Yemeni journalist Mahmoud Al Otmi, who survived a car bomb that killed his pregnant wife in Aden last week, lay in hospital with an empty look on his wounded face. Tears rolling down his cheeks were the only expression of his agony.
“I wish I had died with Rasha,” Mr Al Otmi said as he recalled the horror of the past few weeks.
Rasha Al Harazi, 26, who was also a journalist, and her unborn child died when an explosive device planted on the couple’s car exploded. Al Otmi said he had become a target because of his views on repression carried out by the Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen.
“A month and half ago, I received information that the Houthi militants were collecting information about me, my address in Aden, my movements and the type of my car,” Mr Al Otmi said from his hospital bed.
He said he spent days thinking about how to leave Aden, in southern Yemen, “as soon as possible”.
“I decided to leave for Mukalla, but my wife was about to deliver our new baby,” he said.
“On Tuesday, I was driving to take my wife to a medical appointment related to her pregnancy when suddenly I felt pressure accompanied by a huge flame that erupted in the car."
He woke up later on a bed at the hospital.
‘I was attacked for my views’
The attack left Mr Al Otmi with shrapnel in his back, fractured bones and damage to an eye.
“They targeted me because of my views,” Mr Al Otmi said.
“I was one of a few journalists and media activists who resisted the Houthi repression against the innocent people in the Tehama region."
Mr Al Otmi had been active in covering Houthis' prosecutions against civilians in Tehama in Hodeidah.
“I kept criticising their baseless trials that ended by executing nine civilians from Hodeidah on baseless charges, including being involved in the killing of their senior leader, Saleh Al Samad, three years ago.”
Mr Al Otmi and his wife were not the first journalists to be attacked in Yemen in the past seven years. A dozen have been killed by attackers in the country since 2015.
In October, three journalists were killed in a car bomb attack on the Governor of Aden, Ahmed Lamlas. He survived.
In April, journalist Hisham Al Baqiri was killed while covering clashes between pro-government forces and the Iran-backed Houthis in Taez province, south-west Yemen.
Last year, journalist Nabil Hasan Al Quaety was killed by gunmen near his house in Aden.
Nabil Al Osaidi of the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate, told The National that 46 journalists and videographers had been killed in the country since 2015.
“The majority were killed while covering the war, but the last terror act that targeted the married journalists Mahmoud Al Otmi and Rasha Al Harazi was a deliberate terror attack that directly targeted the journalists, similar to the attack on journalist Nabil Hasan Al Quaety last year,” he said.
“Such attacks are a grave indicator that the future of the press freedom in Yemen is getting darker and will be grim.”
The syndicate has documented 1,450 abuses committed against journalists since 2015, including killings, kidnappings, abductions, torture, threats and unlawful prosecutions, Mr Al Osaidi said.
More than 300 journalists have been abducted during the conflict, with the majority taken by the rebels, he said.
“There are 10 journalists still detained by the Houthis. Four of them were sentenced to death by Houthi-run courts, which is another Houthi crime against the press freedom in Yemen,” he said.
Fearing for their lives, many Yemeni journalists and their families have fled the country after receiving threats.
Taha Saleh moved to Egypt, where he failed to find a job.
Journalists in Yemen “work in a poisoned work environment”, Mr Saleh said.
“At the beginning of the war, I was injured while covering the clashes between the Houthi militants and the pro-government troops in Taez city,” he said.
He said he was later abducted by extremists and groups including the political party Al Islah before leaving Yemen.
“I feel lost in Egypt. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to manage the situation here, because I have become jobless,” he said.
Justin Shilad, a senior Middle East researcher at the Committee to Protect Journalists, told The National that the attack on Al Otmi and Al Harazi showed journalists in Yemen are still considered targets.
“The result is a climate of impunity, where no corner of the country is safe for journalists doing their jobs,” he said.
Mr Shilad called on the international community to prioritise the safety of journalists or “the climate of impunity will not be confined to Yemen’s borders”.
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Previous winners
2016 Islamabad United
2017 Peshawar Zalmi
2018 Islamabad United
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Most runs Kamran Akmal – 1,286
Most wickets Wahab Riaz –65
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 582bhp
Torque: 730Nm
Price: Dh649,000
On sale: now
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Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
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Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
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UAE central contracts
Full time contracts
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Part time contracts
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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How to vote
Canadians living in the UAE can register to vote online and be added to the International Register of Electors.
They'll then be sent a special ballot voting kit by mail either to their address, the Consulate General of Canada to the UAE in Dubai or The Embassy of Canada in Abu Dhabi
Registered voters mark the ballot with their choice and must send it back by 6pm Eastern time on October 21 (2am next Friday)
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Manchester City 2 (Mahrez 04', Ake 84')
Leicester City 5 (Vardy 37' pen, 54', 58' pen, Maddison 77', Tielemans 88' pen)
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10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
Suggested picnic spots
Abu Dhabi
Umm Al Emarat Park
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Dubai
Kite Beach
Zabeel Park
Al Nahda Pond Park
Mushrif Park
Safa Park
Al Mamzar Beach Park
Al Qudrah Lakes
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Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
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360Vuz PROFILE
Date started: January 2017
Founder: Khaled Zaatarah
Based: Dubai and Los Angeles
Sector: Technology
Size: 21 employees
Funding: $7 million
Investors: Shorooq Partners, KBW Ventures, Vision Ventures, Hala Ventures, 500Startups, Plug and Play, Magnus Olsson, Samih Toukan, Jonathan Labin
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This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
The specs: 2018 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross
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