As he sets out priorities for his administration, US President Joe Biden has made it clear that he seeks to dissociate himself entirely from his predecessor Donald Trump.
While Mr Trump left Mr Biden few plans on how to deal with major domestic crises, he did leave behind a smart blueprint for America’s relations in the Arabian Peninsula. Embedded within it was a useful tool for helping to resolve the seemingly intractable conflict in Yemen, which has plagued Yemen and the region for nearly six years.
As a parting shot for the administration, Mike Pompeo, Mr Trump's secretary of state, announced in January that the Houthi rebel group controlling most of Yemen would be formally designated a terrorist organisation by the US. The designation, according to Mr Pompeo, was "intended to hold them accountable for terrorist acts, including cross-border attacks threatening civilian populations". But it was also, he noted, "intended to advance efforts to achieve a peaceful, sovereign and united Yemen that is both free from Iranian interference and at peace with its neighbours".
It is difficult to argue with any of those intentions, or the facts underwriting them. Since overthrowing Yemen's government in 2014, the Houthis have imposed a brutal regime. They have hardened further an already-extremist ideology ("Death to Jews" is a popular Houthi cry) and preached propaganda to the population, glorifying violence and promoting false conspiracy theories, including about coronavirus. The Houthis have conscripted child soldiers into their forces, murdered dissenters and sought to destroy much of Yemen's critical infrastructure. On December 30, the group attacked Aden's airport, injuring one of The National's reporters, among others.
The Houthis have also cultivated a dangerous relationship with Iran, which has supplied them with strategic advice, money and weapons. By entering the Iranian tent, they hope to join a regional network of proxies that subvert peace and promote sectarianism in the name of a supposed revolution. But there is no revolutionary vision – only a naked attempt by Tehran to accrue power for power's sake. It is telling that when the UN's Yemen envoy Martin Griffiths embarked on a diplomatic mission yesterday to seek an end to the Yemen crisis, his plane took him to Tehran.
Houthi supporters chant slogans as they attend a demonstration against the United States over its decision to designate the Houthis a foreign terrorist organization in Sanaa, Yemen. AP Photo
A member of security forces loyal to Yemen's Houthi rebels stands guard as supporters attend a rally denouncing the United States and the Trump administration's decision to apply the "terrorist" designation to the Iran-backed movement. AFP
A Houthi supporter holds his weapon during a demonstration against the United States over its decision to designate the Houthis a foreign terrorist organization in Sanaa, Yemen. AP
Opposers of Yemen's Houthi rebels shout slogans during a rally in support of the United States and the Trump administration's decision to apply the "terrorist" designation to the Iran-backed movement, in Yemen's third city of Taez. AFP
Opposers of Yemen's Houthi rebels shout slogans during a rally in support of the United States and the outgoing Trump administration's decision to apply the "terrorist" designation to the Iran-backed movement, in Yemen's third city of Taez. AFP
Yemenis opposed to the country's Houthi rebels take part in a rally in support of a recent decision by the United States' outgoing administration blacklisting the Houthi group as a "terrorist" organisation in Yemen's third city of Taez. AFP
A joint Saudi-backed Sudanese-Yemeni force removes landmines, which they said were planted by the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels in Yemen's northern coastal town of Midi, in the Hajjah governorate. AFP
The Saudi-backed Sudanese-Yemeni force removes and de-activates landmines in the Hajjah governorate near the border with Saudi Arabia on the Red Sea. AFP
The force collected some 5,000 landmines. AFP
A shot shows landmines collected by the Sudanese-Yemeni force. AFP
An expAFP
The Houthis have conscripted child soldiers
Designating the Houthis terrorists seemed, at the very least, an exercise in stating the obvious. But it also provided the Biden administration with leverage to use in the much-needed peace negotiations that will prove the only way to solve Yemen’s crisis. Last week, however, Mr Biden reversed Mr Pompeo’s move, under pressure from critics in Washington who feared that the designation, which sanctioned entities that deal with the Houthis, would obstruct the flow of aid to the Yemeni people. This is despite the fact that the work of relief agencies have been affected by the actions of the Houthis, who have taxed aid and extorted aid workers, in addition to occasionally blocking their activities altogether.
The war in Yemen has come at a significant humanitarian cost. The UAE withdrew its own forces last October and has continued to push for diplomatic solutions since. But the foremost obstacle to these solutions is the Houthis – who have enthusiastically exploited the humanitarian disaster and the presence of UN agencies for their own profit.
The consolation is that as Mr Biden cast aside one valuable tool, he replaced it with another. He has chosen for his Yemen envoy Timothy Lenderking, a foreign policy veteran with strong relationships with Gulf allies and a deep knowledge of Yemen. These are excellent qualities of which Mr Lenderking can avail himself as he works in the service of peace. But with the Houthis only digging in and Washington’s leverage fading, he will need also need some luck.
England's all-time record goalscorers:
Wayne Rooney 53
Bobby Charlton 49
Gary Lineker 48
Jimmy Greaves 44
Michael Owen 40
Tom Finney 30
Nat Lofthouse 30
Alan Shearer 30
Viv Woodward 29
Frank Lampard 29
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Final scores
18 under: Tyrrell Hatton (ENG)
- 14: Jason Scrivener (AUS)
-13: Rory McIlroy (NIR)
-12: Rafa Cabrera Bello (ESP)
-11: David Lipsky (USA), Marc Warren (SCO)
-10: Tommy Fleetwood (ENG), Chris Paisley (ENG), Matt Wallace (ENG), Fabrizio Zanotti (PAR)
Innotech Profile
Date started: 2013
Founder/CEO: Othman Al Mandhari
Based: Muscat, Oman
Sector: Additive manufacturing, 3D printing technologies
Size: 15 full-time employees
Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financing
Investors: Oman Technology Fund from 2017 to 2019, exited through an agreement with a new investor to secure new funding that it under negotiation right now.
How has net migration to UK changed?
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
Pox that threatens the Middle East's native species
Camelpox
Caused by a virus related to the one that causes human smallpox, camelpox typically causes fever, swelling of lymph nodes and skin lesions in camels aged over three, but the animal usually recovers after a month or so. Younger animals may develop a more acute form that causes internal lesions and diarrhoea, and is often fatal, especially when secondary infections result. It is found across the Middle East as well as in parts of Asia, Africa, Russia and India.
Falconpox
Falconpox can cause a variety of types of lesions, which can affect, for example, the eyelids, feet and the areas above and below the beak. It is a problem among captive falcons and is one of many types of avian pox or avipox diseases that together affect dozens of bird species across the world. Among the other forms are pigeonpox, turkeypox, starlingpox and canarypox. Avipox viruses are spread by mosquitoes and direct bird-to-bird contact.
Houbarapox
Houbarapox is, like falconpox, one of the many forms of avipox diseases. It exists in various forms, with a type that causes skin lesions being least likely to result in death. Other forms cause more severe lesions, including internal lesions, and are more likely to kill the bird, often because secondary infections develop. This summer the CVRL reported an outbreak of pox in houbaras after rains in spring led to an increase in mosquito numbers.
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Create and maintain a strong bond between yourself and your child, through sensitivity, responsiveness, touch, talk and play. “The bond you have with your kids is the blueprint for the relationships they will have later on in life,” says Dr Sarah Rasmi, a psychologist.
Set a good example. Practise what you preach, so if you want to raise kind children, they need to see you being kind and hear you explaining to them what kindness is. So, “narrate your behaviour”.
Praise the positive rather than focusing on the negative. Catch them when they’re being good and acknowledge it.
Show empathy towards your child’s needs as well as your own. Take care of yourself so that you can be calm, loving and respectful, rather than angry and frustrated.
Be open to communication, goal-setting and problem-solving, says Dr Thoraiya Kanafani. “It is important to recognise that there is a fine line between positive parenting and becoming parents who overanalyse their children and provide more emotional context than what is in the child’s emotional development to understand.”
UAE team
1. Chris Jones-Griffiths 2. Gio Fourie 3. Craig Nutt 4. Daniel Perry 5. Isaac Porter 6. Matt Mills 7. Hamish Anderson 8. Jaen Botes 9. Barry Dwyer 10. Luke Stevenson (captain) 11. Sean Carey 12. Andrew Powell 13. Saki Naisau 14. Thinus Steyn 15. Matt Richards
Replacements
16. Lukas Waddington 17. Murray Reason 18. Ahmed Moosa 19. Stephen Ferguson 20. Sean Stevens 21. Ed Armitage 22. Kini Natuna 23. Majid Al Balooshi
Nickname: Mama Nadia to children, staff and parents
Education: Bachelors degree in English Literature with Social work from UAE University
As a child: Kept sweets on the window sill for workers, set aside money to pay for education of needy families
Holidays: Spends most of her days off at Senses often with her family who describe the centre as part of their life too
Coming soon
Torno Subito by Massimo Bottura
When the W Dubai – The Palm hotel opens at the end of this year, one of the highlights will be Massimo Bottura’s new restaurant, Torno Subito, which promises “to take guests on a journey back to 1960s Italy”. It is the three Michelinstarred chef’s first venture in Dubai and should be every bit as ambitious as you would expect from the man whose restaurant in Italy, Osteria Francescana, was crowned number one in this year’s list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Akira Back Dubai
Another exciting opening at the W Dubai – The Palm hotel is South Korean chef Akira Back’s new restaurant, which will continue to showcase some of the finest Asian food in the world. Back, whose Seoul restaurant, Dosa, won a Michelin star last year, describes his menu as, “an innovative Japanese cuisine prepared with a Korean accent”.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
The highly experimental chef, whose dishes are as much about spectacle as taste, opens his first restaurant in Dubai next year. Housed at The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will feature contemporary twists on recipes that date back to the 1300s, including goats’ milk cheesecake. Always remember with a Blumenthal dish: nothing is quite as it seems.
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final:
First leg: Liverpool 5 Roma 2
Second leg: Wednesday, May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Bitcoin is the most popular virtual currency in the world. It was created in 2009 as a new way of paying for things that would not be subject to central banks that are capable of devaluing currency. A Bitcoin itself is essentially a line of computer code. It's signed digitally when it goes from one owner to another. There are sustainability concerns around the cryptocurrency, which stem from the process of "mining" that is central to its existence.
The "miners" use computers to make complex calculations that verify transactions in Bitcoin. This uses a tremendous amount of energy via computers and server farms all over the world, which has given rise to concerns about the amount of fossil fuel-dependent electricity used to power the computers.
UAE central contracts
Full time contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ahmed Raza, Mohammed Usman, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Sultan Ahmed, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmed, Zawar Farid
Mazen Abukhater, principal and actuary at global consultancy Mercer, Middle East, says the company’s Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index - which benchmarks 34 pension schemes across the globe to assess their adequacy, sustainability and integrity - included Saudi Arabia for the first time this year to offer a glimpse into the region.
The index highlighted fundamental issues for all 34 countries, such as a rapid ageing population and a low growth / low interest environment putting pressure on expected returns. It also highlighted the increasing popularity around the world of defined contribution schemes.
“Average life expectancy has been increasing by about three years every 10 years. Someone born in 1947 is expected to live until 85 whereas someone born in 2007 is expected to live to 103,” Mr Abukhater told the Mena Pensions Conference.
“Are our systems equipped to handle these kind of life expectancies in the future? If so many people retire at 60, they are going to be in retirement for 43 years – so we need to adapt our retirement age to our changing life expectancy.”
Saudi Arabia came in the middle of Mercer’s ranking with a score of 58.9. The report said the country's index could be raised by improving the minimum level of support for the poorest aged individuals and increasing the labour force participation rate at older ages as life expectancies rise.
Mr Abukhater said the challenges of an ageing population, increased life expectancy and some individuals relying solely on their government for financial support in their retirement years will put the system under strain.
“To relieve that pressure, governments need to consider whether it is time to switch to a defined contribution scheme so that individuals can supplement their own future with the help of government support,” he said.
