Yemen's Houthi rebels are shutting down organisers of Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages who refuse to pay a new fee imposed on them, according to staff at the affected agencies.
At least 18 travel agencies were shut down in the rebel-held capital, Sanaa, a manager at one of the agencies told Al Arabiya.
The Houthis have also shut down agencies in other areas under their control and are tracking down their owners, the Saudi broadcaster reported on its website.
A manager at another travel agency in Sanaa said the clampdown came after the rebels' religious ministry issued a list of officially approved Hajj and Umrah booking agencies. These agencies were then told to pay a fee for every pilgrim who booked through them as "operational expenses" for the ministry, the manager told Al Arabiya.
Both managers declined to be named over fears for their safety.
The Hajj pilgrimage this year is likely to begin around August 19. Last year the Iran-backed rebels to stop Yemenis from travelling to Saudi Arabia for the pilgrimage by confiscating their passports and blocking their departure.
Saudi Arabia leads an Arab military coalition that has been fighting the Iran-backed rebels since March 2015. Yemeni forces backed by the coalition, which intervened in the war at the request of President Abdrabu Mansur Hadi, have liberated most of southern Yemen and are poised to retake the key port of Hodeidah on the Red Sea coast.
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Read more:
Yemen peace plan calls for ceasefire and Houthis abandoning missiles
UN envoy 'concerned' by fate of Yemen's rebel-held Al Hodeidah port
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The Houthis have been accused of using their control of the port, which handles the bulk of Yemen's food and humanitarian aid imports, to control the distribution of supplies and raise funds.
Alastair Burt, Britain's minister for the Middle East, told parliament recently that the rebels "take taxes from good that come in, in order to finance themselves, enrich themselves".
The Saudi ambassador to Yemen, Mohammed Al Jabir, told a conference in Riyadh last month that the Houthis "have impeded the the delivery of humanitarian aid to Yemen".
Mr Al Jabir also accused the rebels of looting funds from Yemen's central bank, which used to be based in Sanaa but was relocated to Aden, the interim capital, on the orders of President Hadi.
SERIE A FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Sassuolo v Bologna (11.45pm)
Saturday
Brescia v Torino (6pm)
Inter Milan v Verona (9pm)
Napoli v Genoa (11.45pm)
Sunday
Cagliari v Verona (3.30pm)
Udinese v SPAL (6pm)
Sampdoria v Atalanta (6pm)
Lazio v Lecce (6pm)
Parma v Roma (9pm)
Juventus v Milan (11.45pm)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
The biog
Nickname: Mama Nadia to children, staff and parents
Education: Bachelors degree in English Literature with Social work from UAE University
As a child: Kept sweets on the window sill for workers, set aside money to pay for education of needy families
Holidays: Spends most of her days off at Senses often with her family who describe the centre as part of their life too
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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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FIGHT CARD
Welterweight Mostafa Radi (PAL) v Tohir Zhuraev (TJK)
Catchweight 75kg Leandro Martins (BRA) v Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR)
Flyweight Corinne Laframboise (CAN) v Manon Fiorot (FRA)
Featherweight Ahmed Al Darmaki (UAE) v Bogdan Kirilenko (UZB)
Lightweight Izzedine Al Derabani (JOR) v Atabek Abdimitalipov (KYG)
Featherweight Yousef Al Housani (UAE) v Mohamed Arsharq Ali (SLA)
Catchweight 69kg Jung Han-gook (KOR) v Elias Boudegzdame (ALG)
Catchweight 71kg Usman Nurmagomedov (RUS) v Jerry Kvarnstrom (FIN)
Featherweight title Lee Do-gyeom (KOR) v Alexandru Chitoran (ROU)
Lightweight title Bruno Machado (BRA) v Mike Santiago (USA)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
pakistan Test squad
Azhar Ali (capt), Shan Masood, Abid Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Fawad Alam, Haris Sohail, Imran Khan, Kashif Bhatti, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Abbas, Yasir Shah, Usman Shinwari
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Company%20Profile
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Scores in brief:
- New Medical Centre 129-5 in 17 overs bt Zayed Cricket Academy 125-6 in 20 overs.
- William Hare Abu Dhabi Gymkhana 188-8 in 20 overs bt One Stop Tourism 184-8 in 20 overs
- Alubond Tigers 138-7 in 20 overs bt United Bank Limited 132-7 in 20 overs
- Multiplex 142-6 in 17 overs bt Xconcepts Automobili 140 all out in 20 overs
if you go
The flights
Etihad flies direct from Abu Dhabi to San Francisco from Dh5,760 return including taxes.
The car
Etihad Guest members get a 10 per cent worldwide discount when booking with Hertz, as well as earning miles on their rentals (more at www.hertz.com/etihad). A week's car hire costs from Dh1,500 including taxes.
The hotels
Along the route, Motel 6 (www.motel6.com) offers good value and comfort, with rooms from $55 (Dh202) per night including taxes. In Portland, the Jupiter Hotel (https://jupiterhotel.com/) has rooms from $165 (Dh606) per night including taxes. The Society Hotel https://thesocietyhotel.com/ has rooms from $130 (Dh478) per night including taxes.
More info
To keep up with constant developments in Portland, visit www.travelportland.com
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
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