Middle East

March 16, 2025 10:13 AM

Who are Yemen’s Houthis and why are they under attack by the US?

U.S. President Donald Trump has launched the biggest military operation in the Middle East since taking office against Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis after they resumed Red Sea shipping attacks. The strikes, which have killed at least 24 people so far, could last for weeks according to one U.S. official and come as Trump ramps up sanctions pressure on Tehran. WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF THE HOUTHIS? In the late 1990s, the Houthi family in the far north of Yemen set up a religious revival movement fo...

February 11, 2025 12:19 PM

Middle East aviation sector showcases growth at largest MRO and AIME event

The largest edition of MRO Middle East and Aircraft Interiors Middle East (AIME) 2025 has opened in Dubai, marking a significant milestone for the regional aerospace industry. The two-day event has attracted over 250 international exhibitors, highlighting the aviation sector’s robust growth amid record-high passenger demand. The gathering focuses on aircraft modernization programs and maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services, bringing together key players from across the global aviatio...

January 14, 2025 11:39 AM

Biden defends foreign policy record despite ongoing crises

Outgoing President Joe Biden sought to burnish his foreign policy record on Monday and said U.S. adversaries are weaker than when he took office four years ago despite global crises that remain unresolved. A week before handing over to President-elect Donald Trump, Biden addressed U.S. diplomats at the State Department and touted his administration's backing for Ukraine against Russia's 2022 invasion and for Israel's wars in the Middle East. Biden said the United States was "winning the worldw...

November 9, 2024 2:31 PM

Jordan’s tourism industry struggling as Gaza war deters visitors

Enas Al Hinti has cut staff pay in half and asked workers to take unpaid leave in an effort to keep her hotel in ancient Petra open as Western holidaymakers fearful of conflict shun destinations in the Middle East. A crisis across the region's tourism industry since the start of the Israel-Hamas war 13 months ago is being felt acutely in Jordan, whose border with Israel along the Red Sea and Dead Sea is studded with beach resorts. Sites such as Petra, Wadi Rum and crusader castles have been dr...

October 16, 2024 9:04 PM

‘Age of electricity’ to follow looming fossil fuel peak, IEA says

The world is on the brink of a new age of electricity with fossil fuel demand set to peak by the end of the decade, meaning surplus oil and gas supplies could drive investment into green energy, the International Energy Agency said on Wednesday. But in a release accompanying its annual World Energy Outlook report, the agency also flagged a high level of uncertainty as conflicts embroil the oil and gas-producing Middle East and Russia and as countries representing half of global energy demand ha...

October 14, 2024 11:26 AM

Two Indigo flights to Middle East from Mumbai grounded after bomb threat

Two IndiGo flights operating from Mumbai Airport to different cities in the Middle East received bomb threats on Monday morning, ANI reported. In response to the threats, both aircraft were moved to an isolation bay as a precautionary security measure. The bomb threats were reported for IndiGo flight 6E 1275, which was en route to Muscat, and flight 6E 56, headed for Jeddah. "IndiGo flight 6E 1275 operating from Mumbai to Muscat and IndiGo flight 6E 56 operating from Mumbai to Jeddah received...

October 3, 2024 10:00 AM

China urges UN Security Council to de-escalate Middle East crisis

China called on the United Nations Security Council to take "urgent actions" to de-escalate the situation in the Middle East as Israel launched fresh air strikes in Lebanon. China's permanent representative to the U.N., Fu Cong, said during a Security Council briefing on Wednesday, that it needed to make clear and unequivocal demands to stop the cycle of violence over the Israeli-Lebanon conflict. "The Security Council bears the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace...

October 3, 2024 9:10 AM

‘We condemn this outrageous act of aggression by Iran,’ US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin says

US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin issued a statement condemning Iran's act of aggression against Israel. On Wednesday, Austin stated that the US would always defend its forces and interests in the Middle East, and would continue to support the defence of Israel and its regional partners. In a post on X, he said, "Yesterday, US forces in the Middle East intercepted multiple missiles launched by Iran toward Israel, as we fulfilled our commitment to partner with Israel in its defence. We condem...

September 30, 2024 10:30 PM

US envoy to UN: We want de-escalation in Middle East

The United States does not want to see violence spread in the Middle East and wants to see a de-escalation, the U.S. envoy to the United Nations said on Monday. "We want to find a path to peace, so that Palestinians and Israelis have safety and Lebanese and Israelis living on the northern border find security and safety as well," U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters. When asked if Israel had told the U.S. that it was going to carry out an incursion into Lebanon, T...

September 25, 2024 11:43 AM

OPEC boosts long-term oil demand outlook, driven by developing world growth

OPEC raised its forecasts for world oil demand for the medium and long term in an annual outlook, citing growth led by India, Africa and the Middle East and a slower shift to electric vehicles and cleaner fuels. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, in its 2024 World Oil Outlook published on Tuesday, sees demand growing for a longer period than other forecasters like BP and the International Energy Agency, which expect oil use to peak this decade. "Future energy demand is foun...