• IMF approves US$820m as part of Egypt bailout

    The IMF action, repeatedly postponed and eagerly awaited by the Egyptian government, arrives at a time of mounting difficulties for its economy. The IMF said Egypt has achieved all the objectives set out in the first two stages of the aid program, with the exception of the level of its...
  • US shoots down four Houthi drones in Red Sea

    In November, the Houthis launched a campaign of drone and missile strikes against vessels in the Red Sea, an area vital for world trade, in professed solidarity with Palestinians during Israel's war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. US and British forces have responded with strikes against the Houthis, who...
  • Chinese-owned tanker hit by Houthi missile in Red Sea

    The Panamanian-flagged, Chinese-owned and operated Huang Pu issued a distress call but did not request assistance, US Central Command said. The rebels, who control much of Yemen's Red Sea coast, have launched dozens of missile and drone strikes on shipping over the past four months, actions they say are in...
  • US military says struck 3 Houthi underground storage sites in Yemen

    The Houthis began attacking ships in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea in November, a campaign they say is intended to signal solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. They have vowed to target Israeli, British and American ships, as well as vessels heading to Israeli ports, disrupting traffic through...
  • Blinken to visit Saudi Arabia, Egypt to discuss Gaza ceasefire: spokesman

    Blinken will hold talks with Saudi leaders in Jeddah on Wednesday before travelling to Cairo on Thursday for talks with Egyptian authorities, spokesman Matthew Miller said from the Philippines, where Blinken is touring. -This will be Blinken's sixth trip to the Middle East since the start of the war.
  • World Bank plans $6 billion in financial assistance for Egypt

    The financial assistance includes "$3 billion for financial support to Government’s programs and $3 billion for the private sector (including mobilization) – subject to Board approval," it added. Egypt, the Arab world's most populous nation, is in dire need of financial help as it weathers a severe economic crisis marked...
  • US forces ‘destroy’ Houthi anti-ship missiles and drones in Yemen

    Dubai, United Arab Emirates--The US military said Thursday it had destroyed nine anti-ship ballistic missiles and two drones in Yemen after Houthi rebels fired on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. US Central Command (CENTCOM) said two missiles fired by the Houthi rebels towards the Red Sea and...
  • Brighter US economic outlook fuels global oil demand growth forecast

    Rising fuel needs of ships rerouted away from the Red Sea also to increase demand, the International Energy Agency said. Commercial ships have been taking longer and costlier journeys around the southern tip of Africa to avoid attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels in the Red Sea.
  • US hits targets in Yemen as Houthis vow to step up attacks

    The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack on the Pinocchio in a statement early Tuesday, maintaining the missile strike "was accurate". The British maritime security agency UKMTO had previously said a ship in the area "reported a sound of an explosion" in its vicinity southwest of the Yemeni port of...
  • US-led coalition shoots down 15 Yemen rebel drones: CENTCOM

    CENTCOM and coalition forces determined that the drones "presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels, US Navy and coalition ships in the region". It was one of the Houthis' largest attacks since they began in November a campaign of drone and missile strikes against ships in the Red Sea area,...
  • US forces down drones, missiles fired at warship by Houthis

    The US military command said that its forces shot down one anti-ship ballistic missile and three one-way attack unmanned aerial systems launched from Houthi controlled areas of Yemen toward USS Carney in the Red Sea. Houthis have been attacking shipping in the Red Sea for months over Israel's war on...
  • Cargo ship sunk by Houthis poses environmental risk, says US military

    Yemen's government also said earlier Saturday that the ship which was departed UAE and was bound for the Bulgarian port of Varna, had sunk. Since November, the Houthis have been carrying out attacks on ships linked to Israel in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, saying they are...
  • US forces destroy Houthi surface-to-air missile: CENTCOM

    The Iran-backed Houthis, who control much of war-torn Yemen, have been attacking shipping in the Red Sea since November in a campaign they say is in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza amid the Israel-Hamas war. US forces struck and destroyed a Houthi surface-to-air missile in Yemen on Friday after deciding...
  • US envoy blames Iran, Hizbollah for aiding Houthi attacks

    The US special envoy for Yemen, Tim Lenderking, told a Senate subcommittee that Iran was "equipping and facilitating" the Huthi attacks, which have triggered retaliatory US and British strikes on Yemen. He said many Iranian and Hizbollah operatives support Houthi attacks from inside Yemen.
  • US and UK launch fresh strikes against Houthis

    The new wave of strikes "specifically targeted 18 Houthi targets across eight locations in Yemen" including weapons storage facilities, attack drones, air defense systems, radars and a helicopter, a joint statement said. It was co-signed by Australia, Bahrain, Denmark, Canada, the Netherlands and New Zealand, who gave unspecified "support" to...
  • US warns of environmental disaster from cargo ship hit by Houthi rebels

    The attack on the Rubymar represents the most significant damage yet to be inflicted on a commercial ship since the Houthis started firing on vessels in November - a campaign they say is in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza during the Israel-Hamas war. The Houthi attacks have prompted some shipping...
  • Houthi missile attack damages British-owned ship off Yemen

    Dubai, United Arab Emirates - Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels fired two missiles at a British-owned cargo ship passing through the Gulf of Aden on Thursday, causing one minor injury and damage to the vessel. The rebels, who control much of Yemen, have carried out months of attacks on merchant vessels in...
  • Gaza war effect: Israel’s GDP shrinks by 20% in the last quarter of 2023

    Overall, Israel's GDP grew by 2.0 percent in 2023, short of the 2.3 percent projection made by the Bank of Israel after the war's outbreak in October, the Central Bureau of Statistics figures showed.
  • US strikes Houthi weapons’ systems in latest attack

    According to a statement from CENTCOM, the five strikes included targeting "the first observed Huthi employment of a UUV (unmanned underwater vessel) since attacks began" in October. The strikes were carried out between 3:00 pm and 8:00 pm Saturday Sanaa time, the US Central Command said.
  • Missile attack targets ship off Yemen: security agencies

    Friday's strike came as a US decision in January to redesignate the Houthis as "terrorists" formally came into force. The designation would not prohibit "the shipping of commercial goods into ports and airports in Houthi-controlled areas," the State Department spokesperson said.
  • IMF, World Bank say Gaza and Red Sea attacks risk to world economy

    World Bank President Ajay Banga said that "what's going on Gaza, but also the challenges of Ukraine... and the Red Sea" are among the top challenges to the global economic outlook. "When you add variables to what is turning out to be probably the lowest growth of the last 55...
  • Red Sea issue puts Yemen peace process on hold

    DUBAI, UAE- As Houthi attacks roil the Red Sea and Western air raids target the rebels, moves to end Yemen's long-running war are at a standstill, threatening further woe for a country on its knees. As recently as December, painstaking negotiations were gaining ground and the United Nations said the warring...
  • UN’s IMO working ‘tirelessly’ to solve Red Sea crisis: head

    Yemen's Houthi rebels, supported by Iran, have launched dozens of attacks against ships in the Red Sea since November, targeting boats headed for Israel in an act of "solidarity" with inhabitants of the Gaza Strip, which is in the grip of the war between Israel and Hamas. Despite retaliatory strikes...
  • Yemen-based Houthis say 17 fighters killed in US strikes

    A total of 17 Houthi fighters were killed in US strikes, the Iran-backed Yemeni rebel group said through its official media. "The bodies of a number of martyrs of the nation as a result of the bombing of the American-British aggression were carried through Sanaa in a solemn funeral procession,"...
  • Shipping giant Maersk’s profit sinks

    The company warned of "uncertainty" due to Houthi attacks.
  • Blinken in Israel voices hope for Gaza truce deal to free hostages

    "There's a lot of work to be done, but we are very much focused on doing that work and hopefully being able to resume the release of hostages that was interrupted" after a week-long truce in November, he said. The US top envoy, on his fifth Middle East tour since...
  • US and UK bomb Houthi targets in joint air raids

    Scaling up attacks in the Middle East, US and UK carried out joint air raids in Yemen after a separate wave of US strikes on targets in Iraq and Syria carried out in response to the killing of three US soldiers in Jordan. It is the third time the western...
  • US downed 8 drones off Yemen, hit 4 on ground

    Washington, US - American forces shot down eight drones near Yemen and destroyed four more on the ground, the US military said on Saturday, announcing a series of incidents that took place the previous day. The strikes and shootdowns in and around Yemen came as American forces launched a wave of air...
  • Houthi rebels target commercial vessel with a missile

    Maritime security firm Ambrey said that a merchant ship had been targeted with a missile in southwest of Aden, Yemen. The vessel has reported an explosion on board, Ambrey said. The security firm said it was aware that a missile was fired from Taiz. It comes after Houthis claimed an...
  • IMF says Red Sea shipping down one-third due to Houthi attacks

    "Container shipping... has declined by almost 30 percent," said Jihad Azour, director of the IMF's Middle East and Central Asia department, adding that "the drop in trade accelerated in the beginning of this year."
  • Yemen’s Houthis fire missiles at US warship: rebel statement

    The Houthis, part of the anti-Western, anti-Israel "axis of resistance" of Iranian-backed groups, have been harassing Red Sea shipping for months, triggering US and British reprisal attacks. The attacks have prompted some shipping companies to detour around southern Africa to avoid the Red Sea, a vital route that normally carries...
  • Gaza bombing continues amid fears of wider regional conflict

    Israel's relentless military offensive has since killed at least 26,422 people in Gaza, most of them women and children, according to the territory's health ministry. The Gaza war has forced more than one million Palestinians to flee to the far-southern Rafah area near the Egyptian border, according to the UN,...
  • Houthi rebels open seized cargo ship to sightseers

    For about a dollar per trip, male-only groups of visitors can board wooden boats five times a week to the hijacked car carrier, which the Houthis hail as a trophy in their fight in solidarity with the Palestinians. On the deck of the Galaxy Leader, none of the visitors interviewed...
  • Oil rises on fresh Middle East fears after attack on US base

    "The news of three US troops being killed by a drone attack, and President Biden saying 'we shall respond', will likely dial up the market’s focus on the region," Andrew Ticehurst, at Nomura, said. The news comes as Israel presses on with its war against Hamas, adding to investor concerns...
  • US troops destroy Houthi’s anti-ship missile in Yemen

    US forces struck an anti-ship missile in Houthi-held Yemen that they said was ready to fire, hours after the Iran-backed rebels caused a fire on a British tanker in the Gulf of Aden. US and British forces have launched joint strikes aimed at reducing the Houthis' ability to target vessels...
  • Yemen’s Houthis claim attack on British oil tanker

    US and British forces have launched two rounds of joint strikes aimed at reducing the Houthis' ability to target vessels transiting the key Red Sea maritime trade route. The attacks by the rebels -- who are part of the anti-Israel have disrupted trade in the Red Sea, which carries around...
  • US warship downs incoming missile fired from Yemen: Military

    Washington, United States -- A US Navy warship shot down a missile Friday that was fired at it by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who have carried out two months of attacks on international shipping, the military said. US and British forces have launched two rounds of joint strikes aimed at reducing...
  • Fighting focuses on Gaza’s Khan Yunis after deadly shelling hits UN shelter

    The deadly incident came after the Israeli army said it had encircled the city, where footage released by the military showed soldiers engaged in urban combat amid ruined buildings. Hamas's press office also reported fierce clashes in the center and west of Khan Yunis, while its health ministry counted multiple...
  • Iran’s Raisi flies to Turkey for delayed Gaza talks

    Planned talks in Ankara in early January were called off when twin blasts claimed by IS group jihadists killed 89 people at the shrine of assassinated Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps general Qasem Soleimani. A trip he had planned for November was cancelled because of conflicting schedules of diplomats involved in...
  • US strikes two Houthi missiles in Yemen: military

    US and Britain have carried out two rounds of joint strikes aimed at reducing the Houthis' ability to target shipping, while the US has also launched unilateral air raids on the Iran-backed rebels' missiles. Washington is seeking to put diplomatic and financial pressure on the Houthis, redesignating them as a...
  • US carries out fresh strikes against Yemen’s Houthis

    Washington is seeking to reduce the Iran-backed Houthis' capabilities, but the Yemeni rebels are still able to attack despite a week of strikes, and they have vowed that they will keep targeting merchant vessels. The Houthis began striking Red Sea shipping in November, saying they were hitting Israeli-linked vessels in support...
  • China exhorts end of ‘harassment’ of civilian vessels in Red Sea

    Beijing, China--China called for an end to "harassment" of civilian vessels in the Red Sea on Friday after attacks on ships by Houthi rebels in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Houthi aggression against vessels in and around the Red Sea has led to retaliatory strikes in Yemen by US and British forces....
  • US, UK launch new strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen

    A Houthi military official told the rebels's Al-Masirah TV that fighters will continue to target Israeli ships heading to "the ports of occupied Palestine, no matter how the American-British aggression tries to prevent us from doing so." US media quoted US officials as saying another round of strikes had been...
  • Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd ink deal

    The cooperation deal between the two will begin February 2025.
  • Maritime firm says missile hits Greek ship off Yemen

    Dubai, UAE - A missile hit a Greek-owned cargo ship off Yemen, a maritime risk management company said on Tuesday, following a string of attacks in the Red Sea by the Houthi rebels. "A Malta-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carrier was reportedly targeted and impacted with a missile while transiting the southern Red...
  • Washington seeks ‘de-escalation’ in Middle East, says top US official

    Davos, Switzerland - The United States wants a "de-escalation" in the Middle East despite its strikes on Houthi positions in Yemen, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on Tuesday. "We seek to stop the spread of conflict and to create the conditions for de-escalation," Sullivan said at the World Economic Forum...
  • Iran asks US and Britain to ‘stop war against Yemen’

    Tehran, Iran - Iran urged on Monday the United States and Britain to "stop the war against Yemen" following their recent strikes on targets of the Tehran-backed Houthi rebels. US and British forces have hit scores of targets in Yemen after weeks of Houthi attacks on vessels in the Red Sea,...
  • Stock markets: Germany drags Europe down, Tokyo rises again

    In Asia, Tokyo rose for a sixth successive day to build on last week's advances, which saw the Nikkei break above 35,000 points for the first time since 1990 thanks to a revival of Japanese inflation and a weaker yen that helps exporters.
  • Netanyahu vows ‘no one will stop us’ as war enters 100th day

    Israel vowed to destroy Hamas and launched a relentless bombardment that has killed at least 23,843 people, mostly women and children. After the ICJ heard arguments this week that accused Israel of breaching the UN Genocide Convention, Netanyahu insisted no court or military foe could stop Israel from achieving its...
  • Hamas says Israeli shelling leaves 60 dead in Gaza

    Health officials in Hamas-ruled Gaza said that Israeli strikes overnight killed at least 60 people in the besieged territory, which was also grappling with a telecommunications blackout on the war's 99th day. Fears of the conflict widening intensified after US and British forces struck Houthi rebels in Yemen following attacks...
  • US sanctions Hong Kong, UAE firms over Houthi support

    The move comes hours after US and UK forces launched strikes against the Houthi rebels, seeking to halt their repeated attacks on shipping in the Red Sea. The Houthi's attacks, which the group says are in protest at Israel's war against Hamas, has forced cargo ships to avoid the Suez...