The US military commander in the Middle East is planning to target Houthi missiles and drones on the ground before they are fired towards the UAE.
Lt Gen Kenneth McKenzie said the plan is part of a range of measures designed to protect the Emirates from the rebel group in Yemen.
Speaking in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, the head of US Central Command (Centcom) said a squadron of F-22 Raptor fighter jets will arrive in the next week.
We are happy to see that Thaad employed successfully by UAE in the first two combat employments of that system. I know that it sends a strong message of reassurance to everyone in UAE
Lt Gen Kenneth McKenzie,
US Central Command
"We're going to bring in a squadron of F-22 fighter jets, the best air superiority fighters in the world," he told UAE state news agency Wam.
"They will also work with their UAE partners to help defend the nation. We think this is just one friend helping another in a time of crisis."
Lt Gen McKenzie said the UAE's Terminal High Altitude Area Defence system (Thaad) had successfully intercepted two attempted strikes, and that the US is working to strengthen Emirati defences further.
"I know that it sends a strong message of reassurance to everyone in UAE. We will continue to work with UAE to make that system even better in the future," he said.
Lt Gen McKenzie met Lt Gen Hamad Al Rumaithi, Chief of Staff of the UAE Armed Forces, on Tuesday.
Last week, the Pentagon said it would send fighter jets and a guided missile warship after the recent attacks on the Emirates by the Houthi rebels in Yemen.
The USS Cole will link up with UAE naval vessels before docking in Abu Dhabi. The ship is armed with an advanced sea-to-air system designed to intercept incoming missiles and projectiles.
Tackling drone attacks
Lt Gen McKenzie said: "We are working with our partners here in the region and with the industry back in the United States to develop solutions that would work against drones. We would like to work against drones what we call 'Left of Launch', [which means] before they can be launched."
Such a system will be able to detect the launch of drones, see them and disrupt their flight.
"And if you can't do that, you will certainly be able to shoot them down as they reach their intended target," he said.
"In all of those areas we're working with our friends internationally as well as with industries in the United States to become more effective at that."
Immediate US military support to UAE
"Even as the UAE has come under attack, the United States has moved quickly and swiftly to help an old friend. We brought a destroyer in, a guided-missile destroyer, the USS Cole, which has ballistic missile defence capabilities.
"It will patrol the waters of the UAE, working closely with UAE air defenders to protect their nation," he said.
"Additionally, over the next week or so, we're going to bring in a squadron of F-22 fighter jets, the best air superiority fighters in the world.
"They will also work with their UAE partners to help defend the nation. So, we think this is just one friend helping another in a time of crisis."
Impact of Houthi terrorist designation
Asked about the US government's decision to consider re-designating the Houthis as a terrorist organisation, Lt Gen McKenzie said: "I would leave the questions about designating the Houthis to the diplomats.
"But I would tell you this – the Houthis are behaving in a reckless and irresponsible manner as they attacked the UAE and they have continued to attack the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia."
About the killing of Daesh leader Abu Ibrahim Al Hashimi Al Qurayshi during a US counterterrorism raid in north-west Syria last Wednesday, Lt Gen McKenzie said: "Taking the international leader of ISIS off the table makes it hard for them to co-ordinate their activities across the globe.
And certainly, while regional aspects of ISIS will remain, it will be harder for them to co-ordinate their activities across continents."
But he said ISIS is still a threat in its current form.
"I do not believe it has been done away with," he said.
"I think that threat will be with us for a long time. Our goal of encountering this threat is not to have a bloodless or a nonviolent future, because, tragically, I don't think that's going to be a possible outcome."
Al Qaeda affiliates in Afghanistan
The US is watching the situation Afghanistan very closely, Lt Gen McKenzie said, after the country fell to the Taliban in August.
Of most concern is mostly the ability of Islamic State Khorasan, a regional affiliate, and Al Qaeda to mount attacks against the US and its allies. "That's what we're looking at when we look into Afghanistan. That's the principal concern that we have right now."
Other ways to buy used products in the UAE
UAE insurance firm Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC) last year launched an e-commerce website with a facility enabling users to buy car wrecks.
Bidders and potential buyers register on the online salvage car auction portal to view vehicles, review condition reports, or arrange physical surveys, and then start bidding for motors they plan to restore or harvest for parts.
Physical salvage car auctions are a common method for insurers around the world to move on heavily damaged vehicles, but AWNIC is one of the few UAE insurers to offer such services online.
For cars and less sizeable items such as bicycles and furniture, Dubizzle is arguably the best-known marketplace for pre-loved.
Founded in 2005, in recent years it has been joined by a plethora of Facebook community pages for shifting used goods, including Abu Dhabi Marketplace, Flea Market UAE and Arabian Ranches Souq Market while sites such as The Luxury Closet and Riot deal largely in second-hand fashion.
At the high-end of the pre-used spectrum, resellers such as Timepiece360.ae, WatchBox Middle East and Watches Market Dubai deal in authenticated second-hand luxury timepieces from brands such as Rolex, Hublot and Tag Heuer, with a warranty.
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
SERIE A FIXTURES
Friday Sassuolo v Torino (Kick-off 10.45pm UAE)
Saturday Atalanta v Sampdoria (5pm),
Genoa v Inter Milan (8pm),
Lazio v Bologna (10.45pm)
Sunday Cagliari v Crotone (3.30pm)
Benevento v Napoli (6pm)
Parma v Spezia (6pm)
Fiorentina v Udinese (9pm)
Juventus v Hellas Verona (11.45pm)
Monday AC Milan v AS Roma (11.45pm)
MATCH INFO
Scotland 59 (Tries: Hastings (2), G Horne (3), Turner, Seymour, Barclay, Kinghorn, McInally; Cons: Hastings 8)
Russia 0
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
A Long Way Home by Peter Carey
Faber & Faber
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
