Yemeni rebels and government forces freed scores of prisoners Sunday, including a woman, on the last of a three-day exchange of nearly 900 detainees, boosting hopes of ending their protracted war.

Five flights carrying nearly 200 detainees from both sides flew between the Huthi rebel-held capital of Sanaa and the government-controlled northern city of Marib.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said that brought the number of prisoners freed over the three days to 869 under a deal agreed in Switzerland last month.

Saudi Arabia has put a second four-percent chunk of shares of the Aramco energy giant, worth tens of billions of dollars, under the control of the country's sovereign wealth fund, state media said Sunday.

The move underscores Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's campaign to use the Gulf kingdom's vast energy resources to open up the economy under his "Vision 2030" domestic reform agenda.

Brazil's president on Sunday said he had discussed joint mediation for Russia's war in Ukraine with China and the United Arab Emirates, accusing the United States and Europe of prolonging the conflict.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who was wrapping up an official visit to China and the UAE after returning for a third term in office, said the two countries and others should join a "political G20" to try to end the war.

Iraqi archaeological marvels that have survived millennia and the ravages of war now face a modern threat: being blasted and slowly buried by sandstorms linked to climate change.

Ancient Babylonian treasures, painstakingly unearthed, are slowly disappearing again under wind-blown sand in a land parched by rising heat and prolonged droughts.

Iraq, one of the countries worst-hit by climate change, endured a dozen major sandstorms last year that turned the sky orange, brought daily life to a halt and left its people gasping for air.

Thousands of Israelis again took to the streets of Tel Aviv late Saturday to protest government judicial reforms they view as an attack on democracy.

The 15th consecutive week of protest came after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on March 27 announced a "pause" to allow for dialogue on the reforms which were moving through parliament and split the nation.

"Let's save democracy" read signs in a sea of Israeli flags waved by demonstrators. AFP journalists also reported smoke bombs and flares being set off.

Thousands of Christians thronged Jerusalem on Saturday for the traditional Holy Fire rite ahead of the Orthodox Easter, despite a security clampdown in the holy city.

The ancient Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where the thousand-year-old rite takes place, was built over the site where Christian tradition says Jesus Christ was crucified, buried and resurrected.

The ceremony, when a flame which the faithful believe sparks miraculously each year is brought from the tomb, marks the most important event in the Orthodox calendar.

A passenger plane preparing to take off from Sudan for Saudi Arabia came under fire on Saturday as deadly fighting rocked Khartoum, the kingdom's flag carrier said.

The Airbus A330 bound for Saudi Arabia "was exposed to gunfire damage... with guests and crew on board" ahead of its scheduled departure to Riyadh, Saudia said in a statement.

"It has been confirmed that all members of the aircraft's cabin crew have safely arrived at the Saudi Embassy in Sudan," the statement said.

Thousands of Christians attended the thousand-year-old Holy Fire rite in Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre Saturday ahead of the Orthodox Easter despite a security clampdown in the holy city.

The ancient church was built on the site where Christian tradition says Jesus Christ was crucified, buried and resurrected.

The annual Holy Fire ceremony, during which priests bring a flame from the tomb which they believe sparks miraculously each year, marks the most important event in the Orthodox calendar.

Brazil and the United Arab Emirates announced a series of deals on combating climate change and advancing biofuels Saturday as President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva paid an official visit to the oil-rich country.

"It was a highly fruitful visit," Lula said in brief comments to Brazil's TV Globo after meeting UAE president Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi on his way home from a trip to China.

The countries said in a joint statement the leaders had discussed a range of subjects including trade, technology, defense, aviation and food security.

Police in Iran said on Saturday they have implemented a plan to deal with women who violate the country's strict Islamic dress code.

The number of women defying the dress code that headscarves must be worn in public has increased since a protest movement triggered by the death in custody last year of Kurdish-Iranian Mahsa Amini, 22, for allegedly flouting it.

A statement on the police website on Saturday said action would be taken "from today" over violations in public places, in cars and other "sites where hijab is sometimes removed".