In April 2007, the Estonian internet absorbed a volley of cyber attacks, bringing the online services of banks, media outlets, email providers and government departments to their knees. It followed a diplomatic spat between the Estonian and Russian governments over the location of a Soviet-era statue and was over in a couple of weeks.
But it retains a place in internet folklore as one of the first major acts of international cyber warfare.
What the episode underscored, even in 2007, was the internet’s unmatched significance in modern life. For businesses, banks and governments today, telecommunications are not a luxury but a necessity.
It was with that knowledge that the Houthis tightened their grip on Yemeni internet after seizing Sanaa in 2015, snatching control of the two main mobile networks, Yemen Mobile and MTN, and taxing them heavily. In doing so they thwarted businesses and cut many ordinary Yemenis off from the outside world.
Last week, the Houthis went a step further, damaging major fibre optic cables and disrupting internet service to almost 80 per cent of the country. It is an ugly tactic of modern warfare – one that underlines the Iran-backed militia's disdain for the Yemeni people.
Indeed, it was predictable: the regime in Tehran has responded to periodic mass protest by blocking telecommunications channels.
But in Yemen, at least, there is a change in the direction of travel. Last week, the country's telecommunications minister, Lutfi Bashreef, announced the launch of a new UAE-backed network, Aden Net, this month, which will wrestle control of the internet from Houthi rebels and restore coverage to ordinary Yemenis.
It is an important and welcome step – one that will return some semblance of normality to a population under siege. It will boost an economy wrecked by years of war and assist international aid organisations in their humanitarian projects.
When Russian bots flooded Estonia’s internet over a decade ago, they opened a new chapter in the history of warfare. Today, cyberwarfare is ubiquitous. And the restoration of telecommunications in Aden, thanks to Yemen’s internationally-recognised government and the UAE, represents a significant victory against a Houthi faction determined to tear the country apart.
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Director: Jared Hess
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Rating: 3/5
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
In numbers
1,000 tonnes of waste collected daily:
- 800 tonnes converted into alternative fuel
- 150 tonnes to landfill
- 50 tonnes sold as scrap metal
800 tonnes of RDF replaces 500 tonnes of coal
Two conveyor lines treat more than 350,000 tonnes of waste per year
25 staff on site
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
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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
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
MWTC info
Tickets to the MWTC range from Dh100 and can be purchased from www.ticketmaster.ae or by calling 800 86 823 from within the UAE or 971 4 366 2289 from outside the country and all Virgin Megastores. Fans looking to attend all three days of the MWTC can avail of a special 20 percent discount on ticket prices.
Hili 2: Unesco World Heritage site
The site is part of the Hili archaeological park in Al Ain. Excavations there have proved the existence of the earliest known agricultural communities in modern-day UAE. Some date to the Bronze Age but Hili 2 is an Iron Age site. The Iron Age witnessed the development of the falaj, a network of channels that funnelled water from natural springs in the area. Wells allowed settlements to be established, but falaj meant they could grow and thrive. Unesco, the UN's cultural body, awarded Al Ain's sites - including Hili 2 - world heritage status in 2011. Now the most recent dig at the site has revealed even more about the skilled people that lived and worked there.
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'Unrivaled: Why America Will Remain the World’s Sole Superpower'
Michael Beckley, Cornell Press
