• Peter Hawkins among 15 int’l UN staff detained.
• UN says detained staff are “safe and accounted for”.
• UN in touch with authorities in Sanaa for staff’s release. 
  

The United Nations’ (UN) office in Yemen said on Sunday that Houthi rebels were still holding 20 of their staff following their raid on their building in Sanaa a day earlier.

On Saturday, the UN office said Houthi security forces had made an “unauthorised entry” into their compound, adding that the staff there were “safe and accounted for”.

“Five national staff and fifteen international staff remain detained within the compound,” Jean Alam, spokesperson for the UN resident coordinator, said on Sunday.

The UN was in touch with the authorities in Sanaa, with the relevant member states and the government of Yemen “to resolve this serious situation as swiftly as possible, end the detention of all personnel, and restore full control over its facilities in Sanaa”, it added.

Late on Sunday, a UN official, requesting anonymity, told AFP that United Nations Children’s Fund’s (Unicef) representative in Yemen was among those detained.

“Peter Hawkins is among the 15 international employees detained in the complex” the Huthis raided the previous day, the official said.

Spying accusations

The rebels had already stormed UN offices in Sanaa on August 31, detaining more than 11 employees, according to the UN.

Those employees were suspected of spying for the United States and Israel, a senior Houthi official told AFP at the time on condition of anonymity.

In a statement on Saturday, UN Secretary-General Stephane Dujarric’s spokesperson said: “We will continue to call for an end to the arbitrary detention of 53 of our colleagues.”

He was responding to a televised address on Thursday by rebel leader Abdelmalek al-Huthi.

He claimed his forces had dismantled “one of the most dangerous spy cells”, which he said was “linked to humanitarian organisations such as the World Food Program and Unicef”.

Dujarric described the accusations as “dangerous and unacceptable”.

Saturday’s raid came with dozens of UN personnel already arrested in recent months in areas controlled by the Iranian-backed group.

In mid-September, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Yemen was officially transferred from Sanaa — the capital held by the Huthi rebels — to Aden, the interim capital of the internationally recognised government.

Since August 31, 2025, 21 UN personnel have been arrested, adding to the 23 current and former members of international NGOs already detained, according to the UN.

Ten years of civil war have plunged Yemen, one of the poorest countries in the Arabian Peninsula, into one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, says the UN.

Piers Morgan has hinted he could one day run for UK prime minister.

The 60-year-old broadcaster and journalist made the comments in a conversation with Saga Magazine, joking about the possibility of “PM for PM.”

He said people are fed up with the government over the NHS, immigration, and roads.

“What would be in my manifesto?” Morgan said. “A 1% tax on income that would go straight to the NHS, and taking a leaf from Trump, I’d tell President Macron that unless he acted on the migrant boats, we’d tax French imports by 1,000%. It’s time to get tough.”

Morgan, who celebrated his 60th birthday this year, also reflected on his health and fitness. He revealed he’s paying more attention to diet and exercise, including taking up boxing — “and no, it’s not because I keep getting into fights,” he quipped.

He recalled that the only person to ever land a punch on him was Jeremy Clarkson at the 2004 Press Awards, leaving him with a “Harry Potter scar” above his temple.

Kate Cassidy’s friends are reportedly worried about her following the “concerning” behavior after her boyfriend Liam Payne’s death.

After the One Direction alum’s tragic death back in October 2024, Cassidy’s pals were concerned as they “literally didn’t see her smile” for straight “three months” after the fatal fall of Payne from a hotel balcony that took away his life, via Daily Mail.

A close pal reported to the outlet, “There were months where I literally didn’t see her smile, and I was seeing her every day.”

The influencer even limited her social meets up and were totally living in solitary.

The source went on to explain, “It was so concerning. She didn’t even seem like herself. She canceled a lot of hangouts and just was almost a recluse.”

However, the close friend noted Cassidy is doing much better and she has started “hanging out with friends.”

The source even shared that she is even “open to dating again,” though “she’s not quite there yet.”

“There was a point where she was definitely not OK, but she’s getting better now,” the tattler said.

“She’s moving forward now. She knows it’s what he would have wanted,” the bird chirped.

For the unversed, Cassidy had been dating Payne for two years before his death at 31. The pair even spent quality time together in Argentina but she left two days earlier for her home in the U.S. before his passing.