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The EU must ready itself for a long-term, dangerous mission in the Red Sea as Houthi attacks resulted this week in the first fatalities of their months-long campaign of harassment of ships travelling through one of the world's busiest trade lanes, experts told The National.
“This is the most dangerous naval operation undertaken by the EU so far,” said Alessandro Marrone, defence programme director at Italian think tank Istituto Affari Internazionali.
The death on Wednesday of three sailors – two Filipinos and one Vietnamese – aboard the Barbados-flagged, Greek-operated True Confidence was a “tragedy that was unfortunately likely to happen”, said Mr Marrone.
Named Aspides, “shields” in Ancient Greek, the EU's defensive naval mission in the Red Sea was deployed almost three weeks ago with a one-year renewable mandate.
French, German, Greek, Spanish and Italian warships are currently in the area. A Belgian frigate is reportedly expected to depart Zeebrugge port on Sunday to join Aspides.
European warships have destroyed Houthi drones on a number of occasions, in some cases before the formal launch of the mission.
The Red Sea area is becoming increasingly crowded, however, and there are increasing risks of potential incidents of friendly fire. On January 28, a German warship mistakenly fired at a US drone.
Also present in the maritime region is a US-led defensive mission called Prosperity Guardian, which includes up to eight frigates, and at least a dozen Indian warships east of the Red Sea deployed to fight piracy.
The Indian navy has been assisting stricken ships and evacuated the surviving 20 True Confidence crew members this week. Four suffered serious burns.
The incident signalled the increasing risks associated with sailing through the Red Sea after the Rubymar cargo ship sank on February 18, days after being hit by a Houthi missile off the coast of Yemen.
An anchor dragging from the Rubymar was probably the cause of the damage to undersea communication cables on Tuesday, said the US government. The damage affected 25 per cent of the data flow through the Red Sea.
The Houthi attacks, which started shortly after the start of the Gaza war in October, have caused insurance costs to soar and forced some vessels to take a detour around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa.
“Increased costs have so far been absorbed by the market but they have the potential to create disruption,” said Chitrapu Uday Bhaskar, a retired Indian naval officer and director of New Delhi-based think tank the Society for Policy Studies.
“These non-state attacks pose a really complex challenge for navies around the world and merchant shipping in general.”
Military naval deployments are about “maintaining a presence and sending a signal that major powers aren’t going to allow this disruption to go beyond a certain point”.
The rapid international deployment following the Houthi attacks may have contributed to keeping the economic impact under control, said Mr Marrone. Yet he also said the awareness of the new risk undertaken by European navies is currently quite low in the continent's capitals.
Mr Marrone estimated the total number of European personnel deployed between headquarters in Larissa, Greece, and at sea at about 1,000.
“The risk is relatively low because warships are well equipped. But it's not a zero risk. It's a conflict against quasi-state actors,” he added.
More needs to be done for greater co-ordination between partners to avoid a repeat of the January 28 German-US incident.
“There is a high risk of friendly fire because each mission has a different chain of command,” said Mr Marrone.
Speaking on Friday at the launch of a Cyprus-headed maritime aid operation for Gaza, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that she was in regular contact with Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and King Abdallah II of Jordan.
“The situation in the Red Sea is particularly concerning with maritime security deteriorating day after day and critical infrastructure damaged due to repeated Houthi attacks,” said Ms von der Leyen.
Navies deployed in the Red Sea must be ready for a “long-term commitment”, said Mr Marrone.
“Even if the war in Gaza will decrease in intensity, there will still be tensions,” he said, pointing to the Houthis links to Iran.
“This is more than short-term crisis management,” he said.
“Europeans will need to foresee rotational warships and rotational troops to make sure they have stocks of naval ammunition – missiles, torpedo, artillery shells. That entails a certain political and military effort.”
A representative for the EU External Action Service did not answer questions about how long Aspides is expected to last or the total number of its personnel.
“Any decision is then taken by unanimity of all member states,” the representative said.
“The member states are also equipping the mission based on their decision and capacities in line with the mandate and the needs of the mission.”
The biogs
Name: Zinah Madi
Occupation: Co-founder of Dots and links
Nationality: Syrian
Family: Married, Mother of Tala, 18, Sharif, 14, Kareem, 2
Favourite Quote: “There is only one way to succeed in anything, and that is to give it everything.”
Name: Razan Nabulsi
Occupation: Co-founder of Dots and Links
Nationality: Jordanian
Family: Married, Mother of Yahya, 3.5
Favourite Quote: A Chinese proverb that says: “Be not afraid of moving slowly, be afraid only of standing still.”
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
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
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In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
England-South Africa Test series
1st Test England win by 211 runs at Lord's, London
2nd Test South Africa win by 340 runs at Trent Bridge, Nottingham
3rd Test July 27-31 at The Oval, London
4th Test August 4-8 at Old Trafford, Manchester
Profile of Whizkey
Date founded: 04 November 2017
Founders: Abdulaziz AlBlooshi and Harsh Hirani
Based: Dubai, UAE
Number of employees: 10
Sector: AI, software
Cashflow: Dh2.5 Million
Funding stage: Series A
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
UAE Team Emirates
Valerio Conti (ITA)
Alessandro Covi (ITA)
Joe Dombrowski (USA)
Davide Formolo (ITA)
Fernando Gaviria (COL)
Sebastian Molano (COL)
Maximiliano Richeze (ARG)
Diego Ulissi (ITAS)
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg
Real Madrid (2) v Bayern Munich (1)
Where: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
When: 10.45pm, Tuesday
Watch Live: beIN Sports HD
Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
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: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
PRIMERA LIGA FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Saturday
Atletico Madrid v Sevilla (3pm)
Alaves v Real Madrid (6.15pm)
Malaga v Athletic Bilbao (8.30pm)
Girona v Barcelona (10.45pm)
Sunday
Espanyol v Deportivo la Coruna (2pm)
Getafe v Villarreal (6.15pm)
Eibar v Celta Vigo (8.30pm)
Las Palmas v Leganes (8.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Valencia (10.45pm)
Monday
Real Betis v Levante (11.pm)
What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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