Troops aligned with Yemen's Southern Transitional Council recaptured a key oil-producing district in the southern province of Shabwa from Houthi rebels on Saturday, military sources said.
“Our troops drove the Houthi rebels out of Usaylan district in western Shabwa, where the Janna oilfield is located,“ a commander in the pro-STC forces told The National.
“Usaylan was fully liberated and our forces are pushing towards the districts of Bayhan and Ain amid cracks in the Houthi ranks,“ the commander said.
The capture of the district is a significant gain in the war against the Iran-backed rebels, who hold much of Yemen's north. It prevents the Houthis from controlling oil fields in Shabwa while setting the stage for military operations, supported by a Saudi-led Arab coalition, against the rebels in the neighbouring provinces of Al Bayda to the west and Marib to the north.
The commander said the rebels suffered heavy casualties in the battle for Usaylan.
“More than 57 rebels were killed in the fighting, which intensified as our troops, backed by the coalition, tightened the noose around the posts controlled by the Houthis in Araq area, Al Hatri public market and Jebel bin Aqeel, the mountain overlooking Usaylan city and the main road that links the district to Bayhan and Ain,“ he said.
Meanwhile, coalition aircraft launched strikes on Houthi forces and military equipment on Jabal bin Aqeel and on rebel vehicles travelling along the road between Usaylan and Bayhan.
A resident of Usaylan confirmed that rebel resistance was crumbling as the pro-STC forces squeezed areas the Houthis have controlled since September last year.
“Many left the area on foot,” Adeeb Al Abed told The National.
The fighting in Usaylan is part of a military campaign by the Southern Forces who arrived in Shabwa on December 29 to recapture the three northern districts.
They include four brigades of the Al Amalika militia and members of the former Shabwani Elite Forces under the command of the STC who returned to Attaq, the provincial capital, on Friday. The city was taken over in 2019 by northern tribal fighters linked to Yemen's Al Islah party when a dispute between the STC and the government – allies in the fight against the Houthis – spilt over into armed conflict.
News of the victory in Usaylan sparked joy among Shabwa residents, said Ahmed Al Hurr, a resident of Jardan district east of Usaylan.
“People took to the streets chanting for the southern forces and many celebrated the happy news with fireworks and dancing. Others took to social media to express their happiness,“ Mr Al Hurr told The National.
Experts said that the gains in Shabwa would pressure the Houthis to consider returning to peace talks and would bolster the claims of the STC, which advocates for a separate state of Southern Yemen or a greater role in the internationally recognised government.
“Such victories gained by the Southern Transitional Council will give the council much weight in the political process and will place much pressure on the Houthis to get back to the negotiation table and definitely affect how the Islah party positions [itself] politically to preserve their role,” Fernando Carvajal, a former member of the UN Security Council panel of experts on Yemen, told The National.
Gen Thabet Hussein, a military analyst in the Yemeni army, said the quick gains achieved by the STC forces in Shabwa showed how the pro-Islah militia and the Houthis were allies more than foes.
Pro-government fighters linked to Al Islah were widely criticised for ceding the three Shabwa districts to the Houthis in a single day and retreating to Attaq without a real fight.
“Such crucial military gains by the STC troops reflect the real desire and seriousness of the leadership of the Southern Transitional Council to fight the Houthi rebels alongside the Arab coalition,“ Gen Hussein said.
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
Bugatti Chiron Super Sport - the specs:
Engine: 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16
Transmission: 7-speed DSG auto
Power: 1,600hp
Torque: 1,600Nm
0-100kph in 2.4seconds
0-200kph in 5.8 seconds
0-300kph in 12.1 seconds
Top speed: 440kph
Price: Dh13,200,000
Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport - the specs:
Engine: 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16
Transmission: 7-speed DSG auto
Power: 1,500hp
Torque: 1,600Nm
0-100kph in 2.3 seconds
0-200kph in 5.5 seconds
0-300kph in 11.8 seconds
Top speed: 350kph
Price: Dh13,600,000
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
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- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
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Results
Stage 7:
1. Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto Soudal - 3:18:29
2. Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck-QuickStep - same time
3. Phil Bauhaus (GER) Bahrain Victorious
4. Michael Morkov (DEN) Deceuninck-QuickStep
5. Cees Bol (NED) Team DSM
General Classification:
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates - 24:00:28
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers - 0:00:35
3. Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep - 0:01:02
4. Chris Harper (AUS) Jumbo-Visma - 0:01:42
5. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-Nippo - 0:01:45
UNpaid bills:
Countries with largest unpaid bill for UN budget in 2019
USA – $1.055 billion
Brazil – $143 million
Argentina – $52 million
Mexico – $36 million
Iran – $27 million
Israel – $18 million
Venezuela – $17 million
Korea – $10 million
Countries with largest unpaid bill for UN peacekeeping operations in 2019
USA – $2.38 billion
Brazil – $287 million
Spain – $110 million
France – $103 million
Ukraine – $100 million
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Director: Guy Ritchie
Stars: Colin Farrell, Hugh Grant
Three out of five stars
Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
yallacompare profile
Date of launch: 2014
Founder: Jon Richards, founder and chief executive; Samer Chebab, co-founder and chief operating officer, and Jonathan Rawlings, co-founder and chief financial officer
Based: Media City, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: 120 employees
Investors: 2014: $500,000 in a seed round led by Mulverhill Associates; 2015: $3m in Series A funding led by STC Ventures (managed by Iris Capital), Wamda and Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority; 2019: $8m in Series B funding with the same investors as Series A along with Precinct Partners, Saned and Argo Ventures (the VC arm of multinational insurer Argo Group)
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
