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President Joe Biden received rare praise from Republican leadership after he authorised strikes against Houthi military targets in Yemen, although members of his own Democratic Party condemned the decision as unlawful.
US and UK forces carried out more than a dozen strikes on sites held by the Yemeni rebel group overnight, with Mr Biden saying they were in response to Houthi attacks against ships in the Red Sea.
The US, UK and other nations said the strikes in Yemen were intended to “disrupt and degrade” Houthi capabilities to threaten global trade.
The Houthis, who are allied to Palestinian militant group Hamas, have said their attacks on Red Sea shipping are in response to Israel's ongoing siege of Gaza.
The Biden-authorised strikes were the latest escalatory moment in the Israel-Gaza war that threatens to spill over into the region.
The reaction to the strikes in Congress has been split, with some praising Mr Biden's intervention while others say the action was unlawful.
Most Republicans lauded Mr Biden's actions and said the strikes were “overdue”.
“We must hope these operations indicate a true shift in the Biden administration’s approach to Iran and its proxies that are engaging in such evil and wreaking such havoc,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a statement.
In a separate statement, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said: “To restore deterrence and change Iran’s calculus, Iranian leaders themselves must believe that they will pay a meaningful price unless they abandon their worldwide campaign of terror.”
“It's about time that we struck back,” House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Michael McCaul told Fox News.
Ben Cardin, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released a statement in support of Mr Biden's decision and said he looks forward to continue consulting with the White House, “as required by law”. He also encouraged Mr Biden in his efforts to prevent the conflict from spreading.
Progressives say strikes violated US Constitution
Progressive Democrats, however, have said his actions were unlawful.
US Representative Pramila Jayapal, who leads the influential Progressive Caucus, called the decision “an unacceptable violation of the Constitution”.
Representatives Ro Khanna, Cori Bush and others also made various statements arguing the action violated Article 1 of the Constitution.
The much-debated Article 1 states Congress has the “power … to declare war”.
It also says that “no state shall, without the consent of Congress … enter into any agreement or compact with another state, or with a foreign power, or engage in war, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent danger as will not admit of delay”.
Calling the strike a breach of the Constitution, Mr Khanna posted on X saying: “The President needs to come to Congress before launching a strike against the Houthis in Yemen and involving us in another middle east conflict.”
Republican Senator Mike Lee agreed with Mr Khanna.
“The Constitution matters, regardless of party affiliation,” he said in a post on X.
The overnight strikes were not the first time a US president has carried out military action without congressional approval, leading to questions over whether such moves protect the US or not.
Mr Biden previously circumvented congressional approval last year when he directed the Defence Department to conduct air strikes in eastern Syria in response to a deadly Iranian drone strike.
Similarly, his two predecessors launched attacks without authorisation from Congress.
Donald Trump faced similar questions after he authorised the 2020 assassination of Iran's Maj Gen Qassem Suleimani. Mr Trump justified the attack by citing the 2002 Authorisation for the Use of Military Force (AUMF), as well as his authority to defer US national security.
And in authorising an air strike against Libya in 2011, Barack Obama said such military action was in the national interest.
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)
The view from The National
U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES
UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)
Saturday 15 January: v Canada
Thursday 20 January: v England
Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh
UAE squad
Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly, Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya Shetty, Kai Smith
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
A new relationship with the old country
Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates
The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.
ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.
ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.
DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.
Signed
Geoffrey Arthur Sheikh Zayed
Mina Cup winners
Under 12 – Minerva Academy
Under 14 – Unam Pumas
Under 16 – Fursan Hispania
Under 18 – Madenat
Sinopharm vaccine explained
The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades.
“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.
"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."
This is then injected into the body.
"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.
"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."
The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.
Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.
“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.
Scorecard
Scotland 220
K Coetzer 95, J Siddique 3-49, R Mustafa 3-35
UAE 224-3 in 43,5 overs
C Suri 67, B Hameed 63 not out
Hotel Silence
Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir
Pushkin Press
