Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza
The British government is reportedly considering air strikes on Houthi rebels after the US said its navy sank three boats that had been pursuing a container ship in the Red Sea.
The government would not hesitate to take “direct action” to prevent further attacks, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said on Sunday amid reports the UK and US are preparing a joint statement to issue a warning to the Yemeni group.
Writing in the Telegraph newspaper, Mr Shapps said the UK “won’t hesitate to take further action to deter threats to freedom of navigation in the Red Sea”.
“The Houthis should be under no misunderstanding: We are committed to holding malign actors accountable for unlawful seizures and attacks,” he said.
The Sun and the Telegraph have reported the UK is weighing up the possibility of an armed response as the Iran-backed Houthis claim attacks on ships in the Red Sea that they say are either linked to Israel or heading to Israeli ports.
The Iran-backed Houthi militia has been launching rockets at cargo ships in the Red Sea from Yemen since November, which it claims is in response to the Israeli bombardment of Gaza.
Mr Shapps said he spoke with his US counterpart Lloyd Austin on Saturday after a container ship was struck in the Red Sea.
“Between November and December there's been a 500 per cent increase in Houthi attacks on international shipping in and around the Red Sea,” Mr Shapps said on Sunday.
“This is unacceptable as it damages world trade by illegally blocking freedom of navigation at sea. These attacks must therefore stop,” he wrote on social media.
UK Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron said he had spoken to Iran’s Foreign Minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian, on Sunday.
“I made clear that Iran shares responsibility for preventing these attacks given their long-standing support to the Houthis,” he said in a post on X.
Mr Austin’s office described the attacks as “profoundly destabilising to the international rules-based order,” after his call with Mr Shapps on Saturday.
“These attacks violate freedom of navigation protected by international law, and threaten citizens of multiple countries,” it added.
“The ongoing impact of these attacks on global commerce is jeopardising the movement of critical food, fuel, and humanitarian assistance throughout the world.”
Mr Austin called for “collective action” against the attacks. “These attacks constitute a significant international problem that demands collective action.”
A US destroyer shot down two anti-ship ballistic missiles fired from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen on Saturday as it responded to a distress call from a container ship that was hit in a separate strike, the military said.
On Sunday, the US military claimed to have shot down two anti-ballistic missiles that were fired from Houthi-controlled areas towards two other ships. It claimed to have sunk three of the four Houthi small boats that attacked the container ship.
After the Houthis fired on the US helicopters, they “returned fire in self-defence, sinking three of the four small boats, and killing the crews. The fourth boat fled the area,” the US Central Command said.
Fixtures
50-over match
UAE v Lancashire, starts at 10am
Champion County match
MCC v Surrey, four-day match, starting on Sunday, March 24, play starts at 10am
Both matches are at ICC Academy, Dubai Sports City. Admission is free.
What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
The Details
Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5
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
Analysis
Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
Step by step
2070km to run
38 days
273,600 calories consumed
28kg of fruit
40kg of vegetables
45 pairs of running shoes
1 yoga matt
1 oxygen chamber
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
