ADEN // Yemeni government loyalists freed coastal areas along the strategic Bab El Mandeb strait from Iranian-backed rebels on Thursday.
The troops, backed by a Saudi Arabia-led coalition, seized Bab El Mandeb and the town of Dhubab in the southern province of Taez near the strait at the entrance to the Red Sea.
Yemeni government spokesperson Rageh Badi told The National that a short military operation by Yemen's army and anti-Houthi resistance fighters expelled the rebels from the area and also freed Mayoon island, situated in the strait.
“The military operation started early this morning with cooperation from the coalition forces”, Mr Badi added.
He said UAE and Saudi Arabian forces took the most active role in supporting Yemeni troops during the battle.
The Bab El Mandeb waterway connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Millions of barrels of oil pass through the strait on cargo ships every day on their way to international markets.
Houthi rebels and allied fighters loyal to Yemen’s former president Ali Abdullah Saleh took over the area earlier this year.
“We managed today to take back Bab El Mandeb and Dhubab with heavy fighting after having received reinforcements from Aden,” said military official Abedrabbo Al Mihwali. Up to 23 rebels and 15 loyalists died in the fighting.
The Saudi Arabia-led coalition, which includes the UAE, intervened in a bid to restore Yemen’s internationally recognised president Abdrabu Mansur Hadi to power. Pro-government fighters along with coalition troops freed the southern port city of Aden from the rebels in July and have since turned their offensive northwards towards the capital Sanaa.
Mr Hadi met with the UAE’s Foreign Minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, at the United Nations General Assembly this week, state news agency Wam reported on Thursday.
Sheikh Abdullah congratulated Mr Hadi on his return to Aden from exile in Saudi Arabia. Aden is currently serving as Yemen’s temporary capital while the rebels are in Sanaa.
Also on Thursday, additional Yemeni military forces went north from Aden towards Taez city to support resistance fighters there against the rebels. The city has been under heavy shelling by the Houthis for weeks.
According to local reports, the rebels that retreated from Bab El Mandeb headed for Taez province’s Al Mocha and Al Wazeya districts. There are currently violent clashes in Al Wazeya between the rebels and resistance fighters. Houthi rebels are reportedly trying to open up a new front in Taez, according to Nasser Al Sakkaf, a journalist based in the province.
Mr Badi said the military and coalition forces will first advance up the coast towards Al Mocha in a bid to free it from the rebels.
Last month, loyalist forces began a major ground offensive in the central Marib province east of the capital.
Meanwhile, the UAE Armed Forces announced on Thursday that one of its soldiers, Ahmed Al Balooshi, died in a German hospital after he was wounded in Yemen.
He had been fighting in Marib, Wam quoted the army as saying.
foreign.desk@thenational.ae
* with additional reporting from Agence France-Presse
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
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The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
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More on Palestine-Israeli relations
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
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Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
