GENEVA // The United Nations said on Friday it was working with Saudi Arabia to try to bring Yemen’s government to peace talks after it rejected a plan brokered by the United States this week.
“We are working very closely with Saudi Arabia and other countries in the region that can influence [the parties to the conflict],” the UN deputy Secretary general Jan Eliasson said in Geneva.
“We have discovered a stronger and stronger view that this war must come to an end but we have to bring them back to negotiating table,” he said, giving no timeline.
Fighting raged in Taez on Friday as pro-government forces pressed on with a four-day-old offensive to recapture the presidential residence and police headquarters in the south-western city, while the Houthi rebels brought in reinforcements.
Doctors Without Borders said the fighting had resulted in heavy casualties.
“Fighting has been intensive in Taez during recent days, and hospitals on both sides of the front line have received a continuous influx of war-wounded civilians and fighters,” the medical charity said.
Loyalist military sources said on Friday that 13 rebels and eight pro-government forces were killed over the previous 24 hours. Two civilians were also killed and 16 wounded when rebels fired Katyusha rockets into a residential area of Taez, they said.
The Houthis claimed there had been dozens of casualties when a local market was shelled.
Fighting between government forces and rebels was to have stopped on Thursday under a ceasefire plan proposed by the US secretary of state John Kerry following talks with Houthi representatives in the Omani capital on Monday.
The Houthis said on Wednesday they were ready to stop fighting and join a national unity government, raising hopes of a resolution to a conflict that has killed more than 7,000 people since March last year.
But president Abdrabu Mansur Hadi’s administration rejected Mr Kerry’s plan, saying that it played into the hands of the rebels and sidelined the government.
* Reuters and Agence France-Presse
11 cabbie-recommended restaurants and dishes to try in Abu Dhabi
Iqbal Restaurant behind Wendy’s on Hamdan Street for the chicken karahi (Dh14)
Pathemari in Navy Gate for prawn biryani (from Dh12 to Dh35)
Abu Al Nasar near Abu Dhabi Mall, for biryani (from Dh12 to Dh20)
Bonna Annee at Navy Gate for Ethiopian food (the Bonna Annee special costs Dh42 and comes with a mix of six house stews – key wet, minchet abesh, kekel, meser be sega, tibs fir fir and shiro).
Al Habasha in Tanker Mai for Ethiopian food (tibs, a hearty stew with meat, is a popular dish; here it costs Dh36.75 for lamb and beef versions)
Himalayan Restaurant in Mussaffa for Nepalese (the momos and chowmein noodles are best-selling items, and go for between Dh14 and Dh20)
Makalu in Mussaffa for Nepalese (get the chicken curry or chicken fry for Dh11)
Al Shaheen Cafeteria near Guardian Towers for a quick morning bite, especially the egg sandwich in paratha (Dh3.50)
Pinky Food Restaurant in Tanker Mai for tilapia
Tasty Zone for Nepalese-style noodles (Dh15)
Ibrahimi for Pakistani food (a quarter chicken tikka with roti costs Dh16)
Sui Dhaaga: Made in India
Director: Sharat Katariya
Starring: Varun Dhawan, Anushka Sharma, Raghubir Yadav
3.5/5
INDIA SQUAD
Virat Kohli (capt), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Vijay Shankar, MS Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami
WHY AAYAN IS 'PERFECT EXAMPLE'
David White might be new to the country, but he has clearly already built up an affinity with the place.
After the UAE shocked Pakistan in the semi-final of the Under 19 Asia Cup last month, White was hugged on the field by Aayan Khan, the team’s captain.
White suggests that was more a sign of Aayan’s amiability than anything else. But he believes the young all-rounder, who was part of the winning Gulf Giants team last year, is just the sort of player the country should be seeking to produce via the ILT20.
“He is a delightful young man,” White said. “He played in the competition last year at 17, and look at his development from there till now, and where he is representing the UAE.
“He was influential in the U19 team which beat Pakistan. He is the perfect example of what we are all trying to achieve here.
“It is about the development of players who are going to represent the UAE and go on to help make UAE a force in world cricket.”
TWISTERS
Director:+Lee+Isaac+Chung
Starring:+Glen+Powell,+Daisy+Edgar-Jones,+Anthony+Ramos
Rating:+2.5/5
Brief scoreline:
Liverpool 5
Keita 1', Mane 23', 66', Salah 45'+1, 83'
Huddersfield 0
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
Company Profile
Name: HyveGeo
Started: 2023
Founders: Abdulaziz bin Redha, Dr Samsurin Welch, Eva Morales and Dr Harjit Singh
Based: Cambridge and Dubai
Number of employees: 8
Industry: Sustainability & Environment
Funding: $200,000 plus undisclosed grant
Investors: Venture capital and government
