Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
Yemen's Houthi rebels have escalated their attacks on international shipping, targeting tankers and vessels in recent days and claiming that their assaults are intended to put pressure on Israel to end its war in Gaza.
The Iran-backed rebels have attacked more than 80 vessels with missiles and drones since the war in Gaza began in October. They have seized one vessel and sunk two in their campaign, killing four sailors. Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by a US-led coalition in the Red Sea or have failed to reach their targets.
But in recent days, the heavily armed militia stepped up the attacks and targeted several vessels carrying oil.
"Houthis are clearly monitoring the course of the ceasefire talks in Gaza, and based on the results and Israel's attempts to prevent a deal, they have moved towards raising the level of escalation," a Yemeni political source told The National.
Talks in Doha and Cairo have failed to reach a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, but are now focused on new proposals put forward by the US to overcome differences between both parties.
Meanwhile, public anger and pressure continue to build against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, widely seen as the main obstacle to a ceasefire deal in Gaza that would bring home around 100 hostages still in the devastated Palestinian enclave after almost a year of war.
"Houthis see the pressure and are adding to it. They think that this is the right time for a ceasefire as Hamas's military position seems to be becoming weaker day after day," explained a second Yemeni political source.
"The aim of our attacks is clear: to pressure the Israeli enemy and the United States to stop the aggression on Gaza and lift the siege," stressed a source close to the Houthis.
However, the increase in attacks comes at a particularly notable time.
Weeks of back-channel negotiations involving Iran played a crucial role in preventing a wider conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, despite last month's scenes of rockets and drones over Israel and Lebanon. Israel and Hezbollah continued their daily exchanges since then, but the tension appeared to ease.
Sources in Cairo, Beirut and other regional capitals told The National that Arab mediators in the Gaza ceasefire talks have been increasing their exchanges with Tehran throughout the negotiations, keeping them updated on milestones. The killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran accelerated the exchanges and led to a proposal: minimal retaliation, at least for the time being, in return for more ceasefire influence.
As the situation at the Lebanese-Israeli border calmed, the Houthi attacks heated up.
"It's very likely that the Iranians are trying to increase the pressure on the US and Israel through the Houthis, after they seem to have agreed to de-escalate the Lebanese front," said the second Yemeni political source.
Much like Hezbollah in Lebanon and other armed groups in Syria and Iraq, the Houthis are part of the Axis of Resistance, an anti-western political and military coalition led by Tehran.
Since the outbreak of Israel's war in Gaza in October, the Yemeni rebels, who control Sanaa and territories in the north and west, launched dozens of attacks on international shipping in the strategic waters off Yemen. Their attacks in the Red Sea have disrupted global shipping, forcing companies to reroute to longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa.
This emergence as an unexpected threat to Israel and a strategic shipping route prompted retaliatory strikes by the US and Britain since February. Washington also designated the militia that seized control of Yemen's capital in late 2014 as a “terrorist group”.
The Yemeni rebels dismissed incentives proposed by the United States to curb their attacks in the Red Sea, Yemeni political sources told The National in April.
Late on Monday, the Houthis claimed responsibility for attacking the Panama-flagged Blue Lagoon I with several missiles and drones. The US military confirmed the attack, claiming that the group had also struck the Saudi-flagged Amjad in the Red Sea. The US Central Command said they used two ballistic missiles and a one-way attack unmanned aerial system to hit both vessels that were laden with crude oil, with the Amjad carrying about two million barrels. It described the attacks as "reckless acts of terrorism by the Houthis".
However, on Tuesday, Saudi shipping company Bahri denied that its tanker had been attacked in the Red Sea.
In recent months, the Blue Lagoon I travelled to India, which gets more than 40 per cent of its oil imports from Russia despite Moscow's war on Ukraine and the international sanctions it faces over it. The Greek-based company operating the ship could not be reached. The Joint Maritime Information Centre said it assessed that the ship “was targeted due to other vessels within its company structure making recent port calls in Israel”.
Meanwhile, the US military said a rescue mission was under way for an oil tanker still ablaze after a Houthi attack off the coast of Yemen last month.
The Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion was carrying about one million barrels of oil when the Houthis initially attacked it on August 21 with small arms fire, projectiles and a drone boat. A French destroyer operating as part of Operation Aspides rescued the Sounion’s crew of 25 Filipinos and Russians, as well as four private security personnel, after they abandoned the vessel, and took them to nearby Djibouti.
The US Central Command said the ship was “still on fire and threatens the possibility of a major environmental disaster”. The Houthis allowed it to be towed after several international requests.
In response to the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, the US military said on Tuesday that its forces destroyed two missile systems in a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen in the past 24 hours. The systems “presented an imminent threat to US and coalition forces and merchant vessels in the region”, it added.
“The Houthis’ failure to make the Red Sea impassable has resorted to them attempting to conduct more high profile attacks, such as detonating explosive charges on an oil tanker, which could potentially cause 150,000 tonnes of oil to spill into the Red Sea," said Nick Loxton, intelligence delivery and innovation manager at Roke Intelligence.
"The resulting environmental disaster would resonate significantly with a western audience, bringing the Houthi’s cause back into mainstream current debate and, in turn, increasing the pressure for a settlement in the Israel-Gaza conflict," added the expert.
“Such an attack is a textbook insurgent ‘asymmetric’ act, hoping to provoke a hasty reaction from western forces which in turn can be exploited within the information warfare domain to the Houthis and Iran’s advantage.”
The bio
Date of Birth: April 25, 1993
Place of Birth: Dubai, UAE
Marital Status: Single
School: Al Sufouh in Jumeirah, Dubai
University: Emirates Airline National Cadet Programme and Hamdan University
Job Title: Pilot, First Officer
Number of hours flying in a Boeing 777: 1,200
Number of flights: Approximately 300
Hobbies: Exercising
Nicest destination: Milan, New Zealand, Seattle for shopping
Least nice destination: Kabul, but someone has to do it. It’s not scary but at least you can tick the box that you’ve been
Favourite place to visit: Dubai, there’s no place like home
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.5-litre supercharged V6
Power: 416hp at 7,000rpm
Torque: 410Nm at 3,500rpm
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Fuel consumption: 10.2 l/100km
Price: Dh375,000
On sale: now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
RACE SCHEDULE
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Friday, September 29
First practice: 7am - 8.30am
Second practice: 11am - 12.30pm
Saturday, September 30
Qualifying: 1pm - 2pm
Sunday, October 1
Race: 11am - 1pm
Young women have more “financial grit”, but fall behind on investing
In an October survey of young adults aged 16 to 25, Charles Schwab found young women are more driven to reach financial independence than young men (67 per cent versus. 58 per cent). They are more likely to take on extra work to make ends meet and see more value than men in creating a plan to achieve their financial goals. Yet, despite all these good ‘first’ measures, they are investing and saving less than young men – falling early into the financial gender gap.
While the women surveyed report spending 36 per cent less than men, they have far less savings than men ($1,267 versus $2,000) – a nearly 60 per cent difference.
In addition, twice as many young men as women say they would invest spare cash, and almost twice as many young men as women report having investment accounts (though most young adults do not invest at all).
“Despite their good intentions, young women start to fall behind their male counterparts in savings and investing early on in life,” said Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, senior vice president, Charles Schwab. “They start off showing a strong financial planning mindset, but there is still room for further education when it comes to managing their day-to-day finances.”
Ms Schwab-Pomerantz says parents should be conveying the same messages to boys and girls about money, but should tailor those conversations based on the individual and gender.
"Our study shows that while boys are spending more than girls, they also are saving more. Have open and honest conversations with your daughters about the wage and savings gap," she said. "Teach kids about the importance of investing – especially girls, who as we see in this study, aren’t investing as much. Part of being financially prepared is learning to make the most of your money, and that means investing early and consistently."
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
Saturday's schedule at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
GP3 race, 12:30pm
Formula 1 final practice, 2pm
Formula 1 qualifying, 5pm
Formula 2 race, 6:40pm
Performance: Sam Smith
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more from Janine di Giovanni
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
RESULTS
6.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh82.500 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner Meshakel, Royston Ffrench (jockey), Salem bin Ghadayer (trainer)
7.05pm Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m
Winner Gervais, Connor Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
7.40pm Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (Turf) 2,410m
Winner Global Heat, Pat Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor.
8.15pm Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner Firnas, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
8.50pm UAE 2000 Guineas Trial (TB) Conditions Dh183,650 (D) 1,600m
Winner Rebel’s Romance, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
9.25pm Dubai Trophy (TB) Conditions Dh183,650 (T) 1,200m
Winner Topper Bill, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
10pm Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (T) 1,400m
Winner Wasim, Mickael Barzalona, Ismail Mohammed.
The UAE squad for the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games
The jiu-jitsu men’s team: Faisal Al Ketbi, Zayed Al Kaabi, Yahia Al Hammadi, Taleb Al Kirbi, Obaid Al Nuaimi, Omar Al Fadhli, Zayed Al Mansoori, Saeed Al Mazroui, Ibrahim Al Hosani, Mohammed Al Qubaisi, Salem Al Suwaidi, Khalfan Belhol, Saood Al Hammadi.
Women’s team: Mouza Al Shamsi, Wadeema Al Yafei, Reem Al Hashmi, Mahra Al Hanaei, Bashayer Al Matrooshi, Hessa Thani, Salwa Al Ali.
RESULTS
5pm: Watha Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (Dirt) 2,000m
Winner: Dalil De Carrere, Bernardo Pinheiro (jockey), Mohamed Daggash (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 70,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Miracle Maker, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Pharitz Al Denari, Bernardo Pinheiro, Mahmood Hussain
6.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Oss, Jesus Rosales, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: ES Nahawand, Fernando Jara, Mohamed Daggash
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: AF Almajhaz, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi, Khalifa Al Neyadi
8pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: AF Lewaa, Bernardo Pinheiro, Qaiss Aboud.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Race card:
6.30pm: Baniyas (PA) Group 2 Dh195,000 1,400m.
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 1,400m.
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh190,000 1,200m.
8.15pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 1,200m.
8.50pm: Rated Conditions (TB) Dh240,000 1,600m.
9.20pm: Handicap (TB) Dh165,000 1,400m.
10pm: Handicap (TB) Dh175,000 2,000m.
Stage result
1. Jasper Philipsen (Bel) Alpecin-Fenix 4:42:34
2. Sam Bennett (Irl) Bora-Hansgrohe
3. Elia Viviani (Ita) Ineos Grenadiers
4. Dylan Groenewegen (Ned) BikeExchange-Jayco
5. Emils Liepins (Lat) Trek-Segafredo
6. Arnaud Demare (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
7. Max Kanter (Ger) Movistar Team
8. Olav Kooij (Ned) Jumbo-Visma
9. Tom Devriendt (Bel) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux
10. Pascal Ackermann (Ger) UAE Team Emirate
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
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Bawaal%20
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The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
MATCH INFO
Liverpool v Manchester City, Sunday, 8.30pm UAE
