International

Hutis say that they attacked 3 other ships and the United States, that a Ukrainian freighter was hit

Yemen’s Shiite Houthi rebels claimed new attacks “with direct impact” against three other merchant ships in the Red and Arabian Seas, while the United States confirmed that a Ukrainian-owned freighter was hit and a member of its crew was seriously injured.

The Houthi military spokesman, Yehya Sarea, said in a statement that the new attacks were carried out “with drones and missiles during the last 24 hours,” shortly before the US force in the area announced that one of those attacks caused a fire on a Ukrainian freighter, operated by Poland, and “serious injuries” to a member of its crew.

“The first attack targeted the Verbena ship in the Arabian Sea (…) the second the Seaguardian (…) and the third the Athina,” said the insurgent spokesman, who assured that the latter two were hit in the Red Sea, and that the three actions were carried out with drones and ballistic missiles and had a “direct impact.”

Sarea did not reveal more details about the attacked vessels, although the U.S. Central Command. (Centcom, in English) said in his account in X that “two anti-ship cruise missiles of the Houthis, backed by Iran, hit M/V Verbena.”

It is “a bulk cargo ship operated by Poland, Ukrainian-owned and with the flag of Palau” that “reported damage and subsequent fires on board,” according to the message from Centcom, which pointed out that “the crew continues to fight the fire,” and that “a civilian sailor was seriously injured during the attack.”

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“A plane of the USS Philippine Sea (CG 58) medically evacuated the sailor who was injured in a nearby associated ship to receive medical attention,” Centcom added, pointing out that the M/V Verbena recently docked in Malaysia and was heading to Italy with wooden construction material.

The new attacks of the Houthis come after the fighters of this Shiite ideology movement announced on Wednesday a similar action in the Red Sea against a Greek freighter that was “seriously damaged”, in a new escalation of violence on that strategic sea route.

“This continuous reckless behavior of the Houthis backed by Iran threatens regional stability and endangers the lives of sailors in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden,” the Centcom message added.

He pointed out that “the Houthis claim to act on behalf of the Palestinians in Gaza and yet attack and threaten the lives of third-country nationals who have nothing to do with the conflict in Gaza,” and “their threat makes it more difficult to provide help to the people of Yemen and Gaza.”

Since mid-November, the Houthis have claimed dozens of attacks on merchant ships in the Red and Arabian Seas, which they accuse of being Israelis or linked to Israel, in response to that country’s attacks on the Palestinian enclave.

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Its actions against navigation have intensified in the last two weeks, while the United States and the United Kingdom have also intensified their bombings against Houthi positions in the context of an operation started in February to protect navigation in the Red Sea.

International

Football Fan Killed in Clashes After Colombian League Match

Fans of Cúcuta Deportivo and their traditional rivals Atlético Bucaramanga clashed outside the stadium following their local league match on Tuesday, leaving one supporter dead and several others injured.

The deceased fan was stabbed, according to a senior police official in Cúcuta who confirmed the cause of death in a video statement. Local media reported that the victim was a supporter of the visiting team, Atlético Bucaramanga.

The match ended in a 2-2 draw. Authorities had banned the entry of Atlético Bucaramanga’s organized supporters into the stadium in an effort to prevent disturbances.

Despite the restrictions, violence broke out in the surrounding areas after the game. Among the injured were three police officers, an institutional source told AFP.

The incident adds to a series of recent violent episodes linked to Colombian football. The most recent occurred in December, when supporters of Atlético Nacional and Independiente Medellín clashed in the stands and on the pitch, leaving 59 people injured.

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International

Missing Spanish Sailor Rescued After 11 Days Adrift in Mediterranean

The man had departed from the port of Gandía, on Spain’s eastern coast, with the intention of reaching the southern Spanish town of Guardamar del Segura, a journey of about 150 kilometers, a spokesperson for Spain’s maritime rescue service told AFP.

Search boats and aircraft were deployed on January 17, but the operation was called off on January 22 after efforts proved unsuccessful. Alerts were then issued to vessels navigating the area in case they spotted any signs of the missing sailor.

As hopes were fading, a surveillance aircraft from the European Union’s border agency Frontex spotted the sailboat on Tuesday, along with a person signaling for help, approximately 53 nautical miles northeast of Bejaia, Algeria.

A nearby vessel, the Singapore-flagged bulk carrier Thor Confidence, carried out the rescue and is expected to bring the man to an end to his ordeal when it arrives on Thursday in the southern Spanish port city of Algeciras.

Maritime rescue services shared images on social media showing a small white sailboat drifting at sea and secured alongside the much larger ship.

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It remains unclear how the sailboat ended up hundreds of kilometers off its intended route or how the man managed to survive for so long alone in open waters.

International

Rubio Says U.S. Could Participate in Follow-Up Russia-Ukraine Talks

The United States could join a new round of talks this week aimed at ending Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday.

Teams from Kyiv and Moscow met last Friday and Saturday in Abu Dhabi in their first publicly acknowledged direct negotiations to discuss the peace initiative promoted by former U.S. President Donald Trump.

“They are going to hold follow-up talks again this week,” Rubio told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “There could be U.S. participation.”

However, Rubio suggested that Washington’s role may be more limited than during last week’s discussions, which included Steve Witkoff, the president’s special envoy, and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law.

The secretary of state indicated that progress may have already been made on security guarantees for Ukraine, one of Kyiv’s key demands in any agreement with Moscow after nearly four years of Russian invasion.

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“There is one remaining issue that everyone is familiar with, and that is the territorial claim over Donetsk,” Rubio said, referring to the eastern Ukrainian region that Russia wants Ukraine to cede.

“I know that active efforts are underway to see whether the positions of both sides on this issue can be reconciled. It remains a bridge we have not yet crossed,” he added during the hearing.

Rubio acknowledged that the territorial question would be particularly difficult for Ukraine to resolve.