Earlier this month, Indian navy operations in the waters between Yemen and Somalia struck a blow against the disruptors of shipping on the high seas.
A combined naval, air and special forces raid, carried out 2,500 kilometres from its own shores, saw the release of the MV Ruen, a vessel held by pirates and used as a mastership to menace other boats.
The descent into lawlessness in this part of the Indian Ocean has posed the most severe threat to the world economy since the onset of Covid-19. India’s takedown of the pirates, therefore, marked a rare good-news development that the UN’s International Maritime Organisation, the global governing body of shipping, could take some comfort from during last week’s important meeting on the industry’s climate agenda.
Shipping’s commitment to Net Zero has been a hard-won prize that was formally achieved at a historic meeting last year in the run-up to Cop28. How unpleasant, then, that the IMO delegates had to assemble in London last week under a cloud cast by the chaos in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean.
In a tense opening session, delegate after delegate condemned the Houthi attacks on international trade lanes that have seen the biggest navies, including India’s, undertake patrols to safeguard cargo ships. Officials who oversee maritime trade conceded that the Houthi escalation has disrupted the IMO’s efforts to align the shipping industry with the goal of Net Zero by the mid-century.
Delegates demanded an end to the dangers posed by the Iranian-backed group, which has fired missiles and drones at dozens of ships in the area, claiming to be retaliating for the Israel-Gaza war. IMO Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez referred to the effects of the Houthi campaign, when he said: “The continued attacks by the Houthis against seafarers in the Red Sea are categorically unacceptable.”
It is commendable that the shipping industry can advance its long-term goal of Net Zero under the current circumstances
Mr Dominguez pointed out that the industry must guarantee the safety of seafarers and maintain the global distribution of essential goods for the benefit of the world’s population. He also noted that modern cargos can affect the sea environment if there is a catastrophic attack, like in the case of the vessel Rubymar.
“The pollution caused by the sinking of the Rubymar [in the Red Sea] after it was attacked [by the Houthis] is another example of the negative and unnecessary effects,” he said. “And whilst we work tirelessly in reducing emissions from international maritime transport, ships are being forced to navigate longer routes, thereby increasing such emissions.”
The IMO delegates were in London to agree a framework for carbon pricing, so I asked Mr Dominguez how the squeeze on the industry had affected the preparations for this ground-breaking step; no other industry has, after all, taken this leap.
“Shipping should not be penalised for having to emit more by having to travel around the Cape of Good Hope to protect the lives of seafarers,” he responded. As one Bahamas delegate noted, emissions of greenhouse gases on the voyages now significantly increase by thousands of tons for every ship.
And yet by the end of the week, the crisis not-withstanding, the body was able to adopt a draft outline for an “IMO net-zero framework” for cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
Some delegates are worried, of course, that this framework would mean a charge of $150 for every ton of CO2-equivalent emissions, so the impact of the longer voyages would be a significant burden. It is admirable, then, for the IMO to keep on track with a world-first, global, mandatory charge on greenhouse gas emissions.
It is still more significant for an industry grappling with the additional security challenge. Admiral James Stavridis, a former Nato commander, told Goldman Sachs last week that he has not seen a higher level of maritime risk in his 45-year experience.
Bruce Jones, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, told the bank that the conflict off Yemen highlighted how dependent the global economy is on the seas. “The importance of the oceans hasn’t diminished; if anything, it has grown,” he said. Nine tenths of global trade, 70 per cent of global oil and gas supplies, plus almost two thirds of global food supplies, move by sea.
“And while technology and data seem to operate in a different realm, they don’t, because 95 per cent of the world’s data flows on undersea cables lining the seabed floor,” Mr Jones added in the bank report.
For an insight into the real-world impact, Goldman Sachs tapped Tobias Meyer, the chief executive of logistics company DHL Group, who cited excess capacity as a buffer to the dislocation. “Even though the extended voyage around the Cape of Good Hope requires several percentage points of global capacity, and global supply is absorbed in that, this overall demand-supply balance is relaxed enough to absorb that.”
For now, the maritime industry is coping with the strains of the Houthi offensive and revival of Somalian piracy coming in its wake. We heard last week from the Bangladeshi crew of the MV Abdullah held by Somali pirates, who warned their families that food was running out and they were under constant armed threat.
These are the stakes for an industry focused on the first principle of preventing loss of life at sea. It is commendable that it can also advance its long-term goal of Net Zero under the circumstances.
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEdited%20by%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Idries%20Trevathan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPages%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20240%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hirmer%20Publishers%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EAvailable%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
How it works
Each player begins with one of the great empires of history, from Julius Caesar's Rome to Ramses of Egypt, spread over Europe and the Middle East.
Round by round, the player expands their empire. The more land they have, the more money they can take from their coffers for each go.
As unruled land and soldiers are acquired, players must feed them. When a player comes up against land held by another army, they can choose to battle for supremacy.
A dice-based battle system is used and players can get the edge on their enemy with by deploying a renowned hero on the battlefield.
Players that lose battles and land will find their coffers dwindle and troops go hungry. The end goal? Global domination of course.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Dubai World Cup factbox
Most wins by a trainer: Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor(9)
Most wins by a jockey: Jerry Bailey(4)
Most wins by an owner: Godolphin(9)
Most wins by a horse: Godolphin’s Thunder Snow(2)
EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
- Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
15 years, 271 days old
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
16 years, 30 days old
- Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
16 years, 68 days old
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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.
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
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
A Bad Moms Christmas
Dir: John Lucas and Scott Moore
Starring: Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn, Kristen Bell, Susan Sarandon, Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines
Two stars
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
