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Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels on Sunday claimed missile and drone strikes that targeted neighbouring Saudi Arabia overnight and threatened more attacks, as fighting in the grinding civil war escalates. Huthi fighters have intensified operations against the kingdom as air strikes by the Saudi-led military coalition pound rebel positions in the north of Yemen, in a bid to stop their offensive to seize the government’s last northern stronghold of Marib. Years of war have already pushed Yemen to the brink of famine. Saudi Arabia — which has been backing the Yemeni government against the rebels since 2015 — said Saturday it thwarted a Huthi missile that targeted Riyadh. “The operation was carried out with a ballistic missile and 15 drones... targeting sensitive areas in the enemy’s capital of Riyadh,” said Huthi spokesman Yahya al-Saree, according to the rebels’ Al Masirah TV channel. “Our operations will continue and will expand as long as the aggression and siege on our ... » Learn More about Yemen rebels claim Saudi strikes, threaten new attacks

A U.N. human rights investigator said on Monday that it was “extremely dangerous” for the United States to have named Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler as having approved an operation to capture or kill journalist Jamal Khashoggi but not to have taken action against him. Agnes Callamard, special rapporteur on summary executions who led a U.N. investigation into Khashoggi’s 2018 murder, reiterated her call for sanctions targeting Mohammed bin Salman’s assets and his international engagements. He approved an operation to capture or kill Khashoggi, according to U.S. intelligence released on Friday as the United States imposed sanctions on some of those involved but spared the crown prince himself in an effort to preserve relations with the kingdom. Callamard told a Geneva news conference that what had been declassified “appears to be very little indeed and that’s disappointing” and she would have expected more material evidence to have been released. “It is extremely problematic, in ... » Learn More about U.S. failure to sanction MbS for Khashoggi killing ‘dangerous’: U.N. expert

India’s 2022 FIFA World Cup/2023 Asian Cup qualifying round matches, which were scheduled to be played next month, have been postponed to June due to coronavirus-related travel and quarantine restrictions. The second round of qualification matches have not been held since November 2019 due to COVID-19 pandemic. In November last year, the AFC had said that the matches will be held in March and June this year without specifying the exact dates. The Asian Football Confederation announced on Friday that the majority of Asia’s 2022 World Cup qualifying matches in March will be postponed to May and June — with a few exceptions that include Japan, Australia and Saudi Arabia. “Taking into consideration the existing travel and quarantine restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic across the continent, the AFC and FIFA have jointly agreed to postpone the majority of the upcoming Asian qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022,” the AFC said in a statement. “... all the Asian ... » Learn More about India’s football World Cup qualifying round matches scheduled for March postponed to June

LONDON: OPEC oil output fell in February as a voluntary cut by Saudi Arabia added to agreed reductions under a pact with allies, a Reuters survey found, ending a run of seven consecutive monthly increases. The 13-member Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries pumped 24.89 million barrels per day (bpd) in February, the survey found, down 870,000 bpd from January. This is the first monthly decline since June 2020. OPEC and allies, known as OPEC+, decided to keep supply mostly steady for February while Saudi Arabia made an extra cut out of concern about a slow recovery in demand. With oil rising to a 13-month high last week, OPEC+ is set to discuss pumping more at a meeting on Thursday. "So far, the members of the alliance have been cooperating and implementing the cuts in exemplary fashion," said analyst Eugen Weinberg at Commerzbank. "We believe that the high prices will prompt OPEC+ to step up its production by 500,000 barrels per day, while at the same time ... » Learn More about OPEC oil output falls in February on Saudi additional cut: Survey

While some parts of east Africa have almost eliminated desert locusts, the situation remains serious in some countries as well as in Yemen, raising fears that a new wave could emerge and spread across the region. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization, or FAO, said that in Kenya, only a few immature swarms remain in the northwest part of the country, but aerial control operations are ongoing. The UN agency warned that a small third generation of breeding is likely to commence in October but it may be limited by below-normal rains that are predicted for this year. Jane Mule, from Kenya's Kitui county, hopes the third generation of locusts will be controlled in the current breeding areas to avoid a repeat of massive destruction. "I can't imagine similar swarms landing in my farm or pasture land. I don't wish to experience a similar destruction. I call upon the government to do the best it can to eliminate the insects," Mule said. In northeast Ethiopia, numerous hopper bands ... » Learn More about Desert locusts still a threat in east Africa

Factories hum with activity as firms resume output faster than expected HEFEI/XI'AN/TAIYUAN－Moving back and forth beside an automobile assembly line, Zhang Tianshun conducts vehicle checks before they roll off the production line. "My job is to check the functionality of seven parts of the car－four windows, front and rear wipers and the sunroof. It takes two minutes to test each vehicle, and I need to handle about 200 cars per day. Things are even busier now than before the holiday," Zhang said. This year was the first time Zhang spent Spring Festival away from his hometown of Zhumadian, Henan province. The 19-year-old works at Hefei Chang'an Automobile Co Ltd in Anhui province. Zhang received a combined subsidy of nearly 3,000 yuan ($465) from the Hefei government and the company to stay put during the holiday. To prevent the sporadic resurgence of COVID-19, China encouraged people to stay in place over the holiday this year, which lasted from Feb 11 to Feb 17. The car ... » Learn More about Manufacturing revs up after Spring Festival

By Saket Sundria Oil sank below $60 a barrel in Asian trading amid growing concern over this week’s OPEC+ output-setting meeting. Futures in New York fell for a third day, putting them on course for the worst run of losses since December. The alliance gathers on Thursday to decide how many barrels to return to a market that had its best ever start to a year before the current skid. Ahead of the gathering, Saudi Arabia has urged members to take a cautious approach even as signs of tightening emerge. Crude roared higher in the opening two months of 2021, aided by the deep OPEC+ supply cuts, which include unilateral reductions by the Saudis. The roll-out of vaccines and an investor charge into commodities has also underpinned the gains, which pushed prices in New York to the highest close since 2019. Investors are “a little bit unsure whether OPEC will continue with the support they provided over the last few months with the supply cuts,” said Daniel Hynes, a senior ... » Learn More about Crude oil sinks toward $60 before OPEC+ meets to decide on supplies