For the first time since the war in Yemen started in 2015, the US and the UK are considering limited air strikes against Houthi military infrastructure in the north-west of Yemen.
This highlights how much the threat perception in western states about the Houthis’ behaviour has been raised, marking a shift from the past.
Options to target the military capabilities of the Houthis cannot be decided in isolation. The coalition would be well advised to consider the interests of its Arab partners and the wider Gulf region as it embarks on its course of action.
Escalating attacks by the Houthis against commercial vessels in the Red Sea have been described by its spokesmen as moves in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
The disruption of a choke point in world trade has, however, had the effect of quickly changing western views on the Iranian-backed group in Yemen.
The warning sent by 12 states – led by the US and the UK – to the Houthis through a joint statement on January 3 said the group must cease attacks or “bear the responsibility of the consequences” emphasises that shifting threat perceptions could turn into unprecedented decisions in the short term.
On the other hand, the US-led Operation Prosperity Guardian, launched on December 18, has clearly not been successful in deterring Houthis’ attacks so far.
Thus the US and its allies clearly understand it is not enough to fully restore safe commercial navigation in the Red Sea. Moreover, after the defensive naval operation was announced by the Pentagon, some European states – France, Italy and Spain – have opted out of the US-led mission, instead providing their contribution under, respectively, the French command and the existing European naval mission, or choosing not to join the operation.
Though Red Sea security is increasingly acknowledged as a global concern, the way Prosperity Guardian has been organised, announced and communicated has indirectly contributed to conveying a message of uncertainty and lack of resolve.
For too long, international stakeholders, especially western states, have underestimated the threat coming from the Houthis’ rise and consolidation. They mainly looked at the Houthis simply as an armed movement fighting in the Yemen civil war, something that – in their view – didn't have a vital impact on regional stability and global balances.
This clearly differed from the perception that many Yemenis and Arab states already had, especially Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which have been targeted, especially since 2019, by Houthi drones and missiles.
Two watershed moments have changed the western states’ perception of the Houthis: first, the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and now the escalation against shipping in the Red Sea. In fact, Russia is frequently using Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones in Ukraine – the same drones the Houthis used to attack regional targets just weeks before Ukraine was invaded.
From that moment on, the US, the UK and the EU have come to realise that the Houthis’ unrestrained behaviour is a menace to the stability not only of Yemen but of the entire Middle East, in particular because their alliance with Iran and the “axis of resistance” has significantly tightened in recent years.
During her speech at the Manama Dialogue in 2022, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen explicitly said “it took us too long to understand” about the group's drone and missile proliferation. The escalation against commercial shipping in the Red Sea has definitely rung the alarm bell in Washington and European capitals.
However, growing threat perceptions of the Houthis have not resulted in overlapped policies so far, as the Prosperity Guardian case reveals, mainly due to the fear of further regional destabilisation.
Capitalising on current threat appraisals, the US, the UK and EU states should now build common policy ground to cope with the Houthi menace: something that can’t be detached from the Yemen war and the need to support UN diplomatic efforts towards a ceasefire and an inclusive peace process.
More easily said than done, but otherwise the risk is to implement a flawed response that wouldn’t restore freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, also with the risk of breaking the informal truce that still holds in Yemen.
However, time is really running out. In the last few days, three events demonstrated the Red Sea has entered the next escalation level.
First, the unprecedented direct confrontation between the Houthis and the US, with three Houthi vessels sunk and 10 fighters killed by the Americans; second, the use of anti-ship missiles and then the deployment of an explosive drone boat by the Houthis; and third, the arrival in the Red Sea of the Iranian warship Alborz.
Whatever option that aims to undermine Houthis’ offensive capabilities should be co-ordinated now by Western states with Arab partners, since they have countered the Houthi threat in the last few years and understand the difficult balancing this demands.
Even taking into account that the Houthis are operating off the back of the Gaza war, as the group advances their own goals, it is important to consider the scenarios ahead and prevent possible retaliation risks.
Korean Film Festival 2019 line-up
Innocent Witness, June 26 at 7pm
On Your Wedding Day, June 27 at 7pm
The Great Battle, June 27 at 9pm
The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion, June 28 at 4pm
Romang, June 28 at 6pm
Mal Mo E: The Secret Mission, June 28 at 8pm
Underdog, June 29 at 2pm
Nearby Sky, June 29 at 4pm
A Resistance, June 29 at 6pm
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Thor: Ragnarok
Dir: Taika Waititi
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum, Mark Ruffalo, Tessa Thompson
Four stars
Your rights as an employee
The government has taken an increasingly tough line against companies that fail to pay employees on time. Three years ago, the Cabinet passed a decree allowing the government to halt the granting of work permits to companies with wage backlogs.
The new measures passed by the Cabinet in 2016 were an update to the Wage Protection System, which is in place to track whether a company pays its employees on time or not.
If wages are 10 days late, the new measures kick in and the company is alerted it is in breach of labour rules. If wages remain unpaid for a total of 16 days, the authorities can cancel work permits, effectively shutting off operations. Fines of up to Dh5,000 per unpaid employee follow after 60 days.
Despite those measures, late payments remain an issue, particularly in the construction sector. Smaller contractors, such as electrical, plumbing and fit-out businesses, often blame the bigger companies that hire them for wages being late.
The authorities have urged employees to report their companies at the labour ministry or Tawafuq service centres — there are 15 in Abu Dhabi.
List of officials:
Referees: Chris Broad, David Boon, Jeff Crowe, Andy Pycroft, Ranjan Madugalle and Richie Richardson.
Umpires: Aleem Dar, Kumara Dharmasena, Marais Erasmus, Chris Gaffaney, Ian Gould, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Nigel Llong, Bruce Oxenford, Ruchira Palliyaguruge, Sundaram Ravi, Paul Reiffel, Rod Tucker, Michael Gough, Joel Wilson and Paul Wilson.
Five films to watch
Castle in the Sky (1986)
Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Only Yesterday (1991)
Pom Poki (1994)
The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013)
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Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
The Scale for Clinical Actionability of Molecular Targets
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Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Play-off fixtures
Two-legged ties to be played November 9-11 and November 12-14
- Northern Ireland v Switzerland
- Croatia v Greece
- Denmark v Ireland
- Sweden v Italy
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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Honeymoonish
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The Facility’s Versatility
Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket
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TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
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What is a calorie?
A food calorie, or kilocalorie, is a measure of nutritional energy generated from what is consumed.
One calorie, is the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water by 1°C.
A kilocalorie represents a 1,000 true calories of energy.
Energy density figures are often quoted as calories per serving, with one gram of fat in food containing nine calories, and a gram of protein or carbohydrate providing about four.
Alcohol contains about seven calories a gram.
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
