Britain is considering cutting in half the number of minehunters that it deploys to the Gulf, in a move that could drive a wedge between the country and America, and would be interpreted as another indication of the nation’s shrinking global ambitions.
According to a report in The Sunday Times, the Navy's top brass is thinking about slashing two of the forces’s four minehunters that are currently on permanent deployment in the Gulf.
“The Americans will not be happy,” one navy source told the newspaper. “The US relies on UK minehunting expertise in the Gulf — it’s important in order to counteract any Iranian attempts to shut off the Strait of Hormuz.
“It will be a capability gap for the US in the Middle East to lose half the British minehunting force.”
The Strait of Hormuz is the world’s most important choke point for oil supplies, with around 15 million barrels of crude oil passing through it on a typical day. A fifth of the world's oil supply travels through the Strait. Iran threatened to close the strait in 2011 in response to sanctions.
The navy has already lost two of its 15 minehunters — HMS Atherstone and HMS Quorn — earlier this year in cost-cutting measures.
“Minehunting by the Royal Navy has been long known as one of the niche capabilities Britain fields that is most valued by the American military,” Justin Bronk of the Royal United Services Institute think tank told the newspaper. “A 50% cut in that capability in the Gulf as President Trump is ratcheting up tensions with Iran will certainly not be appreciated by the US military.”
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Explained
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
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The specs: 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor
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Engine 3.5L V6
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Torque 678Nm @ 3,750rpm
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UAE fixtures Mon Nov 20, v China; Tue Nov 21, v Thailand; Thu Nov 23, v Nepal; Fri Nov 24, v Hong Kong; Sun Nov 26, v Malaysia; Mon Nov 27, Final
(The winners will progress to the Global Qualifier)
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh12 million
Engine 8.0-litre quad-turbo, W16
Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch auto
Power 1479 @ 6,700rpm
Torque 1600Nm @ 2,000rpm 0-100kph: 2.6 seconds 0-200kph: 6.1 seconds
Top speed 420 kph (governed)
Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)
Match info
Liverpool 4
Salah (19'), Mane (45 2', 53'), Sturridge (87')
West Ham United 0
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
COMPANY PROFILE
The Laughing Apple
Yusuf/Cat Stevens
(Verve Decca Crossover)
The biog:
From: Wimbledon, London, UK
Education: Medical doctor
Hobbies: Travelling, meeting new people and cultures
Favourite animals: All of them
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Racecard
6pm: Mina Hamriya – Handicap (TB) $75,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
6.35pm: Al Wasl Stakes – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (Turf) 1,200m
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8.20pm: Nad Al Sheba Trophy – Group 3 (TB) $200,000 (T) 2,810m
8.55pm: Mina Rashid – Handicap (TB) $80,000 (T) 1,600m
Origin
Dan Brown
Doubleday
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
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Rating: 3/5
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Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
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Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Results
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The Word for Woman is Wilderness
Abi Andrews, Serpent’s Tail
Voy!%20Voy!%20Voy!
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
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UAE%20SQUAD
The%20specs
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh1,100,000 (est)
Engine 5.2-litre V10
Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch
Power 630bhp @ 8,000rpm
Torque 600Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined 15.7L / 100km (est)
Film: Raid
Dir: Rajkumar Gupta
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Ileana D'cruz and Saurabh Shukla
Verdict: Three stars
ANDROID%20VERSION%20NAMES%2C%20IN%20ORDER
Brief scores:
Toss: Sindhis, elected to field first
Kerala Knights 103-7 (10 ov)
Parnell 59 not out; Tambe 5-15
Sindhis 104-1 (7.4 ov)
Watson 50 not out, Devcich 49
'The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window'
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Stars:Kristen Bell
Rating: 1/5