KUWAIT: Recently-appointed Minister of Electricity and Water Mohammad Bushehri yesterday submitted his resignation to the prime minister. The move comes after the court of cassation, whose rulings are final, last week convicted Bushehri in a case that has been in courts for years. The minister was convicted for leaking a confidential report when he was a senior employee at the electricity ministry. - B Izzak

Houthis seize capital of Al-Jawf

DUBAI: Yemen's Houthi rebels have seized control of a strategic town north of the capital, government officials said yesterday. The Iran-aligned militia captured Al-Hazm, capital of the northern province of Al-Jawf, enabling the rebels to pose a threat to neighboring oil-rich Marib province, a government military official said.

According to other military sources, at least 30 government troops - including high-ranking officers -were killed in the battle over the past two days. The Houthis also suffered dozens of casualties, the sources added. Maged Al-Madhaji, executive director of the Sanaa Centre, a Yemeni think-tank, said: "Control of the capital of Al-Jawf could totally change the course of the war. Houthis have made an exceptional advance and are changing the balance" in their favor. - AFP