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Yemen's Houthis vowed to prevent Israel-linked ships from passing through the Indian Ocean towards the Cape of Good Hope, the group's leader Abdul Malik Al Houthi has said.
"Our main battle is to prevent ships linked to the Israeli enemy from passing through not only the Arabian Sea, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, but also the Indian Ocean towards the Cape of Good Hope," Mr Al Houthi said in a televised speech.
"This is a major step and we have begun to implement our operations related to it."
Since November, the Iran-aligned group has been attacking ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in what it says is a campaign of solidarity with Palestinians during Israel's war in Gaza.
Mr Al Houthi said about 34 Houthi members have been killed since the group began the attacks, which have been aimed at 73 ships.
Months of Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have disrupted global shipping, forcing companies to re-route to longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa.
They have stoked fears that the Israel-Gaza war could spread to destabilise the wider Middle East.
Houthi rebels disrupt ships in the Red Sea - in pictures
The turmoil from Israel's war with Hamas has spilled over to some extent into other parts of the Middle East.
Apart from the Houthi attacks on vital shipping lanes, Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah group is trading fire with Israel along the Israel-Lebanon border, and pro-Iran Iraqi militias have attacked bases that host US forces.
The US and Britain have launched strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen. The US has redesignated the militia as a terrorist group.
A US State Department representative said it was aware of the reports.
"Houthi threats only put further distance between Yemen and the peace process, which the Yemeni people keenly deserve," the representative said.
They referred to President Joe Biden's State of the Union address, in which he said: “Creating stability in the Middle East also means containing the threat posed by Iran.
"That’s why I built a coalition of more than a dozen countries to defend international shipping and freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.
"I ordered strikes to degrade the Houthi capability and defend US forces in the region.”
A representative for US Central Command said on Wednesday that the Houthis have "targeted all internal shipping, not only those linked to Israel".
"The Houthis remain an ongoing concern for all nations that engaged in maritime commerce in the region," the Centcom representative said.
The group has access to and is provided with weapons and support by Iran, and Washington has not seen that support "lag in any way".
The representative said the US will continue to support regional stabilisation efforts through Operation Prosperity Guardian.
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Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
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Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
'Skin'
Dir: Guy Nattiv
Starring: Jamie Bell, Danielle McDonald, Bill Camp, Vera Farmiga
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
T20 World Cup Qualifier
October 18 – November 2
Opening fixtures
Friday, October 18
ICC Academy: 10am, Scotland v Singapore, 2.10pm, Netherlands v Kenya
Zayed Cricket Stadium: 2.10pm, Hong Kong v Ireland, 7.30pm, Oman v UAE
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Rameez Shahzad, Darius D’Silva, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zawar Farid, Ghulam Shabber, Junaid Siddique, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Waheed Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Zahoor Khan
Players out: Mohammed Naveed, Shaiman Anwar, Qadeer Ahmed
Players in: Junaid Siddique, Darius D’Silva, Waheed Ahmed
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
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