone looking for a career at Google?
If you’re interested in a career at Google, deep dive into the different career paths and pinpoint the space you want to join. When you know your space, you’re likely to identify the skills you need to develop.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs: 2019 Mini Cooper
Price, base: Dh141,740 (three-door) / Dh165,900 (five-door)
Engine: 1.5-litre four-cylinder (Cooper) / 2.0-litre four-cylinder (Cooper S)
Power: 136hp @ 4,500rpm (Cooper) / 192hp @ 5,000rpm (Cooper S)
Torque: 220Nm @ 1,480rpm (Cooper) / 280Nm @ 1,350rpm (Cooper S)
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 4.8L to 5.4L / 100km
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The%20Super%20Mario%20Bros%20Movie
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirectors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Aaron%20Horvath%20and%20Michael%20Jelenic%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Chris%20Pratt%2C%20Anya%20Taylor-Joy%2C%20Charlie%20Day%2C%20Jack%20Black%2C%20Seth%20Rogen%20and%20Keegan-Michael%20Key%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
In Full Flight: A Story of Africa and Atonement
John Heminway, Knopff
