One of the regional consequences of Israel’s brutal response to the devastating attacks of October 7 has been the hundreds of violent attacks against international shipping by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militants. Publicly positioned as action in support of the Palestinian people, a closer look reveals a campaign that looks more like a mafia shakedown than an act of solidarity.
This week, The National published its latest investigation into the Houthis’ destabilising actions in the Red Sea. Despite repeated western air strikes on Houthi-controlled territory and the presence of a western-led coalition of naval firepower, civilian ships travelling through this vital waterway remain vulnerable to the rebels’ missiles, drones and gunfire.
The effects are wide-ranging, but the rebels are said to be making hundreds of millions from shipping companies to ensure safe transit. In October, the UN Security Council heard that the Houthis are earning nearly $2.2 billion a year by “allegedly collected illegal fees from a few shipping agencies to allow their ships to sail through the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden without being attacked”.
But to truly understand the realities of this 21st century piracy, it is important to hear the voices of the many ordinary seafarers whose lives have been put in danger. One such figure is Avhilash Rawat, the 40-year-old captain of the Marlin Luanda, a ship that was carrying more than 84,000 tonnes of a highly flammable and volatile liquid mixture called naphtha. A Houthi missile strike left the ship ablaze, with flames five metres high. Cpt Rawat organised a 20-hour firefighting operation that saved the lives of his crew.
Other seafarers have been less fortunate. In March, three crewmen on board the bulk carrier True Confidence were killed and at least four wounded in a missile attack and the crew of the Galaxy Leader are still being held hostage in Yemen more than a year after Houthi fighters boarded and seized their vessel.
To truly understand the realities of this 21st century piracy, it is important to hear the voices of the many ordinary seafarers whose lives have been put in danger
And it is not just commercial shipping that is affected. The rising cost and physical risk of sending aid and supplies through the Red Sea were highlighted by 26 humanitarian NGOs in January. Three months later, the International Rescue Committee said a decision by its carrier to suspend operations in the Red Sea had forced the charity – which has been supplying vital aid to civilians in war-torn Sudan – to seek alternative routes.
Amid growing reports that a ceasefire in Gaza may be within reach, it is germane to ask what kind of settlement would be acceptable to a rebel movement 2,000km away – especially one that has been accused by the Security Council of striking civilians and civilian infrastructure in Yemen as well as implementing a “policy of sexual violence and oppression”.
If, as the October report suggests, the Houthis’ campaign of violence is so lucrative, it remains to be seen if their cynical policies of intimidation in the Red Sea will continue. So far, the Houthis’ opportunism in relation to the suffering of the Palestinian people has forced the region and international community to deal with its agenda. Bringing the Gaza crisis to an end would be the best way of removing the Houthis’ excuse for their bullying behaviour in the Red Sea.
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The biog
Favourite book: You Are the Placebo – Making your mind matter, by Dr Joe Dispenza
Hobby: Running and watching Welsh rugby
Travel destination: Cyprus in the summer
Life goals: To be an aspirational and passionate University educator, enjoy life, be healthy and be the best dad possible.
Results
5pm: Reem Island – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: Farasah, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Musabah Al Muhairi
5.30pm: Sir Baniyas Island – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: SSR Ghazwan, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
6pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Astral Del Sol, Sean Kirrane, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
6.30pm: Al Maryah Island – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Toumadher, Dane O’Neill, Jaber Bittar
7pm: Yas Island – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: AF Mukhrej, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7.30pm: Saadiyat Island – Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 2,400m; Winner: Celestial Spheres, Gary Sanchez, Ismail Mohammed
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
Company%20Profile
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Akeed
Based: Muscat
Launch year: 2018
Number of employees: 40
Sector: Online food delivery
Funding: Raised $3.2m since inception
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Results
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Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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The drill
Recharge as needed, says Mat Dryden: “We try to make it a rule that every two to three months, even if it’s for four days, we get away, get some time together, recharge, refresh.” The couple take an hour a day to check into their businesses and that’s it.
Stick to the schedule, says Mike Addo: “We have an entire wall known as ‘The Lab,’ covered with colour-coded Post-it notes dedicated to our joint weekly planner, content board, marketing strategy, trends, ideas and upcoming meetings.”
Be a team, suggests Addo: “When training together, you have to trust in each other’s abilities. Otherwise working out together very quickly becomes one person training the other.”
Pull your weight, says Thuymi Do: “To do what we do, there definitely can be no lazy member of the team.”
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
Company%20profile
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Company%C2%A0profile
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