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U.K.’s flagship aircraft carrier, the HMS Queen Elizabeth, bows out of NATO exercises following propeller failure

February 07, 2024 -

Valued at $3.7 billion, the carrier had to withdraw from the largest NATO naval drills since the Cold War due to a discovered propeller issue. This setback comes 18 months after the Queen Elizabeth's sister ship, the HMS Prince of Wales, encountered a similar problem. (Related: NATO to hold biggest military exercise since the Cold War amid rising tensions with Russia.)

The timing of these mechanical failures is crucial, given the U.K.'s expanding naval commitments, ...

Blinken says the U.S. is determined not to spread conflict in the Middle East, but US missile strikes against Houthis prove otherwise

January 19, 2024 -

"We're determined … that we not see escalation, [and] that we don't have the conflict spread. We've made that very clear," Blinken said on Jan. 10 while in Bahrain. "But of course – if our personnel, if our forces are threatened or attacked, we'll take appropriate steps [and] we'll respond."

The secretary of state also mentioned that the Houthi attacks have been "aided and abetted by Iran," and warned that "if these attacks continue, there will be consequences....

U.S. and U.K. warplanes bomb Houthi targets in Yemen in another significant escalation of Gaza war

January 15, 2024 -

President Biden said the strikes are being conducted “in direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea.”

He said in a statement that the operations were focused on “targets in Yemen used by Houthi rebels to endanger freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most vital waterways” and added that he will “not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as ...

U.S. naval coalition’s efforts to defend Red Sea shipping against Houthi attacks off to rocky start

December 29, 2023 -

The coalition seeks to deal with the attacks that have been launched in the wake of Israel’s war against Hamas. Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder described it to the media, saying: "The forces assigned to Operation Prosperity Guardian will serve as a highway patrol of sorts, patrolling the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to respond to and assist as necessary commercial vessels that are transiting this vital international waterway.”

The situation in the region is growing increasingly ...

BRICS nations jolt global economy, start trading oil in RUPEES rather than dollars

August 30, 2023 -

Just the other day, in fact, India reportedly purchased an order of oil using rupees instead of Federal Reserve Notes, which are still – but not for much longer – the primary foundation of global trade, especially for earth-based "fossil" fuels like oil.

According to reports, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) signed an agreement allowing not just India but all the rest of the BRICS members to buy and sell oil in rupees, which is really bad news for the U.S. economy.

For ...

Red Sea Houthi attacks will disrupt global supply chains more than any pandemic, sending prices skyrocketing

January 26, 2024 -

The U.S. and U.K. are worried enough about the situation to take proactive measures against the Houthi rebels threatening trade in the crucial sea passage. On Monday, large-scale air and missile strikes were conducted against Houthi facilities throughout Yemen as the rebels claim attacks will not end any time soon.

A joint statement reported that the U.S. and U.K., supported by the Netherlands, Canada, Bahrain and Australia, hit a series of Houthi targets in ...

ESCALATION: U.S. strikes Iran-backed Houthi rebels after Iran hijacks oil tanker in Gulf of Oman

January 16, 2024 -

The seized vessel is an oil tanker known as the St. Nikolas that bears Marshall Islands flags. Previously known as the Suez Rajan, the tanker was part of a major dispute between America and Iran last year that resulted in the U.S. seizing more than a million barrels of unauthorized Iranian crude oil that they claimed was being illegally sold to China.

The ship was on its way to Turkey with 145,000 tons of crude from Iraq when Iranian naval forces boarded it at around ...

ALONE IN THE DESERT: South Africa, Chad join DIPLOMATIC BOYCOTT of Israel, adding to the growing list of countries protesting against Israel’s genocide in Gaza

November 07, 2023 -

The move reflects South Africa's longstanding support for the Palestinian cause, with historical ties between the ruling African National Congress (ANC) and its struggle against apartheid.

South African Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni revealed on Nov. 6 that all diplomatic staff currently stationed in Tel Aviv would be summoned to return to Pretoria for consultations. While no further details were provided, this action is standard diplomatic procedure ...

China strengthening ties in the Middle East while attempting to undermine British and American influence in the region

February 26, 2024 -

Seener's assessment is grounded in the observation that China's sway in the region has markedly increased, particularly in the aftermath of significant events such as the Israel-Hamas conflict and the Red Sea attacks masterminded by Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

The expert said China is actively working to erode the influence traditionally held by the U.K. and the U.S. in the Middle East, with a clear ambition of becoming the preeminent decision-maker in the region. (Related: China ...

China urges U.S. to exercise restraint against Houthi rebels as Red Sea conflict poses threat to Beijing’s economic and diplomatic interests

January 19, 2024 -

The Houthis' persistent campaign to disrupt maritime traffic through crucial Middle East waterways, such as the Suez Canal and Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, raises significant concerns for China, which heavily relies on these routes to transport its products to European markets.

China's economic stakes in the region are notably high, as it is more dependent than the U.S. on oil and gas imports from countries like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iran and Qatar. (Related: Beijing’s ...

TruNews: U.S.-led Yemen strikes escalate Middle East conflict

January 18, 2024 -

This was the opinion of "TruNews" hosts Rick Wiles and Dr. Raymond "Doc" Burkhart. The latter cited a news story from Military.com about the retaliatory strikes carried out by the U.S. military and its allies in Yemen. According to the piece, the strikes followed many months of drone and missile attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis that have threatened merchant shipping in the Red Sea.

A senior military official told reporters on Jan. 11 that the U.S. and the United Kingdom ...

U.S., U.K. continue airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen

January 16, 2024 -

The Biden administration, in collaboration with its allies, issued a warning that the Houthi group would face consequences for its actions. President Joe Biden reportedly authorized the strikes to protect international maritime vessels navigating through the crucial waterway. (Related: U.S. warship in the Red Sea shoots down attack drones fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.)

The operation involved a comprehensive effort, with fighter jets, Tomahawk missiles and the engagement ...

BRICS core member South Africa urges ICC to PROSECUTE Israel for war crimes

December 21, 2023 -

"In South Africa, we have an accord with many other countries in the world. So we see it fit to refer this whole Israeli government action to the ICC," said South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. "We have put through a referral because we believe that war crimes have been committed there."

According to Russia Today, Pretoria has already sent all relevant paperwork to the ICC, which is based in The Hague. Ramaphosa also requested that the ICC begin its probe into Tel ...

Thousands protest across Middle East in support of Palestinians amid ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict

October 18, 2023 -

The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas and other Palestinian groups has resulted in more than 1,300 Israeli civilian casualties. Israeli airstrikes, on the other hand, have killed over 2,000 Palestinian civilians in Gaza. This retaliation has been seen as disproportionate and sparked protests worldwide.

In the heart of Baghdad, demonstrators gathered after Shia Muslim cleric and politician Muqtada al-Sadr called for a protest "in support of Gaza" and against Israel....

Pentagon deploys air and naval assets in Syria and the Persian Gulf as Russia and Iran threaten US assets in the region

July 25, 2023 -

The United States has deployed its air and naval assets in the Middle East amid what the Department of Defense sees as very aggressive moves by Russia and Iran.

In Syria, a Russian Su-35 fighter jet conducted a very close fly-by to a United States MC-12 surveillance aircraft, putting the lives of the four American crew members at risk. Meanwhile, Iranian naval forces have seized at least three oil tankers transiting close to Iranian waters in the Persian Gulf....

BRICS to lay foundation for EXPANSION: 13 Nations formally asked to join group, 6 others expressed interest

May 04, 2023 -

"What will be discussed is the expansion of BRICS and the modalities of how this will happen," said South African Ambassador to BRICS Anil Sooklal in an interview with Bloomberg. "Thirteen countries have formally asked to join and another six have asked informally. We are getting applications to join every day." (Related: Potential BRICS expansion could mark end of dollar as world's pre-eminent currency.)

Sooklal refused to identify every single nation that has either formally ...

Ex-defense chief: Royal Navy warships are “unsatisfactory” and lack power to attack Houthis on land

February 08, 2024 -

"It’s a scandal. This is what happens when the Royal Navy is forced to make crucial decisions which can affect capability," he said.

The said source also claimed that the HMS Diamond, a warship considered a jewel in the naval crown stationed in the Red Sea, had not joined retaliatory strikes against Houthis because it did not have "the capability to fire to land targets." Instead, it had only been "directly involved in successfully destroying Houthi drones targeting ...

Russian central bank governor claims BRICS group has now surpassed G7 in aggregate GDP

February 02, 2024 -

She issued this pronouncement on Jan. 30, telling the state-owned RIA Novosti news agency that the BRICS member states have exceeded their G7 counterparts in the share of global gross domestic product (GDP) in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP). A metric popular with many economists, PPP compares economic productivity and standards of living between countries for the differences in the cost of goods and services.

The CBR chief noted that with the addition of new ...

UN expert: Israel is destroying Gaza’s food system as part of bigger “starvation campaign”

2 months ago -

UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food Michael Fakhri issued this condemnation during a March 7 speech before the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. The council wasn't off the hook as the Lebanese-Canadian law professor rebuked it for its inaction, remarking: "The images of starvation in Gaza are unbearable and you are doing nothing."

According to Fakhri, "Israel has mounted a starvation campaign against the Palestinian people in Gaza." He added that Tel Aviv is "destroying ...

Beijing’s shipping firm halts Israel operations despite strong ties with Houthi backer Tehran amid rising Red Sea tensions

January 16, 2024 -

The news outlet did not cite any sources for the information and said that COSCO had yet to notify international shippers of its decision. However, the freight company in Israel declined to comment.

The fourth largest container shipping line in the world, with about 11 percent of world trade, decided on this step even though it is not much threatened in the Red Sea because of the East Asian nation's ties with Iran, the backer of Yemeni Houthi rebels that target vessels ...