The Houthi militia has launched a skirmish against pro-government forces in the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah in a move described as a violation of the terms of a de-escalation agreement reaffirmed this week.
The head of the Redeployment and Coordination Committee, Lt Gen Michael Lollesgaard, mediated a discussion between representatives of the government and the rebels on-board a UN ship in international waters between Hodeidah and Makah earlier this week.
The two sides agreed to work towards implementing troop withdrawals from the city as laid out in December’s UN-brokered peace talks.
But on Thursday, a military official in the pro-government Joint Forces in Hodeidah told The National that Houthi forces launched a push against their positions around Kilo-16, a key supply route between the city and the rebel-held capital of Sanaa.
“The Houthi rebels tried to advance in the outskirts of Kilo 16 through an intensified attack using different types of weapons at 3 am on Thursday,” the official said. “The attack aimed to take positions controlled by our forces in Kilo 16 but was thwarted by our forces who clashed with the Houthi rebels as they attempted to advance, killing a number of them”.
On Wednesday, the Houthi militia shelled a residential area near Kilo 7, in the southeast the port city of Hodeidah, causing largescale fire damage in City Max Mall due to Houthi projectiles", Col Wathah Al Dubaish, the spokesperson of the joint forces in Hodeidah, told The National.
“In Haiys district south of Hodeidah, three civilians were killed due to Houthi shelling that targeted a populated neighbourhood in the northern area of Haiys city. Meanwhile, three soldiers from Al Amalikah forces were killed on Wednesday during Houthi shelling targeted their positions in Al Jabaliya, south of Hodeidah,” col Al Dubaish said.
On the last peace talks supervised by the UN, the spokesperson of the Joint Forces in Hodeidah, col Al Dubaish said that they were ready to coordinate with the UN to facilitate the work of the international monitors who are supposed to arrive in the port city of Hodeidah in the coming days.
“We are ready to offer all the help needed by the UN monitoring team and we hope the Houthi rebels do the same,” Col Al Dubaish said, adding that he believes the rebels have not issued the paperwork needed by the monitors to enter rebels held areas of the city.
Separately, in the province of Al Dhalea in southern Yemen, the Houthi militia shelled residential villages in the Hajer area on Wednesday night," residents told The National.
Shamsan Mohammed, 6, was left severely wounded after being shot in the neck during clashes around the Al Mashareeh village, a resident said.
The area of Al Dhalea east of Taiz and north of Aden has been rocked with fighting in recent months as Houthi rebels pushing south from Sanaa have tried to split the government-controlled territory in two. If they are able to take the area, it would allow them to launch attacks on Aden and try to several supply lines along the coast from Mocha towards Hodiedah.
However, coalition air forces and significant numbers of pro-government ground troops are fighting to push back the rebels and secure the region.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Know your cyber adversaries
Cryptojacking: Compromises a device or network to mine cryptocurrencies without an organisation's knowledge.
Distributed denial-of-service: Floods systems, servers or networks with information, effectively blocking them.
Man-in-the-middle attack: Intercepts two-way communication to obtain information, spy on participants or alter the outcome.
Malware: Installs itself in a network when a user clicks on a compromised link or email attachment.
Phishing: Aims to secure personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers.
Ransomware: Encrypts user data, denying access and demands a payment to decrypt it.
Spyware: Collects information without the user's knowledge, which is then passed on to bad actors.
Trojans: Create a backdoor into systems, which becomes a point of entry for an attack.
Viruses: Infect applications in a system and replicate themselves as they go, just like their biological counterparts.
Worms: Send copies of themselves to other users or contacts. They don't attack the system, but they overload it.
Zero-day exploit: Exploits a vulnerability in software before a fix is found.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The years Ramadan fell in May
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
Uefa Nations League: How it Works
The Uefa Nations League, introduced last year, has reached its final stage, to be played over five days in northern Portugal. The format of its closing tournament is compact, spread over two semi-finals, with the first, Portugal versus Switzerland in Porto on Wednesday evening, and the second, England against the Netherlands, in Guimaraes, on Thursday.
The winners of each semi will then meet at Porto’s Dragao stadium on Sunday, with the losing semi-finalists contesting a third-place play-off in Guimaraes earlier that day.
Qualifying for the final stage was via League A of the inaugural Nations League, in which the top 12 European countries according to Uefa's co-efficient seeding system were divided into four groups, the teams playing each other twice between September and November. Portugal, who finished above Italy and Poland, successfully bid to host the finals.
Credit Score explained
What is a credit score?
In the UAE your credit score is a number generated by the Al Etihad Credit Bureau (AECB), which represents your credit worthiness – in other words, your risk of defaulting on any debt repayments. In this country, the number is between 300 and 900. A low score indicates a higher risk of default, while a high score indicates you are a lower risk.
Why is it important?
Financial institutions will use it to decide whether or not you are a credit risk. Those with better scores may also receive preferential interest rates or terms on products such as loans, credit cards and mortgages.
How is it calculated?
The AECB collects information on your payment behaviour from banks as well as utilitiy and telecoms providers.
How can I improve my score?
By paying your bills on time and not missing any repayments, particularly your loan, credit card and mortgage payments. It is also wise to limit the number of credit card and loan applications you make and to reduce your outstanding balances.
How do I know if my score is low or high?
By checking it. Visit one of AECB’s Customer Happiness Centres with an original and valid Emirates ID, passport copy and valid email address. Liv. customers can also access the score directly from the banking app.
How much does it cost?
A credit report costs Dh100 while a report with the score included costs Dh150. Those only wanting the credit score pay Dh60. VAT is payable on top.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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
More coverage from the Future Forum
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
The specs: Fenyr SuperSport
Price, base: Dh5.1 million
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 800hp @ 7,100pm
Torque: 980Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 13.5L / 100km
The years Ramadan fell in May
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
