Red Sea crisis impacts UK factories, sparks inflation concerns
- The Red Sea crisis is sending shockwaves through UK manufacturing supply chains, leading to a sharp contraction in factory production.
- The flash UK Manufacturing Output Index, which serves as an indicator of factory production, has plummeted to a three-month low of 44.9 – a clear sign of economic contraction as any reading below 50 indicates.
Russia official condemns US, UK strikes on Yemen
- Russia’s Presidential Special Envoy for the Middle East and Africa and Deputy Foreign Minister, Mikhail Bogdanov, has condemned the US and UK’s strikes on Yemen, saying they could destabilise the region, Anadolu reported citing the Russian Foreign Ministry.
- Bogdanov yesterday received a delegation of Yemen’s Houthis and discussed the escalation of tensions in the Red Sea, the Foreign Ministry added.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20240126-russia-official-condemns-us-uk-strikes-on-yemen/
Foreign Policy: US is ‘planning to withdraw from Syria’
- The US is considering ending its military presence in Syria, according to a report by Foreign Policy yesterday.
- Although no definite decision has been made to withdraw, the report cited four sources within the Defence and State departments who claimed that the Biden administration “is no longer invested in sustaining a mission that it perceives as unnecessary.”
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20240125-foreign-policy-us-is-planning-to-withdraw-from-syria/
IRAN PAKISTAN DIAL DOWN TENSION AFTER STRIKES
- The tit for tat act of strikes by the two countries is a high profile cross border intrusion of the world. It has destabilized the already affected parts of the world due to Hamas and Israel war since 7th October. But Iran and Pakistan has showed interest in cooling down their tensions.
- Jilani expressed Pakistan's readiness to work with Iran on mutual trust and cooperation. Jilani and his Turkish counterpart has also expressed that" Pakistan has no interest or desire in escalation ".
IS ISRAEL-LEBANON WAR POSSIBLE? UN CHIEF'S ‘DISASTER’ PREDICTION
- During the World Economic Forum in Davos UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that a " full fledged confrontation between the between Israel and Lebanon would be a total disaster . He called for an " immediate humanitarian ceasefire ".
ISRAEL'S MAJOR NEW WAR PUSH: ‘ENCIRCLES’ HAMAS CHIEF YAHYA SINWAR'S CITY IN GAZA 
- Israeli army has said that the troops have surrounded the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza , the epicenter of the war for many weeks and also the place were hamas's Gaza chief Yahya Sinwar was born.
- This comes as a retaliation as the country witnessed the highest single day death toll and hence Israel's prime minister Netanyahu has vowed to not stop fighting in Gaza until absolute victory.
- Israel's defense minister Yoav gallant said Israel would not back downdown and " this war will determine the future of Israel for decades to come - the fall of soldiers is needed to achieve the goals of the war".
GLOBAL TRADE IS BEING DISRUPTED BY RED SEA ATTACKS, UKRAINE WAR AND LOW WATER IN PANAMA CANAL: UN
- Jan Hoffman a trade expert at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNTAD) warned about rising shipping charges affecting energy and food costs which is raising inflation risks.
- He also mentioned that the houthi attacks are taking place at a time when other major trade routes are already under strain.
UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron on 2nd visit to West Asia to push for peace between Israel, Hamas
UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron is set to visit West Asia, where he will press for an immediate humanitarian pause in the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
As the fighting escalates and tensions rise in the region, Cameron is scheduled to meet with Israeli and Palestinian leaders to alleviate the “desperate” situation in Gaza.
Cameron will then travel on to Qatar and Turkey later in the week for further diplomatic talks.
Colonialism persists: Nobel laureate Abdulrazak Gurnah cites conflicts in West Asia, Africa
Colonialism is not merely a thing of the past but continues to shape the world, 2021 literature Nobel laureate Abdulrazak Gurnah said on Tuesday.
“To say it (colonialism) is over is not to understand the causes or so much of the conflict that is going on in the world now — in Africa, in the Middle East (West Asia). Many of these conflicts arose out of decisions made for the administrative convenience of the colonising powers,” said Gurnah
Gurnah, whose novels include Paradise (1994), By the Sea (2001) and Desertion (2005), spoke of multiple forms of colonialism.
Middle East crisis live: ICJ ruling on case alleging genocide by Israel in Gaza and call for it to stop military action
ICJ recognises right of Palestinians in Gaza to be protected from acts of genocide
Judge Donoghue, speaking now at the ICJ, said at least some rights sought by South Africa in its genocide case against Israel’s war in Gaza are plausible. She said: “A link exists between the rights claimed by South Africa that the court has found plausible and at least some of the provisional measures requested.”
With the reading still ongoing, the court said it recognises the right of Palestinians in Gaza to be protected from acts of genocide. Palestinians appear to be a protected group under the genocide convention, the court said.
China presses Iran to rein in Houthi attacks in Red Sea, sources say
Chinese officials have asked their Iranian counterparts to help rein in attacks on ships in the Red Sea by the Iran-backed Houthis, or risk harming business relations with Beijing, four Iranian sources and a diplomat familiar with the matter said.
The discussions about the attacks and trade between China and Iran took place at several recent meetings in Beijing and Tehran, the Iranian sources said, declining to provide details about when they took place or who attended.
The Chinese officials, however, did not make any specific comments or threats about how Beijing's trading relationship with Iran could be affected if its interests were damaged by Houthi attacks, the four Iranian sources said.
News bits compiled by:
Alithia Clemency Paul (M.A. I.R., 2nd Year)
Aditi Mishra (M.A. I.R., 2nd Year)
Varsha Das (B.A. I.R. 2nd Year)
Neha Singh (M.A. I.R., 1st Year)
Drafted by:
Aditi Mishra (M.A. I.R., 2nd Year)
Varsha Das (B.A. I.R. 2nd Year)
Neha Singh (M.A. I.R., 1st Year)
Published by:
Alithia Clemency Paul (M.A. I.R., 2nd Year)
