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Houthi rebels seize Yemen's entire Red Sea coastline, reigniting civil war and rattling oil markets
A week-long Houthi offensive has captured the whole of Yemen's Red Sea coast, including the port city of Mokha and islands near the Bab el-Mandeb strait, through which roughly 12% of world trade passes in peacetime, reigniting the country's 12-year civil war and pushing up global fuel prices. The Iran-backed rebels also struck oil infrastructure inside Saudi Arabia, forcing the shutdown of a critical pipeline, Riyadh's energy ministry confirmed Friday, September 18, 2026. The offensive, the Houthis' biggest land grab in years, has forced an estimated 125,000 Yemenis to flee their homes, and analysts say the rebels are now eyeing an advance into the country's oil-rich east.
Read more →Lead Story
Houthi rebels seize Yemen's entire Red Sea coastline, reigniting civil war and rattling oil markets
A week-long Houthi offensive has captured the whole of Yemen's Red Sea coast, including the port city of Mokha and islands near the Bab el-Mandeb strait, through which roughly 12% of world trade passes in peacetime, reigniting the country's 12-year civil war and pushing up global fuel prices. The Iran-backed rebels also struck oil infrastructure inside Saudi Arabia, forcing the shutdown of a critical pipeline, Riyadh's energy ministry confirmed Friday, September 18, 2026. The offensive, the Houthis' biggest land grab in years, has forced an estimated 125,000 Yemenis to flee their homes, and analysts say the rebels are now eyeing an advance into the country's oil-rich east.
Bank of Japan raises rate to 31-year high of 1.25% as inflation and wages climb
The Bank of Japan lifted its benchmark policy rate by 25 basis points to 1.25% on Friday, September 18, 2026, the highest level since 1995, as it moves to counter inflation driven by energy costs, a weak yen and rising domestic wages. The decision, the central bank's second hike this year, was approved 7-2, with board members Toichiro Asada and Ayano Sato -- both reflationists appointed by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi -- dissenting. The hike came just three months after the BOJ's previous one, a quickening pace compared with the roughly six-month gaps seen earlier in its policy-normalization cycle that began in March 2024, and follows pressure from Washington over Japan's ultra-loose monetary stance.
Read more →Bank of Japan raises rate to 31-year high of 1.25% as inflation and wages climb
The Bank of Japan lifted its benchmark policy rate by 25 basis points to 1.25% on Friday, September 18, 2026, the highest level since 1995, as it moves to counter inflation driven by energy costs, a weak yen and rising domestic wages. The decision, the central bank's second hike this year, was approved 7-2, with board members Toichiro Asada and Ayano Sato -- both reflationists appointed by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi -- dissenting. The hike came just three months after the BOJ's previous one, a quickening pace compared with the roughly six-month gaps seen earlier in its policy-normalization cycle that began in March 2024, and follows pressure from Washington over Japan's ultra-loose monetary stance.
Trump administration plans $2.8bn bomb sale to Israel over Democratic objections
The Trump administration is moving forward with a $2.8 billion sale of 40,000 heavy bombs to Israel -- 20,000 MK-84 general-purpose bombs and 20,000 BLU-117s, a thermally coated variant, along with I-2000 Penetrator warheads designed to strike hardened underground structures -- funded through the US Foreign Military Financing program, it was reported September 16, 2026. It would be the largest single sale of 2,000-pound munitions in recent years. Representative Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has said he will not clear the sale, arguing the administration has not provided sufficient assurances the weapons will be used in accordance with the law and with adequate protections for civilians -- the same category of bombs whose delivery the Biden administration once paused over mass-casualty concerns in Gaza.
Read more →Trump administration plans $2.8bn bomb sale to Israel over Democratic objections
The Trump administration is moving forward with a $2.8 billion sale of 40,000 heavy bombs to Israel -- 20,000 MK-84 general-purpose bombs and 20,000 BLU-117s, a thermally coated variant, along with I-2000 Penetrator warheads designed to strike hardened underground structures -- funded through the US Foreign Military Financing program, it was reported September 16, 2026. It would be the largest single sale of 2,000-pound munitions in recent years. Representative Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has said he will not clear the sale, arguing the administration has not provided sufficient assurances the weapons will be used in accordance with the law and with adequate protections for civilians -- the same category of bombs whose delivery the Biden administration once paused over mass-casualty concerns in Gaza.
Russia pressures families of captured Ukrainian soldiers as POW numbers mount
Human rights groups and journalists report that Russia is holding thousands of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians as prisoners of war more than four years into its full-scale invasion, and is increasingly contacting captives' relatives directly on social media to pressure them into cooperating, according to reporting published September 16-17, 2026. Moscow has been accused of withholding information about detainees through official channels while using informal outreach to families to extract favors, adding a new layer of psychological strain for those already searching for missing loved ones. Ukraine and Russia have each released roughly 10,000 prisoners of war over the nearly four and a half years of fighting through periodic exchanges, but rights advocates say thousands more remain unaccounted for.
Read more →Russia pressures families of captured Ukrainian soldiers as POW numbers mount
Human rights groups and journalists report that Russia is holding thousands of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians as prisoners of war more than four years into its full-scale invasion, and is increasingly contacting captives' relatives directly on social media to pressure them into cooperating, according to reporting published September 16-17, 2026. Moscow has been accused of withholding information about detainees through official channels while using informal outreach to families to extract favors, adding a new layer of psychological strain for those already searching for missing loved ones. Ukraine and Russia have each released roughly 10,000 prisoners of war over the nearly four and a half years of fighting through periodic exchanges, but rights advocates say thousands more remain unaccounted for.
Guterres opens his final UN General Assembly high-level week warning of an 'era of deep uncertainty'
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres opened the General Assembly's high-level week -- the last of his mandate before it ends on December 31 -- warning that the world has entered 'an era of deep uncertainty' and urging renewed international cooperation. Guterres framed his agenda around what he called three existential threats: runaway artificial intelligence, the climate crisis and deepening inequality, alongside the ongoing wars in Gaza and Ukraine, for which he repeated calls for an immediate ceasefire and a 'just, lasting and comprehensive peace,' as well as a two-state solution in the Middle East. More than 190 world leaders are expected in New York for the General Debate running September 22-28, with Guterres set to convene a dedicated Climate Summit on September 23.
Read more →Guterres opens his final UN General Assembly high-level week warning of an 'era of deep uncertainty'
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres opened the General Assembly's high-level week -- the last of his mandate before it ends on December 31 -- warning that the world has entered 'an era of deep uncertainty' and urging renewed international cooperation. Guterres framed his agenda around what he called three existential threats: runaway artificial intelligence, the climate crisis and deepening inequality, alongside the ongoing wars in Gaza and Ukraine, for which he repeated calls for an immediate ceasefire and a 'just, lasting and comprehensive peace,' as well as a two-state solution in the Middle East. More than 190 world leaders are expected in New York for the General Debate running September 22-28, with Guterres set to convene a dedicated Climate Summit on September 23.