The bright yellow track of the missile ocean launch streaks upwards from Earth on a near-vertical trajectory towards space.
Instantly a warning appears across the bank of computer screens in the crucible-like operations room of UK Space Command. “Missile in flight,” says one of the operators at UK Space Command. There is a question that they need to very rapidly answer: is this going to threaten a major UK or allied satellite?
It becomes rapidly apparent that this is not a rocket fired in anger from the Ukraine conflict or by Iran. Instead its line of travel is heading unflinchingly towards the heavens, an anti-satellite (Asat) weapon released to hunt its prey more than hundreds of kilometres above Earth.
The stakes are high. In geostationary orbit 35,000km above Earth is one of the four Skynet 5 satellites, a $5.4 billion communications system that serves all of Britain’s highly sensitive government communications, from special forces, spies in the field to the prime minister giving commands to nuclear submarines. If it is destroyed it will create a major vulnerability in UK defences.
The Asat’s yellow streak surges upwards gathering speed but now giving a strong indication of what its target might be, as within 10 minutes it has breached Earth’s atmosphere. The computer readout indicates about 20 satellites in the missile’s path, giving their nationalities as Russian, Chinese, American, Australian and British.
As the weapon soars upwards, the number of satellites on an elliptic course narrow down to just five: two Russian, two Chinese and the UK’s Skynet 5. The staff at Space Command have about 15 minutes to notify the operators to begin evasive manoeuvres and carry out defensive actions.
“The first shot in the next war going to be in space,” says one of the officers, as the scenario played out at the 24/7 operations centres comes to an end, after The National had been put in the hot seat to make the decisions on whether or not the Asat was a threat. But we were not given the options on defensive measures that, beyond rapid manoeuvring, could be taken – they remain classified.
Space wars
The last decade has made it became apparent that space will be another dimension in future war and the military personnel at the centre have been deployed to the furthest frontier the armed forces patrol. When Britain’s military realised it had to have much better “situational awareness”, it set up Space Command in 2021.
It has since grown to a force of more than 600 personnel, three quarters from the RAF, based at former Bomber Command headquarters near High Wycombe, housed in a series of unremarkable 1930s redbrick buildings that had been designed to resemble a village to put off German bombers in the Second World War.
As in the Second World War, behind these walls a hub of specialists are assembled to observe the sky far above for any threats to Britain or its allies. To date there has never been an aggressive Asat launch, although Russia, the US, China and India have all shot down their own satellites to demonstrate their capabilities.
That threat is evident in the low-key offices of Space Command, where personnel know that one consequence of a satellite being destroyed is that the timing signal for financial transactions would result in a loss of £1 billion a day, and that 18 per cent of the UK’s economy dependent on space.
Protect and Defend
In what was the first time it had opened its doors to the press, the UK Space Operations Centre demonstrates a template for those countries operating in space – more than 80 currently – on how they can, as Space Command's logo urges, to “protect and defend” the 811 UK vehicles in orbit.
“From a national security point of view, space is a contested, congested and competitive domain and we need to make sure as our adversaries advance their capabilities that we’re able to deal with what that throws up,” said Maria Eagle, the Minister for Defence Procurement, as she officially opened the operations centre.
With the global space economy projected to grow to $1.8 trillion by 2035, the dimension is about to get a lot more congested and competitive.
Asteroid alert
The British government is putting cash alongside its words with £13 million of funding for a constellation of new telescopes that will be arrayed across most of Britain’s 14 independent overseas territories.
They will be on hand to enhance the constant looking-towards-the-heavens operation of the space officers on duty who spotted the 876 “uncontrolled re-entries” of last year, or the nearly 30,000 collision risks to UK satellites, of which 20 resulted in an official alert.
It is not only foreign powers but space itself that throws up many hazards, with 3,206 “close approach asteroids” reported and one actual “asteroid alert” that ultimately came to nothing.
The centre also monitors for space weather alerts, including the coronal mass ejections from the Sun which could wipe out power grids and satellites, particularly during a “solar maximum” period, which Earth is currently experiencing.
Given the 12,000 or so satellites currently orbiting Earth, space command is one of many now monitoring the skies to avoid a collision that could lead to a cascade of crashes causing the Kessler Effect, which could take out all orbiters, with catastrophic consequences.
Satellite grabbers
Ultimately it appears that the nations racing to colonise space will present the biggest dangers, and not just from their weapons. Space junk caused by the debris of obliterated satellites still presents hazards, including that from 2007, when China shot down one of its own older weather satellites, and 2021, when Russia conducted a similar exercise.
But nations are also developing elaborate space weapons that could pose dangers to Earth and in the cosmos, with a “satellite grabber” device being among the most feared.
“The National Space Operations Centre does vital work in monitoring and protecting our interests,” Ms Eagle told The National. “It’s a recognition of the fact that our adversaries are active there, and we need to know what’s going on.”
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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Transmission: Single-speed automatic
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Juventus v Napoli, Sunday, 10.45pm (UAE)
Match on Bein Sports
ZIMBABWE V UAE, ODI SERIES
All matches at the Harare Sports Club:
1st ODI, Wednesday - Zimbabwe won by 7 wickets
2nd ODI, Friday, April 12
3rd ODI, Sunday, April 14
4th ODI, Tuesday, April 16
UAE squad: Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
PAKISTAN SQUAD
Abid Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Azhar Ali (test captain), Babar Azam (T20 captain), Asad Shafiq, Fawad Alam, Haider Ali, Iftikhar Ahmad, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Imran Khan, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Sohail Khan, Usman Shinwari, Wahab Riaz, Imad Wasim, Kashif Bhatti, Shadab Khan and Yasir Shah.
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
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
Company Profile
Founder: Omar Onsi
Launched: 2018
Employees: 35
Financing stage: Seed round ($12 million)
Investors: B&Y, Phoenician Funds, M1 Group, Shorooq Partners
Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
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How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
World record transfers
1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
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Ahmed Raza
UAE cricket captain
Age: 31
Born: Sharjah
Role: Left-arm spinner
One-day internationals: 31 matches, 35 wickets, average 31.4, economy rate 3.95
T20 internationals: 41 matches, 29 wickets, average 30.3, economy rate 6.28
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