Honour guards carry the coffins of Houthi fighters during a funeral in Sanaa, Yemen, September 25, 2021. Reuters
Honour guards carry the coffins of Houthi fighters during a funeral in Sanaa, Yemen, September 25, 2021. Reuters
Honour guards carry the coffins of Houthi fighters during a funeral in Sanaa, Yemen, September 25, 2021. Reuters
Honour guards carry the coffins of Houthi fighters during a funeral in Sanaa, Yemen, September 25, 2021. Reuters

Gulf

Fifty killed in Yemen's Marib, military sources say

Clashes intensify in Yemeni government's last stronghold

The National

September 26, 2021

  • English
  • Arabic

At least 50 Houthi rebels and pro-government troops have been killed as fighting intensifies for Yemen's key city of Marib, military sources said on Sunday.

“In the past 48 hours, 43 Houthi fighters were killed mostly in coalition air strikes” west of Marib, a military source told AFP, while another source said at least seven loyalists died in fighting.

About 400 deaths have been reported during clashes in Marib this month, after a lull in fighting in the region.

The Houthis rarely report casualty numbers, but figures were confirmed by medical sources.

According to the military sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the Houthis have made advances and seized four districts — one in Marib and three in Shabwa.

“Three districts in Shabwa have fallen in limited clashes and within hours,” one official told AFP.

Hundreds of people have died this month alone after the Iran-backed rebels renewed their assault on Marib, the government's last stronghold in the oil-rich north.

Control of the oil-rich region would strengthen the Houthis' bargaining position in peace talks.

  • Fighters loyal to Yemen's Saudi-backed government take position during their fight against Houthi militiamen in the northeastern province of Marib. EPA
    Fighters loyal to Yemen's Saudi-backed government take position during their fight against Houthi militiamen in the northeastern province of Marib. EPA
  • A fighter loyal to Yemen's Saudi-backed government takes position during the fight against Houthi militiamen in the northeastern province of Marib. EPA
    A fighter loyal to Yemen's Saudi-backed government takes position during the fight against Houthi militiamen in the northeastern province of Marib. EPA
  • Fighters loyal to Yemen's Saudi-backed government take position during their fight against Houthi militiamen in the northeastern province of Marib. EPA
    Fighters loyal to Yemen's Saudi-backed government take position during their fight against Houthi militiamen in the northeastern province of Marib. EPA
  • A fighter loyal to Yemen's Saudi-backed government takes position during the fight against Houthi militiamen in the northeastern province of Marib. EPA
    A fighter loyal to Yemen's Saudi-backed government takes position during the fight against Houthi militiamen in the northeastern province of Marib. EPA
  • A fighter loyal to Yemen's Saudi-backed government takes position during the fight against Houthi militiamen in the northeastern province of Marib. EPA
    A fighter loyal to Yemen's Saudi-backed government takes position during the fight against Houthi militiamen in the northeastern province of Marib. EPA
  • A fighter loyal to Yemen's Saudi-backed government takes position during the fight against Houthi militiamen in the northeastern province of Marib. EPA
    A fighter loyal to Yemen's Saudi-backed government takes position during the fight against Houthi militiamen in the northeastern province of Marib. EPA
  • A fighter loyal to Yemen's Saudi-backed government takes position during the fight against Houthi militiamen in the northeastern province of Marib. EPA
    A fighter loyal to Yemen's Saudi-backed government takes position during the fight against Houthi militiamen in the northeastern province of Marib. EPA
  • Armed Houthi supporters stand beneath posters depicting Houthi fighters who were allegedly killed in the Marib offensive, during their funeral outside a mosque in Sana'a. EPA
    Armed Houthi supporters stand beneath posters depicting Houthi fighters who were allegedly killed in the Marib offensive, during their funeral outside a mosque in Sana'a. EPA
  • An armed Houthi supporter walks past posters depicting Houthi fighters who were allegedly killed in the Marib offensive, during their funeral outside a mosque in Sana'a. EPA
    An armed Houthi supporter walks past posters depicting Houthi fighters who were allegedly killed in the Marib offensive, during their funeral outside a mosque in Sana'a. EPA
  • Houthi supporters leave their weapons on the floor as they attend a funeral service of Houthi fighters who were allegedly killed in the Marib offensive, at a mosque in Sana'a. EPA
    Houthi supporters leave their weapons on the floor as they attend a funeral service of Houthi fighters who were allegedly killed in the Marib offensive, at a mosque in Sana'a. EPA
  • Pro-Houthi forces attend the funeral service of Houthi fighters who were allegedly killed in the Marib offensive, during a funeral service at a mosque in Sana'a. EPA
    Pro-Houthi forces attend the funeral service of Houthi fighters who were allegedly killed in the Marib offensive, during a funeral service at a mosque in Sana'a. EPA

In related news, the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis on Saturday destroyed a ballistic weapon fired in the direction of the Saudi city of Najran, state TV reported.

The Saudi-led military coalition intervened in Yemen in 2015, backing forces of the ousted government of President Abdrabu Mansur Hadi against the Iran-aligned Houthis.

The Houthis initially escalated their efforts to seize Marib in February, hoping to seize control of the region's oil resources.

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Squid Game season two

Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk 

Stars:  Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun

Rating: 4.5/5

FFP EXPLAINED

What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.

What the rules dictate? 
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.

What are the penalties? 
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.

Results:

5pm: Maiden (PA) | Dh80,000 | 1,200 metres

Winner: Jabalini, Szczepan Mazur (jockey), Younis Kalbani (trainer)

5.30pm: UAE Arabian Derby (PA) | Prestige | Dh150,000 | 2,200m

Winner: Octave, Gerald Avranche, Abdallah Al Hammadi

6pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round 3 (PA) | Group 3 Dh300,000 | 2,200m

Winner: Harrab, Richard Mullen, Mohamed Ali

6.30pm: Emirates Championship (PA) | Group 1 | Dh1million | 2,200m

Winner: BF Mughader, Szczepan Mazur, Younis Al Kalbani

7pm: Abu Dhabi Championship (TB) | Group 3 | Dh380,000 | 2,200m

Winner: GM Hopkins, Patrick Cosgrave, Jaber Ramadhan

7.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) | Conditions | Dh70,000 | 1,600m

Winner: AF La’Asae, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel

What can you do?

Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses

Seek professional advice from a legal expert

You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor

You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline

In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support

MATCH INFO

Jersey 147 (20 overs) 

UAE 112 (19.2 overs)

Jersey win by 35 runs

On Women's Day
While you're here
Who was Alfred Nobel?

The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.

  • In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
  • Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
  • Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
While you're here
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

Cricket World Cup League 2

UAE squad

Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind

Fixtures

Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE

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
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 

Unresolved crisis

Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a bitter conflict since 2014, when Ukraine’s Kremlin-friendly president was ousted, Moscow annexed Crimea and then backed a separatist insurgency in the east.

Fighting between the Russia-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces has killed more than 14,000 people. In 2015, France and Germany helped broker a peace deal, known as the Minsk agreements, that ended large-scale hostilities but failed to bring a political settlement of the conflict.

The Kremlin has repeatedly accused Kiev of sabotaging the deal, and Ukrainian officials in recent weeks said that implementing it in full would hurt Ukraine.

Updated: September 26, 2021, 9:53 AM
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