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The attack on the Yemeni capital comes as Houthis continue to fire rockets at Israel
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Middle East Eye
an hour ago
- Middle East Eye
Rights group files legal challenge to remove Hamas from UK terror list
A British rights group has filed a second legal application calling on the UK government to remove the Palestinian militant group Hamas from a list of proscribed terrorist organisations. Cage International said on Tuesday it had instructed lawyers to appeal the decision in 2021 by former UK Home Secretary Priti Patel to proscribe Hamas in its entirety. The proscription of Hamas predates its current war with Israel in Gaza, where the group has been the de facto authority since winning Palestinian elections in 2006, and the Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel in October 2023. Hamas' military wing, the Qassam Brigades, was proscribed by the UK more than two decades ago. But Patel decided to extend the ban to the whole organisation, arguing there was no longer a distinction between the political and military wings of the group. Proscribing a group as a terrorist organisation automatically creates several criminal offences for anyone who is a group member, who wears or publishes the group's symbols, expresses or invites support for the group, or organises a meeting to support it. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Section 4 of the UK Terrorism Act allows any person affected by an organisation's proscription to apply to the home secretary for its de-proscription. Cage, an advocacy group that campaigns on behalf of people affected by counterterrorism policies, is using this clause to lodge its application over concerns its clients, who are mostly British Muslims, have been disproportionately targeted in an "unjust, politically charged manner" as a consequence of Hamas being added to the list of banned organisations. As part of its submission, Cage included 26 case studies involving clients who, it says, have been adversely impacted by the proscription of Hamas. These cases span a wide range of public and professional settings and highlight what the group describes as the overreach of counterterror legislation. The case studies include university students and a lecturer investigated and sanctioned for re-sharing publicly available media headlines related to Hamas. According to Cage, some of its clients also faced the threat of expulsion, visa revocation, or extended disciplinary procedures for allegedly supporting Hamas. The Home Office did not respond to Middle East Eye's request for comment at the time of writing. Muhammad Rabbani, managing director of Cage, said the de-proscription of Hamas is "about reckoning with a political and diplomatic reality in addition to remedying the discriminatory application and abuse of power". "Our case studies show a consistent pattern of arrests and harassment with unsuccessful prosecution, that left victims with lasting damage," Rabbani told Middle East Eye. "Ultimately, the continued proscription of Hamas is violating long-established freedoms enshrined in British law." Why I support the UK taking a more nuanced position on Hamas Read More » Cage's application comes months after Hamas launched its own appeal against its proscription in the UK. Legal papers seen by MEE revealed that Mousa Abu Marzouk, the head of Hamas' foreign relations office, had instructed lawyers to take up the case. Fahad Ansari, the director of Riverway Law, which is leading the challenge; Daniel Grutters, a barrister at One Pump Court Chambers; and Franck Magennis, a barrister at Garden Court Chambers, submitted a 106-page application to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper claiming the decision "pursued explicitly political objectives by a politically compromised Secretary of State". The lawyers involved in the case stressed that Hamas did not pay them or the experts and lawyers who provided evidence for its submission, as it is illegal to receive funds from a group designated as a terrorist organisation. The home secretary has 90 days to respond to Hamas and Cage's applications. As part of her powers as home secretary, Cooper also has the discretion to add or remove any group engaged in armed conflict from the list of proscribed organisations. If the home secretary rejects the application, Hamas could appeal to the Proscribed Organisations Appeal Commission, where the decision can be challenged on judicial review grounds.
Khaleej Times
an hour ago
- Khaleej Times
UK to sanction Israel ministers Ben-Gvir and Smotrich, Times reports
Britain and other international allies are set to formally sanction two far-right Israeli ministers, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, in response to the war in Gaza, the Times reported on Tuesday.
The National
an hour ago
- The National
First recorded sighting of fish species in Abu Dhabi hailed as 'biodiversity milestone'
Abu Dhabi environment chiefs have hailed the first recorded sighting of a white-spotted grouper fish in the emirate's waters as a 'major biodiversity milestone'. The Environment Agency Abu Dhabi captured the species on camera in September. The fish is not considered critically endangered globally but its presence in Abu Dhabi waters is rare and was previously undocumented. It is now registered on the international FishBase database, a global biodiversity information system, with Abu Dhabi as a recorded location, marking a first for the region. 'The first recorded presence of the white-spotted grouper (Epinephelus coeruleopunctatus) is a major biodiversity milestone,' the EAD told The National on Tuesday. 'It indicates either improved habitat conditions or previously unrecorded distribution, both of which are valuable indicators of ecosystem resilience and monitoring effectiveness. 'This is the first confirmed record in the emirate, making it an important new addition to the UAE's marine species inventory.' Groupers are a diverse group of fish and often loosely referred to in the Middle East as hammour. The white-spotted grouper can be found across the Indo Pacific region. It is generally found in rocky areas, or near where coral is growing in chiefly shallow waters. It can grow up to more than 70cm. The sighting is not the only boost for Abu Dhabi's waters over the past few months. The EAD also said 55 nuaimi fish, a species rarely sighted in recent years, were also landed in the emirate's waters recently. Crucial discovery 'This is very significant as the landing of 55 nuaimi fish (Pinjalo Pinjalo) a species previously seen in very low numbers, suggests that fish populations are beginning to recover in healthier marine environments.' Additional sightings have also been made recently of rare species such as the large-scaled triggerfish and the spotted oceanic triggerfish. The sightings came as the EAD also reported an increase in the 'sustainable fisheries index', which measures how healthy fish populations are and how well fishing practices are helping them stay that way. It reached 97.4 per cent by the end of last year – up from just 8.9 per cent in 2018. The EAD said this means nearly all of the 'assessed fish stocks in Abu Dhabi are now being fished at sustainable levels'. 'In other words, they are no longer being overfished and have a good chance to recover naturally,' the EAD said. 'This is a major improvement from 2018, when only 8.9 per cent of stocks were within safe limits.' The development comes as Abu Dhabi continues its efforts to bolster sustainability of the emirate's seas and indicate healthier marine ecosystems as the world marked World Oceans Day on Sunday. Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed, Ruler's Representative in Al Dhafra Region and chairman of the EAD, said the achievement in the fisheries index reflected Abu Dhabi's 'unwavering commitment and the diligent efforts of the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi' to safeguard marine resources. 'It reinforces Abu Dhabi's ambitious vision to strike a harmonious balance between economic growth and environmental sustainability, serving as a global model for confronting environmental challenges for a prosperous and resilient future,' he said. Dr Shaikha Al Dhaheri, secretary general of the EAD, said the significant progress made in the index underlines Abu Dhabi's leadership in environmental conservation. 'We are committed to deploying best-in-class management practices and leveraging scientific capabilities to restore fish populations and protect marine ecosystems,' she said. 'This success affirms the importance of evidence-based policy and global best practices in conserving our natural heritage for future generations.' 'By combining policy enforcement, protected areas, habitat restoration, and community engagement, the emirate is positioning itself as a regional and global model for sustainable marine management,' the EAD said. The EAD also said the findings were a 'success story' and part of a broader long-term, science-driven strategy by the EAD to protect and restore marine life in Abu Dhabi. 'By combining policy enforcement, protected areas, habitat restoration, and community engagement, the emirate is positioning itself as a regional and global model for sustainable marine management.' The health of the world's seas are in sharp focus this week as nations meet in France at the UN Ocean Conference. The gathering seeks to build momentum and money for marine conservation despite the world's seas being affected by pollution, mining, overfishing and other issues. At home, authorities have made concerted efforts over the past few years to ensure the recovery of fish stocks and put the emirate on a path to sustainability. These measures include regulating commercial fishing activities through sustainable methods, as well as implementing new regulations for recreational fishing. There are six marine reserves in Abu Dhabi, for example. In 2019 gargoor, traditional metal dome-shaped traps used by fishermen, were banned in Abu Dhabi following a study that showed declines in hammour and farsh. These efforts have continued since. The EAD in May unveiled a plan to plant millions of coral colonies by 2030. The project builds on the success of restoring one million coral colonies since 2021. Fish numbers and species variety have increased by more than 50 per cent around these areas, the EAD said. The EAD also launched the ' Abu Dhabi Coral Garden ' initiative the same month. It plans to create 'gardens' by installing 40,000 eco-friendly artificial corals of various designs and sizes.
