Thousands signed a petition to "Save Hankorab" after discovering a contract between an unnamed government entity and an investment company to build a resort.

Yemen's Huthi rebels threatened on Saturday to attack US vessels in the Red Sea, despite a recent truce, should Washington get involved in Israel's bombardment campaign against Iran.

The operation is part of "the expansion of the battle in the Gaza Strip, with the goal of achieving all the war's objectives, including the release of the abducted and the defeat of Hamas", Israel's army said in a statement in Arabic on Telegram.

Lando Norris drew a line in the sand after his trying time in Bahrain last weekend and bossed a second practice at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Friday marred by a crash for Red Bull's Yuki Tsunoda

The US military said it had destroyed a key Yemeni fuel port as it targets the country's Huthi rebels, who said Friday that 20 people had been killed in the strikes.

Yemen's Huthis said they targeted a military site in Israel and attacked two US destroyers in the Red Sea Monday, shortly after Israel's army said it intercepted a drone launched from the east.

Partnerships with institutions like the Victoria & Albert Museum, Venice Biennale, and Hollywood productions elevate the GCC’s cultural landscape.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi Arabia's planned futuristic mega-city known as NEOM announced on Sunday the opening of its "first physical showcase": a luxury Red Sea island featuring restaurants, hotels and yachting berths. The opening of the island, known as Sindalah, comes amid persistent doubts about NEOM's viability and ahead of...

Rebel chief Abdul Malik al-Houthi on Thursday said his forces had "stormed" the tanker earlier this week. He added in a speech that the Sounion had violated the Houthis' "embargo" on shipping to Israeli ports. The vessel had departed from Iraq and was destined for a port near Athens, carrying...

Two ships reported nearby explosions on Tuesday off the coast of Yemen, maritime security agencies said, though neither event resulted in damage or injuries. The Red Sea and Gulf of Aden off Yemen have become perilous for shipping with the Huthi rebels, who control areas including the capital Sanaa, launching...

Two cruise missiles launched by Yemen's Huthi rebels struck a bulk cargo carrier in the Gulf of Aden on Thursday, severely injuring a sailor who was evacuated by American forces, the US military said. The Huthis have been targeting vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November...

The Houthis, who are at war with a Saudi-led coalition after ousting the government from Sanaa in 2014, have launched scores of drone and missile attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November. They have said they are harassing the vital trade route in support...

Houthi television channel Al-Massirah meanwhile said there were air strikes in the Yemeni capital Sanaa and elsewhere in the country on Friday, but the reports could not be independently confirmed, and it was unclear if they were related to the incidents described by CENTCOM.

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...

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...

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 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.

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...

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels discussed "expanding confrontations and encircling" Israel in a meeting in Lebanon with Hamas and other Palestinian factions, a Houthi official told AFP. Houthi attacks on Red Sea ships since the start of the Israel-Hamas war have disrupted global trade, actions the rebels say are in solidarity...

According to sources from Hamas and Islamic Jihad, leaders from the two Palestinian groups, as well as the Marxist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, held an "important meeting" with Houthi representatives last week.

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...

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.

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...

Beijing, China - The navies of China, Russia and Iran are staging joint drills in the Gulf of Oman this week, Beijing said Monday. The military activities -- to be conducted from Monday through Friday -- are aimed at "jointly maintaining regional maritime security", according to a statement published on social...

Other parts of the Islamic world may be grappling with their own challenges, from conflicts to high inflation. But many Muslims say their thoughts are with Palestinians this year.

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...

Yemen's Houthi rebels, who since November have fired drones and missiles at numerous ships in the Red Sea area vital for world trade, claimed responsibility for the latest incident. They say their campaign is in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip where Israel is battling Hamas fighters.

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.

Yemen's Houthis have been targeting shipping for months and their attacks have persisted despite repeated US and British strikes aimed at degrading their ability to threaten a vital global trade route. The Houthis began attacking Red Sea shipping in November, saying they were hitting Israel-linked vessels in support of Palestinians ravaged...

The Houthis, who control war-torn Yemen's most populated areas, have previously reported the death of 17 of their fighters in the Western strikes targeting military facilities. The Houthi attacks have had a significant effect on traffic through the busy Red Sea route, forcing some companies into a two-week detour around...

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...

Maritime container transport has sunk by almost one third so far in 2024 compared with a year earlier, according to IMF data. The Iran-backed Houthis argue the attacks are in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza during the Israel-Hamas conflict.

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...

The downing of the drone came the same day that the Houthi rebels targeted two US-owned merchant vessels as they continue their multi-month campaign of attacks on shipping in the area. It is the second time an MQ-9 used for both surveillance and strikes was lost near Yemen in recent...

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.

The Houthis, who control vast swathes of Yemen, have said the attacks, beginning in November, have targeted vessels linked to Israel, in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza. In December the United States announced a maritime security initiative, Operation Prosperity Guardian, to protect shipping in the area.

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.

Tehran, Iran - Iran unveiled two new air defense systems on Saturday, state media reported, with tensions high in the Middle East amid the war in Gaza. "The Arman anti-ballistic missile system and the Azarakhsh low-altitude air defense system, built by the ministry of defense, were unveiled this morning," the official...

WTO members' trade ministers have their biennial meeting in Abu Dhabi from February 26-29, at which they could put the final touches to a further fisheries deal. But other potential agreements seem stuck in the weeds as anxiety swells over the impact of current geopolitical tensions.

Nasrallah said the killing of civilians was aimed at "putting pressure" on Hizbollah to stop attacks on Israel, but stressed that the group will intensify its cross-border fire. "The response to the massacre must be to pursue the resistance (against Israel)" and Hizbollah will not just strike "(military) positions... and...

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...

Another security firm, Ambrey, said the Marshall Islands-flagged, Greece-owned bulk carrier "was targeted by missiles in two separate incidents" within 20 minutes and "was reportedly hit and sustained physical damage on the starboard side". The Houthis, part of the anti-Western, anti-Israel "axis of resistance" of Iran-backed groups, have been targeting...

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...

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,"...

Washington, US - The United States military confirmed on Thursday its forces conducted multiple strikes against Houthi missile systems as the Yemen-based rebel group prepared to launch attacks that threatened US Navy and merchant ships. Late Wednesday Sanaa time US Central Command forces "conducted self-defense strikes against two Houthi mobile anti-ship...

The company warned of "uncertainty" due to Houthi attacks.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia drew 27 million foreign tourists in 2023 and has more than doubled its goal for the end of the decade, an official said on Tuesday. The announcement came less than five years after the Gulf kingdom fully opened up to tourism and as fears persist...

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said last week that the movement's armed forces had targeted an American merchant ship named KOI with "several appropriate naval missiles". The ship, he said, had been heading to "the ports of occupied Palestine", a phrase which is sometimes used to mean Israel.

The OECD raised its 2024 world economic growth forecast Monday but warned that the Middle East conflict posed a risk, with disruptions in Red Sea shipping threatening to increase consumer prices. Global growth "proved unexpectedly resilient" in 2023, reaching 3.1 percent as inflation declined faster than anticipated..

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...