Yemen’s former president Ali Abdullah Saleh has said there is no dispute between him and the Shiite Houthi rebels, his allies in the fight against the internationally-recognised government.
"There is no crisis or differences whatsoever, but only in the imagination of those who want these decisions and who want to plant these doubts and divisions," Mr Saleh said in an interview with Yemen Today TV after reports emerged that he was being held under house arrest by the Houthis.
He said there was no truth to what “international media, linked to enemy countries, have reported or what is being said on social media in [Yemen]”.
There has been an increase in tensions between Mr Saleh and the Houthi rebels, with leaders on each side criticising the other in recent weeks. The rebels accused Mr Saleh of trying to pull his forces from the front lines of the war with the government, while the former president’s supporters have said the rebels are monopolising power.
The two factions are unlikely allies. During Mr Saleh’s presidency, he repeatedly went to war with the Houthis in their northern stronghold.
In Monday’s interview, Mr Saleh said there had been “fears or doubts” by the rebels that he was planning a coup against their joint government.
“We said in letters of assurance to the brother [rebel leader] Abdul Malik Al Houthi not to believe those who [want to plant] doubt and the plotters that there is an operation against Ansar Allah,” he said, using another name for the Houthis. “He answered me positively and said ‘there’s no problem at all’."
“There’s no problem whatsoever between us and Ansar Allah,” Mr Saleh added.
____________
Read more:
Yemen ‘will not give Iran a foothold’
Yemen ex-president Saleh demands arrest of aide’s killers
____________
Mr Saleh demanded last week the arrest of Houthi gunmen suspected of killing one of his top aides, Col Khaled Al Radi. Following Col Al Radi's death on August 26, fighting broke out between the rebels and Saleh loyalists. Two Houthi fighters were killed in the clashes.
The two sides agreed to ease tensions a few days later. But although the clashes have now stopped, fighters from both factions remain deployed in backstreets and in some buildings in the capital, Sanaa.
The Houthis and Saleh loyalist continue to govern the capital and other areas in the north and west of the country.
A Saudi-led coalition, which includes the UAE, intervened in the war in Yemen in 2015 in support of the internationally-recognised government of president Abdrabu Mansur Hadi to restore his power in Sanaa after the Houthis seized the capital and entered into an alliance with Mr Saleh and his supporters.
According to the UN, more than 8,400 people have been killed and more than 3 million forced to flee in Yemen's civil war, pushing Yemen to the brink of famine.
The World Health Organisation and Yemen's health ministry said on Tuesday that a 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.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Results:
5pm: Maiden (PA) | Dh80,000 | 1,200 metres
Winner: Jabalini, Szczepan Mazur (jockey), Younis Kalbani (trainer)
5.30pm: UAE Arabian Derby (PA) | Prestige | Dh150,000 | 2,200m
Winner: Octave, Gerald Avranche, Abdallah Al Hammadi
6pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round 3 (PA) | Group 3 Dh300,000 | 2,200m
Winner: Harrab, Richard Mullen, Mohamed Ali
6.30pm: Emirates Championship (PA) | Group 1 | Dh1million | 2,200m
Winner: BF Mughader, Szczepan Mazur, Younis Al Kalbani
7pm: Abu Dhabi Championship (TB) | Group 3 | Dh380,000 | 2,200m
Winner: GM Hopkins, Patrick Cosgrave, Jaber Ramadhan
7.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) | Conditions | Dh70,000 | 1,600m
Winner: AF La’Asae, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
Sweet Tooth
Creator: Jim Mickle
Starring: Christian Convery, Nonso Anozie, Adeel Akhtar, Stefania LaVie Owen
Rating: 2.5/5
The specs
Engine: Single front-axle electric motor
Power: 218hp
Torque: 330Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 402km (claimed)
Price: From Dh215,000 (estimate)
On sale: September
TRAINING FOR TOKYO
A typical week's training for Sebastian, who is competing at the ITU Abu Dhabi World Triathlon on March 8-9:
- Four swim sessions (14km)
- Three bike sessions (200km)
- Four run sessions (45km)
- Two strength and conditioning session (two hours)
- One session therapy session at DISC Dubai
- Two-three hours of stretching and self-maintenance of the body
ITU Abu Dhabi World Triathlon
For more information go to www.abudhabi.triathlon.org.
Sukuk
An Islamic bond structured in a way to generate returns without violating Sharia strictures on prohibition of interest.
Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5
Kill
Director: Nikhil Nagesh Bhat
Starring: Lakshya, Tanya Maniktala, Ashish Vidyarthi, Harsh Chhaya, Raghav Juyal
Rating: 4.5/5
SPEC SHEET: APPLE IPHONE 14 PRO MAX
Display: 6.7" Super Retina XDR OLED, 2796 x 1290, 460ppi, 120Hz, 2000 nits max, HDR, True Tone, P3, always-on
Processor: A16 Bionic, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Memory: 6GB
Capacity: 128/256/512GB / 1TB
Platform: iOS 16
Main camera: Triple 48MP main (f/1.78) + 12MP ultra-wide (f/2.2) + 12MP telephoto (f/2.8), 6x optical, 15x digital, Photonic Engine, Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 4, Portrait Lighting
Main camera video: 4K @ 24/25/30/60fps, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps, HD @ 30fps, slo-mo @ 120/240fps, ProRes (4K) @ 30fps; night, time lapse, cinematic, action modes; Dolby Vision, 4K HDR
Front camera: 12MP TrueDepth (f/1.9), Photonic Engine, Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 4, Portrait Lighting; Animoji, Memoji
Front camera video: 4K @ 24/25/30/60fps, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps, slo-mo @ 120/240fps, ProRes (4K) @ 30fps; night, time lapse, cinematic, action modes; Dolby Vision, 4K HDR
Battery: 4323mAh, up to 29h video, 25h streaming video, 95h audio; fast charge to 50% in 30min; MagSafe, Qi wireless charging
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC (Apple Pay)
Biometrics: Face ID
I/O: Lightning
Durability: IP68, dust/splash/water resistant up to 6m up to 30min
Cards: Dual eSIM / eSIM + eSIM (US models use eSIMs only)
Colours: Deep purple, gold, silver, space black
In the box: iPhone 14 Pro Max, USB-C-to-Lightning cable, one Apple sticker
Price: Dh4,699 / Dh5,099 / Dh5,949 / Dh6,799
Leaderboard
15 under: Paul Casey (ENG)
-14: Robert MacIntyre (SCO)
-13 Brandon Stone (SA)
-10 Laurie Canter (ENG) , Sergio Garcia (ESP)
-9 Kalle Samooja (FIN)
-8 Thomas Detry (BEL), Justin Harding (SA), Justin Rose (ENG)
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)
Power: 141bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh64,500
On sale: Now
COMPANY PROFILE
Company: Mascotte Health
Started: 2023
Based: Miami, US
Founder: Bora Hamamcioglu
Sector: Online veterinary service provider
Investment stage: $1.2 million raised in seed funding
The specs
Engine: Dual synchronous electric motors
Power: 646hp
Torque: 830Nm
Transmission: Two-speed auto (rear axle); single-speed auto (front)
Price: From Dh552,311; Dh660,408 (as tested)
On sale: now
SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now