| | | Hello. Apologies for the version of this email delivered a short while ago, which was sent in error. The latest news is that UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is understood to have briefed his cabinet on the likelihood of British and US military strikes to counter attacks on vessels by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea. Security correspondent Frank Gardner analyses the challenges for military action in the area. Former US President Donald Trump made his second courtroom appearance of the week, this time in New York, where his civil fraud trial is coming to a close. Chloe Kim is one of the reporters following the action inside and outside the court. Finally, let’s hear it for the music legacy of 1970s rock bands from Germany. |
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| | | Questions Answered | Challenges of military action in the Red Sea | | The UK's HMS Diamond and three US warships helped shoot down the Houthi drones and missiles, but it’s an expensive effort. Credit: PA Media |
| Since the start of the civil war in Yemen in 2014, Houthi rebels have gained control of large parts of the country’s territory, including its Red Sea coastline. Armed with a powerful arsenal of missiles and drones, the Iran-backed group can cause considerable damage to global shipping in the name of solidarity with Gaza. From the threat of swarm attacks to lack of support from Arab countries, military action against the group would face numerous challenges. | | Frank Gardner, Security correspondent |
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| Why are the Houthis attacking ships in the Red Sea? | The Houthis have professed themselves to have joined the Gaza war on the side of Hamas. They claim, inaccurately, to be targeting only shipping that is calling at Israeli ports or those vessels with Israeli links to their ownership. This stance, while massively unwelcome to global shipping and trade, is going down very well with their own population and across the wider Middle East. | Why is that? | The popular Arab consensus is that the US is part of the problem because it is feeding Israel's war machine and it has been blocking a ceasefire in Gaza. Arab populations are also dismissive of their own governments' inability to stop the slaughter in Gaza. | What can be done to stop the attacks? | Centcom, the division of the US Department of Defense that deals with the Middle East, will have already drawn up detailed strike plans for destroying a range of Houthi military targets along the coast. But any US-led action would undoubtedly be portrayed as "a US-Israeli attack on the Arab nation". It would risk inflaming the Israel-Hamas war well beyond its current borders and spark a conflict with Iran which the US is keen to avoid. | | | |
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AT THE SCENE | New York, USA | Trump’s civil fraud trial wraps up | | Judge Arthur Engoron expects to deliver his final ruling by the end of the month. Credit: Reuters | Donald Trump did not miss the chance to fire some parting shots as a court in New York heard the closing arguments in his civil fraud trial. Trump and his two adult sons have already been found liable of massively inflating the value of their properties. The trial is focusing on a more narrow set of six remaining counts of fraud and also any penalties the Trumps must pay. | | Unexpectedly, Trump's lawyer Chris Kise asks Judge Engoron to allow Trump to speak. The judge asks Trump if he will speak and abide by the rules, and Trump starts speaking. This is a change from yesterday, when the judge said Trump wouldn't be speaking as he hadn't agreed to conditions on what he could say. Trump delivers a brief statement, rebutting elements of the case he believed to be unfair. But he also sneaks in some out-of-bounds claims that the case was politically motivated. “What's happened here, sir, is a fraud on me," Trump tells the court. "This is a political witch hunt that was set aside...we should receive damages for what we’ve gone through." He adds: "They [the New York state] want to make sure that I don't win again. This is partially election interference." |
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| The big picture | The cost of angering India | | A small island nation, Maldives depends on India for food, tourism and other resources. Credit: Anbarasan |
| When three Maldivian junior ministers made comments deemed derogatory of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it sparked a diplomatic tussle with Delhi. Now, the tourism paradise is in danger of facing a boycott by Indian visitors, who are among the largest contributors to the country's income. | | |
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| For your downtime | Neon lights | Exploring the lasting musical legacy of Germany’s krautrock. | |
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