Today marked a watershed moment in the Yemeni conflict; a day the Saudi-led coalition has sought to avoid but had become impossible to delay for the sake of the Yemeni people.
No stone has been left unturned in trying to reach a peaceful conclusion and end the suffering of a country under siege. Concerted efforts by the United Nations and the coalition – which includes the UAE – to end the war with dialogue and diplomacy have failed.
They have been met with repeat acts of aggression from the Iran-backed Houthi rebels and a stranglehold on the ports supplying Yemenis with food and aid, leading to mass starvation and the largest cholera outbreak in history.
In response to 150 ballistic missiles hurled into Saudi Arabia by the Houthis, the Saudi ambassador to the US, Prince Khalid bin Salman, said: "No nation can accept such a threat to its land and people on its borders."
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More on the Hodeidah offensive
Offensive for the liberation of Hodeidah enters second day - live updates
Sulaiman Al Mazroui: Hodeidah operation to push Houthis to talks table
Hodeidah offensive could 'tip the balance' in stalemated Yemen conflict
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The past few weeks have been filled with frantic last-minute attempts to bring the rebels to the negotiating table – to no avail.
When the UAE deadline for the rebels to withdraw from Hodeidah expired on Tuesday night with no concessions from the rebels, the battle began to recapture the vital port, which supplies 90 per cent of food to Yemenis.
This is a significant battle in the three-year conflict, one that marks the last step before capturing the capital Sanaa, restoring Yemen’s legitimate government and bringing the war to an end.
Casualties are inevitable and steps should be taken to keep them to a minimum. “We have exhausted all peaceful and political solutions,” said the Yemeni government in a statement. “Liberating the port represents the beginning of the Houthis’ collapse.”
The port of Hodeidah is perhaps the most important strategic location in the war. The country is almost entirely dependent on it for vital imports but it has been hijacked by the Houthis since 2015 and used to smuggle arms.
As Dr Anwar Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, said: "The illegal occupation of Hodeidah is prolonging the Yemeni war."
While the coalition has supplied hundreds of millions of dollars in aid, including a UAE committal of $500 million to the UN humanitarian response plan in April, the Houthis have confiscated vital supplies.
Moreover, it lies along the Red Sea, close to Bab Al Mandab, the world’s fifth busiest port.
The location allowed the Houthis to terrorise shipping vessels and boost their revenues with looting, extortion and illegal taxation.
The liberation of Hodeidah is critical to secure roughly 15 per cent of international trade in the Red Sea, on which the global economy depends.
Liberating the port of Hodeidah will cripple the Houthis' supply of arms and revenue. The bombardment represents a strategic push to change the rebels' calculations and bring an end to their illegitimate rule, which has failed to provide a proper governance for Yemen.
No one wanted this impasse. It has come as a last resort after political means have been exhausted.
At every opportunity, the Houthis have rebuffed attempts to reach a resolution and put up obstacles to a solution which would have reduced the impact on the civilian population.
They have shown a disregard for the cost to lives, instead preferring to further their own selfish interests.
A swift end to the conflict is the aim of the coalition, which favours a political solution.
Liberating Hodeidah is a vital step on the road to securing Sanaa and reinstating the legitimate government to bring an end to the chaos which has reigned on the streets of the capital for three years. The Yemeni people deserve no less.
Navdeep Suri, India's Ambassador to the UAE
There has been a longstanding need from the Indian community to have a religious premises where they can practise their beliefs. Currently there is a very, very small temple in Bur Dubai and the community has outgrown this. So this will be a major temple and open to all denominations and a place should reflect India’s diversity.
It fits so well into the UAE’s own commitment to tolerance and pluralism and coming in the year of tolerance gives it that extra dimension.
What we will see on April 20 is the foundation ceremony and we expect a pretty broad cross section of the Indian community to be present, both from the UAE and abroad. The Hindu group that is building the temple will have their holiest leader attending – and we expect very senior representation from the leadership of the UAE.
When the designs were taken to the leadership, there were two clear options. There was a New Jersey model with a rectangular structure with the temple recessed inside so it was not too visible from the outside and another was the Neasden temple in London with the spires in its classical shape. And they said: look we said we wanted a temple so it should look like a temple. So this should be a classical style temple in all its glory.
It is beautifully located - 30 minutes outside of Abu Dhabi and barely 45 minutes to Dubai so it serves the needs of both communities.
This is going to be the big temple where I expect people to come from across the country at major festivals and occasions.
It is hugely important – it will take a couple of years to complete given the scale. It is going to be remarkable and will contribute something not just to the landscape in terms of visual architecture but also to the ethos. Here will be a real representation of UAE’s pluralism.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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Opening day UAE Premiership fixtures, Friday, September 22:
- Dubai Sports City Eagles v Dubai Exiles
- Dubai Hurricanes v Abu Dhabi Saracens
- Jebel Ali Dragons v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
What is a black hole?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Seemar’s top six for the Dubai World Cup Carnival:
1. Reynaldothewizard
2. North America
3. Raven’s Corner
4. Hawkesbury
5. New Maharajah
6. Secret Ambition
Miss Granny
Director: Joyce Bernal
Starring: Sarah Geronimo, James Reid, Xian Lim, Nova Villa
3/5
(Tagalog with Eng/Ar subtitles)
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
