Latest news

Saudi-backed forces launch offensive in Yemen

Saudi-backed forces in Yemen have launched an offensive against the separatist movement STC in the eastern parts of the country, several media outlets report.

According to a statement from the STC, which is supported by Saudi Arabia's rival the United Arab Emirates, Saudi forces have carried out at least seven airstrikes in support of the offensive. At least seven people are said to have been killed.

Salem al-Khanbashi, local mayor and commander of the Saudi-backed forces, plays down the military operation.

- It is not a declaration of war or an escalation, but a preventive operation to increase security and prevent chaos, he says according to Al Jazeera.

However, a spokesman for the STC tells Reuters that Saudi Arabia is deliberately trying to mislead the outside world by claiming that the operation is anything other than a military attack.

Political situation in Mexico
Powerful earthquake interrupts Mexican president

A magnitude 6.5 earthquake has shaken southern Mexico, several media outlets report. There are currently no reports of any major damage, but the quake prompted President Claudia Sheinbaum to cancel a press conference.

Sheinbaum stood in front of reporters in the capital Mexico City when the ground beneath her began to shake, and warning alarms began to sound.

The venue was evacuated but the press conference was later resumed.

India's environmental problems
Baby died from dirty water in "India's cleanest city"

At least a dozen people are dead and hundreds are hospitalized after a toilet appears to have leaked into the drinking water pipes in the Indian city of Indore, The Guardian and BBC report.

Five-month-old boy Avyan Sahu died after his father Sunil Sahu gave him formula mixed with water. Even though Sunil Sahu boiled the mixture before feeding it, his baby developed severe diarrhea. Three days later, he was dead, he says.

“No one told us the water was contaminated. We cleaned it. The same water flowed throughout the neighborhood. There was no warning,” he says.

Local politicians in Indore, ranked as India’s cleanest city for the past eight years, promise a thorough investigation.

The year ahead
AI, sports and space will shape 2026 – but hardly peace

2025 is added to the agenda and several international media outlets are looking into the oracle for 2026.

With the help of experts, Vox sets probabilities for various outcomes. Topping the long list, with a 95 percent probability, is that the Democrats in the United States will win back at least one of the two chambers of Congress. Two 75 percentiles are that two satellites collide in the increasingly crowded orbit and that some AI system becomes so efficient that it can handle a task that takes a human 16 hours to perform. However, Vox does not believe in peace in Ukraine.

Politico places odds on various events and that the war in Ukraine ends gives four times the money. Then it is more likely – three times the money – that Benjamin Netanyahu manages to bounce back and actually win the election in Israel in October. It is even more likely that “the Viktator” – Viktor Orbán – wins again when the Hungarians vote in April. At the same time, the political site warns of economic turbulence of various kinds.

2026 will be a sports year like few others, writes The Athletic. Although the Winter Olympics and the men's soccer World Cup are likely to get the biggest headlines, there are many other goodies on the calendar – such as the wedding between athlete Travis Kelce and pop queen Taylor Swift.

The fact that NASA astronauts will circle the moon this year and that the United States is celebrating 250 years are highlighted as two highlights by the American NBC.