The Houthi rebels have called for Sanaa and the surrounding areas to be placed under a state of emergency arguing it is a necessary measure for them to 'face the enemy”.
Abdul Hakim Al Khaiwani, deputy interior minister of Houthi-governed Sanaa, called for the action after his militias clashed with forces belonging to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, local media said.
The two groups entered a marriage of convenience when the Houthis seized Sanaa and attempted to drive the internationally recognised government from power in 2014.
Mr Saleh was forced to stand down after Arab Spring protests in 2011 but kept control of sections of the military. He has fought alongside the Houthis against Yemeni government forces and the Saudi coalition backing his successor President Abdrabu Mansur Hadi.
However, relations between the two parties deteriorated last month over statements accusing each other of conspiring with “the enemy” and settling for a peace that would entail surrender.
The state of emergency was called for by the deputy interior minister on Thursday and was being considered by the judiciary committee on Sunday. It comes as the Houthis and Saleh have de-escalated tensions that almost erupted into clashes last week. Just days after Mr Saleh celebrated his political parties' 35-year anniversary, Houthi militants manniung a check point killed one of his top military commanders, Colonel Khaled Al Radhi, and reportedly injured Ahmed Ali, Mr Saleh's son, and supposed heir.
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Yemen ‘will not give Iran a foothold’
Yemen ex-president Saleh demands arrest of aide’s killers
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The Houthis said the state of emergency was necessary to allow them to conduct a proper investigation of what happened at the check point day, calling the perpetrators “armed bandits” looking to destabilise Sanaa.
“This is needed so that the authorities can conduct its duties on the streets to ensure the peoples’ rights and to defend itself from the enemies,” he said.
The UAE joined the Saudi-led coalition, which intervened in the war in Yemen in 2015 after the Houthis had swept across the country. The coalition and Yemeni forces drove the Iran-backed rebels from much of southern Yemen but the fighting became bogged down in Taez province and along the Red Sea coast.
The UN said that more than 8,400 people have been killed and more than 3 million have been displaced in Yemen's civil war, pushing the country to the brink of famine and sparking a widespread cholera epidemic
The World Health Organisation and Yemen's health ministry said the cholera outbreak in the country has infected 612,703 people and killed 2,048 since it began in April. Some districts are still reporting rises in new cases.
However, the overall spread of the epidemic has slowed in the past couple of months, with the daily number of new suspected cases cut to around 3,000 in recent days.
Fifa World Cup Qatar 2022
First match: November 20
Final 16 round: December 3 to 6
Quarter-finals: December 9 and 10
Semi-finals: December 13 and 14
Final: December 18
Profile of Tamatem
Date started: March 2013
Founder: Hussam Hammo
Based: Amman, Jordan
Employees: 55
Funding: $6m
Funders: Wamda Capital, Modern Electronics (part of Al Falaisah Group) and North Base Media
Tips for entertaining with ease
· Set the table the night before. It’s a small job but it will make you feel more organised once done.
· As the host, your mood sets the tone. If people arrive to find you red-faced and harried, they’re not going to relax until you do. Take a deep breath and try to exude calm energy.
· Guests tend to turn up thirsty. Fill a big jug with iced water and lemon or lime slices and encourage people to help themselves.
· Have some background music on to help create a bit of ambience and fill any initial lulls in conversations.
· The meal certainly doesn’t need to be ready the moment your guests step through the door, but if there’s a nibble or two that can be passed around it will ward off hunger pangs and buy you a bit more time in the kitchen.
· You absolutely don’t have to make every element of the brunch from scratch. Take inspiration from our ideas for ready-made extras and by all means pick up a store-bought dessert.
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if you go
Abu Dhabi traffic facts
Drivers in Abu Dhabi spend 10 per cent longer in congested conditions than they would on a free-flowing road
The highest volume of traffic on the roads is found between 7am and 8am on a Sunday.
Travelling before 7am on a Sunday could save up to four hours per year on a 30-minute commute.
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The highest levels of traffic were found on Sunday, November 10.
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