Tel Aviv – Yemen’s Houthi rebels have damaged the internet network by attacking undersea cables in the Red Sea region. The Israeli news agency has shared news that the Houthis, which have been targeting traders, passengers and naval ships sailing in this maritime area for the last four months, have now targeted undersea cables. Besides, the news agency has claimed that this increased the risk of internet service disruption from Europe to the Gulf and Asian countries. About two weeks ago, Houthi rebels had threatened to attack these undersea cables.

In addition, the Houthis targeted the Asia-Africa-Europe 1 undersea cables, called AAE-1. SEACOM, Europe India Gateway (EIG), and TGN Systems built the undersea cable network. The undersea cables connecting East Asia to Europe via Egypt are known as AAE-1. Along with most European countries, India, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Egypt are also connected to this AAE-1. Apart from this, China, Pakistan and Qatar also use internet service through these cables.

During this time, the rebels attacked four undersea cables connected to Africa and Asian countries, including Europe. Europe, Africa, and India use them. An Israeli news agency named Globes claimed that through these attacks, the Houthi rebels had caused damage to Europe, Africa and India as well. As per the Israeli news agency, the Houthis have targeted the cables between Saudi Arabia and Djibouti.

About 17% of the world’s internet traffic depends on these undersea cables installed in the Red Sea. Developing countries like India, Saudi Arabia, and UAE use it. With this, the Houthi rebels seem to lay siege to the allies by attacking these undersea cables. Installed in 2017, these undersea cables between Europe and Asia stream 40 terabytes of data per second. The Gulf, Africa and India are using it extensively. Accordingly, it is feared that the Houthis may have damaged exactly these cables to target these countries.

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Brussels – European farmers have reached Brussels against the backdrop of the continued neglect of the European leadership. On Monday, thousands of farmers with tractors were seen picketing on the road close to the European Union’s (EU) headquarters. During this time, an encounter has been said to have occurred between farmers and security forces, and angry farmers having set fire to some places has also been reported.

Besides, farmers from various countries have accused the EU of making anti-farmer decisions in the last few years. Also, farmers’ organisations claim that farmers’ conditions in Europe are very bad due to new rules imposed on farmers, cuts in subsidies, slow government affairs, and preference given to imports at lower prices. Apart from this, the agitation that began in Germany earlier this year sparked discontent among the farmers.

Following this, farmers in more than 15 European countries expressed discontent in just one month. These include major countries like France, Spain, Portugal, Romania, and the Netherlands. In most countries, the picture of farmers storming the national capital with tractors and blocking the wheel was seen. In addition, incidents of arson and stone pelting have been seen in many cities. This led to a disturbance in daily functioning and law & order, whose echo was heard locally and in the EU.

To solve the problem of farmers, the EU has organised a meeting of the agriculture ministers of the member countries in Brussels. With an intention that their demands should be seriously considered in this meeting, the farmers have started an agitation by picketing on the roads leading to the federation. Besides, information about an encounter between farmers and the security forces deployed to stop this movement has come to light. Meanwhile, there are talks about arson occurring in many places.

Moreover, the issue of farmers is likely to be raised in the elections to the European Parliament that will be held in June. Analysts and media have warned that right-wing parties have supported the movement launched in different countries, and this issue may become difficult for the rulers of the major member countries of the EU.

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According to the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) signed between India and Pakistan in 1960, India got control of the Ravi, Sutlej and Beas Rivers, and Pakistan got control of the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab Rivers. Despite this, Pakistan was getting a lot of water from the Ravi River flowing through Jammu and Kashmir. According to the Indus Waters Treaty, India has no obligation to give the water of this river to Pakistan. Yet India’s generosity was taken lightly by Pakistan. Despite the war between the two countries and terrorist attacks so far, India has not decided to stop the water of Pakistan.

In 1995, Prime Minister Narasimha Rao prepared to stop the Ravi River by constructing a dam. Nonetheless, further construction of this project was interrupted. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, adopting a strict policy towards Pakistan, had given an open warning that Pakistan will not get the water of the Ravi River in future. Pakistan is conspiring to shed the blood of Indian citizens by carrying out terrorist attacks. However, warning that blood and water cannot flow together, Prime Minister Modi has sped up the dam construction on the Ravi River. Accordingly, the construction of Shahpurkandi Dam has now been completed. With this, India has the full capacity to stop the water of the Ravi River.

In the coming days, the entire water flowing from this river will be provided to the Kathua and Samba districts of Jammu and Kashmir. This will provide 1,150 cusecs of water to these districts and irrigate about 32 thousand hectares of land there.

Moreover, India’s decision is expected to evoke a sharp reaction from Pakistan. However, India had shown generosity to Pakistan in the water of the Ravi River; Pakistan never had a right over this water, and this country is not ready to look into this issue.

In such a situation, now Pakistan will not get the water of the Ravi River anymore. Despite these notifications and warnings from India, Pakistan did not provide water for their Punjab province. However, while speaking at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), Pakistan’s Ambassador Munir Akram expressed concern that if India stops the water of the Ravi River, the farmers of their Punjab province will be in trouble, and there will be a threat to the food security of the Pakistani people.

In earlier times, Pakistan also threatened India with war over the water of the Ravi River. If the water of the Ravi River is not available, then Pakistan may turn into a sandy area. Former Pakistan Foreign Minister Sartaj Aziz had said that if this happens, they will not be left with any option other than war. Though Pakistan makes such claims, it has come to the fore, not once but many times, that most of the water received from the Ravi River gets wasted in Pakistan. Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also drew Pakistan’s attention. Because of this, it was also clear that Pakistan is not looking at this problem with the necessary seriousness.

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Tel Aviv/Manama – The conflict between Yemen’s Houthi rebels and the US & its allies in the Red Sea region is intensifying again. Besides, the Houthis have targeted the UK merchant ship with an undersea drone, which is now on the verge of sinking. At the same time, Yemeni rebels have launched missile attacks on two more ships. Also, the Houthis have fired missiles in the direction of Israel. However, the Israeli Arrow air defence system intercepted the Houthi missile in mid-air. Meanwhile, it has come to light that the US and France have foiled the new attacks launched by the Houthis in the Red Sea region. After these attacks, the Houthi rebels announced that they were banning US and UK ships from travelling through the Red Sea.

Moreover, there has been disruption in merchant traffic in the Red Sea for the past four months due to attacks by the Houthi rebels on merchant ships in the region. Also, the Houthis started attacking the Red Sea, with the demand that Israel should stop the military action in the Gaza Strip. Along with attacking the Israeli ships travelling through this region, the Houthis had also fired missiles at Israeli cities. On Thursday morning, the Houthi rebels attacked the city of Eilat, on the southern side of Israel, with ballistic missiles. However, the Arrow air defence system of the Israeli military foiled the attack.

Apart from this, the local media have claimed that this ballistic missile had entered the Eilat city limits before Israel retaliated. Videos and photos of the destruction of a ballistic missile fired by Houthi in the air at Eilat airfield have surfaced. Currently, discussion has started about how the Houthis got missiles capable of attacking at such a distance. The Houthis had also been firing missiles at Israel for the last four months. However, military analysts have drawn attention to the fact that these missiles could never cross the border of the Israeli city of Eilat.

At the same time, the Houthi rebels have expressed concern about increasing attacks on merchant ships sailing in the Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb and the Gulf of Aden. During the last 24 hours, the Houthi has targeted two US merchant ships in this maritime region. Of these, two missiles were fired at Greece’s Sea Champion merchant ship in the Gulf of Aden. There are claims that this has caused damage to the ship. Moreover, the US agencies have confirmed the Houthi attacks. However, a few hours later, the US foiled the attacks by the Houthi in the Red Sea area. At the same time, it also took action on Houthi bases in Yemen.

Also, seven Houthi anti-aircraft cruise missiles, ballistic missile launchers, and drones were destroyed in these attacks. The US CENTCOM was carrying out this operation in Yemen when information of Houthi attacking another UK ship in the Red Sea region surfaced. Last week, the Houthi attacked the UK ship with an undersea drone. There is a possibility of this ship sinking at any moment. Meanwhile, France has also taken action on Houthi bases.

A few hours after the US and France took action in the Red Sea region, the Houthi rebels announced a major decision against the US and Western countries. Furthermore, the Houthi announced that the ships of the United States and the United Kingdom would not be able to travel through the Red Sea region and would ban their ships from travelling there. The Iranian media claims that the Houthi decision is a challenge to the US and UK.

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London – A British cargo ship targeted in the Red Sea may sink off the coast of Yemen, Houthi rebels claim. The employees travelling on this ship have been evacuated safely. The UK has expressed concern over the increasing attacks by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea. The UK has warned that Yemen’s rebels could completely block trade traffic in the Red Sea. The UK also recalled that these rebels had shot down a US military drone a few days ago.

Houthi rebels launched missile attacks on a cargo ship named ‘Rubymar’ in the narrow El-Mandeb Strait on Sunday night. This ship, which left Khorfakkan port of UAE, was going to Bulgaria. The Houthi attacked the British-registered ship as it approached Al Mukha in Yemen. The ship suffered heavy losses in this. Noting the intensity of this attack, the ship’s crew came out safely with the help of a small boat. This UK ship may sink in the next few days, the Houthis have said.

The UK’s Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) shared information about the Houthi attack on this ship. Also, ‘UKMTO’ has shared that all the employees who came out of this cargo ship are safe. The Houthis did not accept responsibility for the attack on the ship. However, Haiti shared information about the attack after the crew left the ship. Houthi rebels have been attacking Israeli and Western cargo ships sailing in the Red Sea since November. Houthis have threatened that attacks will continue in the Red Sea unless Israel stops the military action in Gaza.

Meanwhile, the UK Defence Ministry has expressed concern over the increasing Houthi attacks on merchant and military ships travelling through the Red Sea. For the last few months, the US and UK navies have been trying to stop the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea. But despite this, the UK Defence Ministry has indicated that the rebels have the capability to disrupt cargo traffic in the Red Sea.

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Washington/Mogadishu – Russia and Somalia signed an agreement last May to enhance defence cooperation. The deal indicates that Russia will supply arms to Somalia and deploy the military there. Against this background, the US has become active again in Somalia and also made preparations to build five military bases there. US sources also claim these military bases will be created for Somalia’s military.

On Thursday, the US and Somalia signed a defence agreement in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu. According to this agreement, the US will provide necessary assistance to increase the capacity of the Somali army. It also includes assisting the counter-operation of the terrorist organisation Al-Shabaab. Further, the US says constructing five new military bases is also part of the same.

The Danab Brigade was formed in 2017 under an agreement between the US and Somalia. The US Army trained three thousand Somali soldiers who joined this brigade. Moreover, the Danab Brigade was created as a quick response force to protest against the threat of Al-Shabaab. It is said that the new bases built by the US will also act as bases for the Danab Brigade.

Moreover, the US claims that Al-Shabaab has been regaining strength in Somalia, located on the northeast side of the African continent, i.e. Horn of Africa. The report released by the US Intelligence Agency and the United Nations (UN) has also highlighted the growing threat of Al-Shabaab. Additionally, the report drew attention to last year’s attack on a Ugandan military base in Somalia in addition to the attacks launched on the Somalian military.

Since 2006, Al-Shabaab has been trying to oust Somalia’s pro-Western regime. The African Union (AU) deployed its military in this country to save the government of Somalia. At least 20,000 African Union troops were deployed under the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS). These include soldiers from neighbouring African countries like Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda.

On the other hand, Russia is trying to gain a foothold in Somalia, and the defence agreement signed last year is considered a part of it. Apart from this, Russia will supply weapons to the Somali military for the operations against Al-Shabaab. Also, Russia is insisting on deploying its military in the port of Berbera in Somalia, and there are claims that Somalia has shown preparedness for the same. It may be easier for Russia to track the maritime traffic in the Red Sea region through this route. However, Russia can also use it to monitor the military activities of the US. Against this background, the US’ preparation to build five new military bases in Somalia becomes significant.

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Tokyo/London – After the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, the economies of the ‘G7’ group, which have been warning of weakening the Russian economy by imposing sanctions on the country, are weakening. A few days ago, it became evident that Europe’s top economy, Germany, has slipped into recession. Now, both Japan and the UK have also been hit by recession. After the economy’s decline, Japan lost its position as the world’s third-largest economy, and the media indicated that the challenge facing the UK was becoming more serious.

Japan’s economy contracted for two consecutive quarters last year. Japan’s economy shrank 3.3 percent in July to September 2023 and 0.4 percent in October to December 2023. Issues like increases in the prices of essential goods, salary cuts, the decline in demand for products, the shortage of workforce as a result of the falling birth rate, and an ageing population are said to be the reasons for the recession.

Japan’s GDP has slipped from $4.5 trillion to $4.2 trillion due to its decline in two consecutive quarters. Due to this, Japan has lost its position as the third-largest economy in the world. Germany’s GDP, which has suffered from economic recession since before Japan, has reduced to 4.4 trillion dollars. ‘Germany leaving Japan behind highlights the need for strategic reforms in the Japanese economy. It includes encouraging more women in regular jobs and removing barriers to foreign investment.’ Japan’s Minister of State for Trade and Industry, Yoshitaka Shindo, said, hinting at new provisions.

After Japan, the UK, which is a part of ‘G7, ‘ was also hit by the economic recession. The UK economy shrank by 0.3 per cent in the quarter from October to December 2023. Before that, the UK economy had slipped 0.1 percent in the July to September quarter. The ‘Office of National Statistics (ONS) has announced that an economic recession has hit the UK due to the decline in two consecutive quarters. The UK economy is expected to be hit by a recession due to the poor performance of the services, production and manufacturing industries.

There are also indications that the slowdown in the UK’s economy will add to the difficulties faced by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. After assuming the reins of the post of Prime Minister last year, Sunak declared that giving impetus to the economy would be a priority. However, the opposition is criticizing this as the ‘Sunak Recession’ due to losses caused by the recession. UK’s Finance Secretary Jeremy Hunt has rejected it. He stated that the economy is on a positive trend, and reducing inflation is the main objective. Prior to this, UK’s economy had declined by 22.5 percent during the Corona period.

After Germany and Japan, the UK has become the third country of the ‘G7′ to be hit by the recession. The pace of other G7 countries’ economic growth has slowed, yet the recession has not yet caused damage. The economies of these four countries, France, Italy, Canada, and the US, have registered positive growth. Germany, Japan, and the UK are closely connected from a trade point of view. However, China’s economy has also started declining, and it seems to be hurting these countries too. After the crisis in China, the top three countries faced a recession. Therefore, some analysts have expressed concern that this may increase the possibility of recession, causing damage to the global economy.

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Tehran – Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have test-fired a long-range ballistic missile. The Revolutionary Guards said the missile fired from the destroyer successfully destroyed the target as expected. The Revolutionary Guards have not provided information about the missile’s target in this exercise. However, the Iranian state-run news channel announced that the Revolutionary Guards conducted a training exercise attacking the air base of Israeli F-35 fighter planes. Meanwhile, the Iranian media claims that with the possibility of firing these missile destroyers, the strike capability of Iran’s Navy has increased, and this is a warning to the US and Israel.

Besides, there is tension in the Red Sea due to attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels. The navies of the US and allied countries are engaged in anti-Houthi conflict in this maritime area. Israel is fighting Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon. The other Middle Eastern media claim that Iran has started increasing its military strength by taking advantage of the preoccupation of the US, Israel and its allies in the conflict. For the last few weeks, Iran has started testing and conducting war exercises with rockets and missiles of various firepower.

Under this, the Navy of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards tested a long-range ballistic missile in the Gulf of Oman on Tuesday. Iran also fires two ballistic missiles from the Shahid Mahadavi destroyer. The missile successfully achieved all the prescribed objectives required by the Revolutionary Guards. In addition, the Revolutionary Guards have claimed that the missile has the capability to attack at a distance of 1,700 km. It includes the entire territory of Israel within a radius of 1,700 km from the Iranian maritime zone. Therefore, Iranian analysts have warned Israel against conducting the test.

Moreover, Emad, Shahab and Quds are the three types of missiles in the Iranian fleet capable of attacking the western coast of Israel. Iranian media claimed that the Revolutionary Guards had conducted an attack exercise on the Palmachim airbase, located 12 km from Israel’s financial capital Tel Aviv, in Tuesday’s test. Also, Israel has deployed its advanced F-35 Stealth Fighter aircraft at this base. Because of this, Iran has planned to destroy these aircraft by attacking this base. Therefore, Iran seems to have made preparations to destroy all the Israeli airports in its war exercises.

Even earlier, Iran had conducted missile tests capable of attacking Israel. The Israeli cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa were on the target of Iran. However, analysts claim for the first time that Iran has issued a warning to Israel, already stationed in the region, by firing a long-range ballistic missile from a destroyer stationed in the Gulf of Oman.

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Tokyo/Sanaa – Due to the conflict between Houthi rebels and the group of Western countries in the ‘Red Sea’ area, there has been tremendous tension. This tension is affecting the global supply chain, and there is a danger of the supply chain being disrupted for at least six months to a year, a top company in the shipping sector has warned. Due to the ‘Red Sea’ tension, the world’s major shipping companies have changed their routes and stopped traffic through the ‘Suez Canal’.

After the start of the Israel-Hamas war, the pro-Iranian Houthi rebels threatened to target countries that came forward to help Israel by supporting Hamas. After this, since November, Houthi rebels have started attacking merchant ships travelling through the Red Sea. Due to these attacks, there has been huge damage to the commercial traffic in the Red Sea, and the prices of many products, including fuel, have started increasing.

The number of ships travelling through the Suez Canal has declined by 39 per cent, and cargo traffic has declined by 45 per cent since December. The Suez Canal carries 12 to 15 percent of the world’s trade traffic. For this reason, disrupting the movement of goods in this maritime area is having an impact on global trade, and the United Nations recently drew attention to this. After this, a Japanese company named ‘Mitsui OSK Lines’, a top company in the shipping sector also underlined the threat to the supply chain.

‘The attacks and increasing tension in the ‘Red Sea‘ are historic events. This tension is likely to persist for the next few months. Even assuming an extreme worst-case scenario, there is a risk that the global supply chain could be disrupted for up to a year,’ said Takeshi Hashimoto, head of Mitsui OSK Lines. At present, the world’s shipping companies have enough ships to handle the tension in the ‘Red Sea’. However, as demand for products increases globally, there could be a shortage of vessels, and this could disrupt the supply chain, Hashimoto warned.

Container ships and companies used for sea transport have increased their prices. At some destinations, freight of more than a million dollars per day is being charged for the tankers required to transport fuel. Analysts and media are warning that this will lead to a new wave of inflation in the world due to an increase in the prices of products.

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Berlin – ‘The US is moving away from Europe and is competing with European allies to invest in green energy. China has now become Germany’s biggest rival, and their need for German products has decreased. The cessation of supplies of Russia’s affordable natural fuel gas has proved to be the final blow to Germany’s major industries, a US website has claimed, saying that Germany is losing its place as an industrial superpower. The German media have also confirmed this claim and has indicated that ‘de-industrialization’ is in progress.

A few days ago, Germany’s Finance Minister Christian Lindner confessed that Germany is no longer a competitive country and has started lagging. In 2023, top think tanks and analysts had forecasted that Germany was again moving towards becoming the ‘Sick Man of Europe’. There were indications that the German economy would progress after the spread of Coronavirus. However, the Russia-Ukraine war started, which gave Germany a new blow. The German economy has been in a steady decline since the last quarter of 2022, and there has been a major decline in the manufacturing sector and exports, which are the main pillars of the economy.

Before the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, many European countries, including Germany, were meeting more than 30 percent of their fuel needs by purchasing fuel from Russia. The US and European countries imposed sanctions on Russia’s fuel sector in response to anti-Russian actions in the Russia-Ukraine war. Other major countries, including Germany, stopped importing Russian fuel. Meanwhile, the Nord Stream fuel pipeline, built to supply fuel from Russia to Germany, was also blown up. Due to the closure of the Russian energy source, European countries had to import fuel at higher prices from the US and other countries.

In many countries, including Germany, electricity rates have had to be increased by one and a half to two times. Many industries were closed due to rising electricity prices becoming unbearable. According to the report of the consulting company named ‘Alvarez & Marsal’, 15 percent of German companies are in deep trouble. Germany’s top chemical industry has seen a 23 percent decline in capacity. French company Vallourec, which operates in Germany, has stopped its production. Apart from this, the companies Michelin and Goodyear have announced that they will be closing their factories in Germany by 2025.

Many of Germany’s top companies have begun relocating to other countries in whole or in part. According to a report shared by Germany’s leading newspaper ‘Bild’, one in three companies in the manufacturing sector is preparing to go abroad. Companies like ‘Miele’ and ‘Wishman’ have shifted to Poland, and ‘Volkswagen’ has announced the start of its new battery factory in the US. According to the information shared by Deloitte, 69 percent of German companies in the ‘Mechanical Engineering’, ‘Industrial Goods’ and ‘Automotive’ sectors have started full or partial production in other countries.

In a news report, the US website ‘Bloomberg‘ claimed that along with global instability, a lack of decision-making capacity at the political level, poor condition of basic facilities, rising age of citizens, and a decline in government business and education system were responsible for Germany’s industrial decline.

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