Over the past three months, Houthi militants have recklessly bombarded civilian cargo ships in the Red Sea, taking the lives of civilian mariners and threatening global commerce and the delivery of much needed humanitarian assistance in the region. In response, a coalition of countries, including the US and its partners, has acted decisively to launch Operation Prosperity Guardian to protect global shipping lanes from disruption.
While so far the Houthis have been unable to cause the level of large-scale global economic disruption they desire, the disruption of shipping lanes is having a far more significant impact on people and countries reliant on Red Sea shipping.
For example, these attacks are causing delays in the delivery of urgently needed food – including in Yemen. A country teetering on the brink of famine, Yemen relies on imports for over 90 per cent of its food needs. Yet, the Houthis attacked the MV Sea Champion, a vessel that was bringing food supplies to the Yemeni people.
Similarly, in Sudan it is becoming more expensive and harder to get much needed humanitarian assistance to the Sudanese people. The country director for the International Rescue Committee described how “shipments that took one or two weeks, maximum, now take months to reach us”. There are also reports that some shipping costs have grown to eight times higher than before, as companies have been forced to shift from shipping by sea to more expensive and limited air transport. In a country where poverty is widespread and hunger is endemic, this means lives were likely lost.
These attacks are causing delays in the delivery of urgently needed food
The Houthis’ attacks have upended regional economies as transits through the Suez Canal have plummeted by 40 per cent. This is hurting countries in the region that are working hard to secure better futures for their people. For Egypt, revenues for the Suez Canal Authority are down by nearly 50 per cent, amounting to a loss of over $500 million in critical foreign exchange revenues and making it difficult for the Egyptian people to import goods and for businesses to meet their financial obligations. For Jordan, traffic through the port of Aqaba – the sole port for the country – is down about 25 per cent. These lost revenues mean that Jordanians and Egyptians are less able to import the medicine, food, and goods needed to sustain livelihoods and power their economies.
The Houthis’ actions are not only hurting people in the region today, they are also deterring investment needed to make the Red Sea region a thriving economic hub in the future. For example, in Saudi Arabia, the port of Jeddah is experiencing significant challenges as a result of disruptions to maritime traffic. This comes at a time when there is every reason for port traffic in the region should be growing. Now, instead, businesses are being forced to divert to slower land transport today, while uncertainty looms over the long-term.
The last thing the region needs is this additional economic challenge. This is just one reason we are calling on the Houthis to stop their reckless attacks in the Red Sea. Working closely with our allies and partners around the world and in the region, we will continue to take steps – including degrading the Houthis' financial networks and disrupting their ability to carry out attacks – to hold them accountable.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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”.
BRAZIL%20SQUAD
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Tell Me Who I Am
Director: Ed Perkins
Stars: Alex and Marcus Lewis
Four stars
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Quick pearls of wisdom
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.”
Secret Pigeon Service: Operation Colomba, Resistance and the Struggle to Liberate Europe
Gordon Corera, Harper Collins
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.
The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?
My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.
The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.
So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
TWISTERS
Director: Lee Isaac Chung
Starring: Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos
Rating: 2.5/5
