World Echo

Iranian authorities have arrested 6,000 people so far over their alleged involvement in anti-government protests and unrest in January, the country’s police chief said on Monday. In remarks aired by state broadcaster IRIB, Ahmadreza Radan said the detainees were involved in an attempted coup and accused them of assisting countries hostile to Iran during the unrest on January 8-9. “We will not release these people, except those who express regret and repent,” he said. The protests began on December 28, 2025, at Tehran’s Grand Bazaar amid a sharp depreciation of the Iranian rial and worsening economic conditions before spreading to several cities across the country. The demonstrations intensified on January 8-9, with Iranian authorities saying some of the protests turned violent and involved attacks on security forces as well as public and private property. Read: Iran arrests dozens accused of sharing information with Israel Authoriti...

Clashes between Yemeni government forces and the Houthi group are intensifying along the country’s western coast, with airstrikes and ground fighting inflicting heavy casualties on both sides and displacing tens of thousands of civilians. At the same time, the wave of people fleeing western coastal areas has expanded, with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) reporting that more than 82,000 people have been displaced since the beginning of September, including more than 2,000 who have reached Djibouti. The Yemeni army said that Houthi positions and military equipment were targeted in airstrikes in the areas of Mokha and Dhubab in the western part of Taiz governorate. Armed Forces spokesman Colonel Majid Al-Nazili said in a statement posted on the United States social media platform X that Houthi elements had been neutralised in an area described as a “zone of destruction.” Read: Explainer: Why is the Bab el-Mandeb Strait so important? The s...

Several electricity generators at hospitals in the Gaza Strip have stopped operating due to shortages of oil, spare parts and fuel, the Health Ministry said Sunday. The ministry said several generators had stopped working in recent days, warning that shortages of generator oil were making it increasingly difficult to maintain electricity supplies at hospitals. It said the limited quantities of oil recently allowed into Gaza by Israel were only sufficient for emergency needs, while hospitals require around 2,500 liters per month. “The remaining generators are operating around the clock under difficult technical and mechanical conditions and are unable to meet the electricity needs of all life-saving departments,” the ministry said. Read: Muslim states warn against forced Gaza exodus It warned that more generators could stop working without urgent oil changes and called for the immediate entry of essential supplies to keep them operational. Generators have beco...

At least one body was recovered while more than 30 people are missing after an inter-island ferry sank off the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu, the prime minister's office said on Sunday. Of the more than 40 crew members and passengers on board, 15 people have been accounted for alive, according to a statement on US social media platform Facebook. The statement, citing Luganville MP Matai Seremiah, said the search in open waters is being scaled back as efforts shifted to the southeast coast, where currents may have carried survivors. "The loss appears to be the result of strong winds and marine warnings not being heeded, and possibly of negligence including overloading of the vessel," said the prime minister's office. Read: Eleven bodies recovered after boat carrying migrants sinks off Tunisia It urged ship owners to prioritize safety, ensure vessels are seaworthy and properly equipped, and maintain reliable communication systems. "Ignoring ...

Yemeni government forces thwarted a large-scale attack by the Houthi group in the oil-rich Marib province in central Yemen on Saturday, according to local media. The government-aligned West Coast news website said government forces repelled the attack in the Al-Mashjah and Al-Zour areas, west of Marib. The website provided no further details, while neither government forces nor the Houthis issued an immediate statement on the report. The development comes amid ongoing fighting between government forces and the Houthis across several fronts, including Marib, Al-Jawf, Taiz, Al-Dhale and Al-Bayda provinces. Read: Trump says Iran probably responsible for attack on Saudi pipeline Social media activists circulated videos purportedly showing dozens of Houthi members who were killed or captured during fighting Friday on several fronts along Marib’s borders. Yesterday, the Trump administration had no plans for direct military action against Houthi forces in Yemen, though it is p...

Saudi Arabia’s shutdown of its vital East-West oil pipeline following drone strikes has brought renewed attention to its role in carrying crude from the kingdom’s eastern oil-producing region to the Red Sea while bypassing the Strait of Hormuz. The Saudi Energy Ministry said on Friday that the pipeline had been targeted on Thursday morning by several drones in the Riyadh and Medina regions, prompting authorities to halt its operation as a precaution. An official ministry source, cited by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), said emergency and technical teams had begun securing the pipeline and checking its safety, adding that any further developments would be announced as they became available. The Saudi Foreign Ministry said the attack was carried out using several drones launched from Iraq and resulted in injuries and material damage. The ministry did not specify the number of casualties, the extent of damage to the pipeline or its pumping stations, or how long the shutd...