At least 79 people were killed and more than 100 injured in a stampede that broke out in Yemen's capital during a charity distribution, Huthi health officials told AFP on Thursday. The distribution in the Bab al-Yemen area of Huthi-controlled Sanaa came days ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
In September 2014, the Huthis seized control of Sanaa, ousting the internationally recognised government and triggering a Saudi-led military intervention in March next year
Arab countries gathered in Jeddah on Friday to discuss ending Syria's long spell in the diplomatic wilderness, as regional relations shift following Saudi Arabia and Iran's decision to resume ties. Ministers and top officials from the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates plus Egypt, Iraq and Jordan have arrived in Saudi Arabia at the kingdom's request, the foreign ministry said.
Saudi Arabia hosted landmark delegations from Iran and Syria on Wednesday as Gulf countries prepare for re-establishing diplomatic ties after years of bitter divisions. Only hours after Iranian state media said a delegation had touched down in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia announced the arrival of Syria's foreign minister in Jeddah the first such trip since the country's civil war broke out in 2011.