YEMEN
A Houthi missile attack on the presidential palace in Aden, in southern Yemen, has left five people dead and 16 injured. According to Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani, five ballistic missiles struck the al-Maashiq palace, without injuring Prime Minister Shaya Zindani or the other ministers.
The Houthi military spokesperson, Yahya Sarea, stated that the target was the Saudi military operations headquarters in Aden. The victims include guards and civilian staff. Zindani condemned the attack and assured that operations against the Houthis would continue. The Yemeni government is supported by a coalition led by Saudi Arabia, which is engaged in the conflict against the Iran-backed rebels.
PHILIPPINES
In the Philippines, six companies have been fined 1.76 billion pesos (almost 25 million euros) for forming an onion cartel, causing an artificial surge in prices. In 2022, the price of onions reached a record high of 800 pesos per kilo, exceeding the daily minimum wage and the price of meat. According to the authorities, the companies controlled almost 50 per cent of import licences in 2020 and 2021. The crisis ended in 2023 thanks to bumper harvests. The Competition Commission described the fine as the highest since its establishment.
JAPAN
The Japanese Ministry of Welfare is drawing up guidelines to tackle child abuse committed by parents on religious grounds. The draft identifies various forms of abuse: physical punishment during religious activities; threats such as ‘you’ll go to hell’ to force children to practise a faith; restrictions on choices regarding education, work or marriage; and the refusal of medical treatment, including blood transfusions. Local authorities and support centres will be required to report cases to the police without delay and to prioritise the safety of children. Support is also to be provided for adults seeking protection. The measures respond to testimonies from children of members of the Unification Church and other religious organisations, who have reported being left without help because their problems were regarded as religious matters.
INDIA
On Thursday, the Punjab government lodged an appeal with the High Court against the Indian central government’s decision to deny authorisation for an official visit to France by the state’s chief minister, Bhagwant Mann, and his delegation. The visit was intended to promote trade through participation in the SIAL 2026 international food fair. The refusal has been described as “arbitrary”, with the point being made that the request had been submitted more than five weeks in advance and that the Ministry of External Affairs had provided no justification nor allowed the delegation to clarify the situation. This is not the first incident of this kind: in January, the central government had already refused to grant Mann permission to visit the United Kingdom and Israel.
CHINA
In China, many of the people who have licensed their likeness for AI-generated video productions claim they have received neither requests to use their likeness nor any earnings. Platforms such as NCAIGC, Mirafans and ActID promised regular income, attracting users with adverts touting earnings of 2,500 yuan (330 euros) in three days. The system allows companies to use authorised images for short dramas, adverts and live streams, retaining around 30 per cent of the fees. Demand for ordinary people’s faces, however, remains limited: companies prefer celebrities and influencers.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE
The Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office has opened criminal proceedings against Russian archaeologists conducting excavations in Crimea, which has been annexed by Russia, accusing them of violating the laws and customs of war through premeditated conspiracy. The scholars are taking part in research into the medieval city of Solkhat, the historic capital of Crimea during the Tatar-Mongol Golden Horde; they include the historian Marek Kramarovskij, founder of the State Hermitage Museum’s archaeological expedition to ancient Crimea, Emil Seidaliev, a senior researcher at the Crimean Institute of Archaeology, and three other archaeologists.
GEORGIA
The International Monetary Fund has revised its growth forecast for the Georgian economy, which had previously been estimated at 6.5 per cent and is now projected at 7.2 per cent, outperforming all neighbouring countries in the South Caucasus. This growth is largely due to international trade, which in the first nine months of this year increased by over 9 per cent compared with 2025, reaching $20.53 billion, with exports totalling over $6 billion and imports $14 billion, mainly with Turkey, Russia and China, the three main trading partners.
