#MSC Boxship Catches Fire After #Houthi Missile Strike Yemen's Houthi rebels have hit another merchant ship and sparked a fire with a missile strike in the Gulf of Aden, according to two UK security consultancies. Ambrey and Vanguard Tech both report that the sub-Panamax boxship MSC Sky II has been hit by a missile and has caught fire. The master of MSC Sky II reports that the attack involved two missiles: the first went into the water off the vessel's port quarter, and the second reportedly struck the ship's accommodations block. No injuries were reported, but the impact started a fire, and the crew were engaged in firefighting as of Monday afternoon. In an update late in the day, U.S. Central Command reported that the MSC Sky did not request assistance and continued on its voyage. MSC vessels have been targeted multiple times since the beginning of Houthi hostilities last fall. Houthi militants attacked MSC Palatium III with a ballistic missile in mid-December; MSC United VIII was attacked in the Red Sea about 10 days later; and MSC Silver II was targeted last month. None of these previous attacks were successful, though the Houthis have caused considerable harm to other owners' vessels. MSC had previously indicated that it would suspend Red Sea operations due to the security risk.

#Britain, #Germany, "Sweden considering opening embassies in #North_Korea The diplomatic missions of Great Britain, Germany and Sweden are considering the possibility of opening embassies in North Korea, Reuters reports with reference to diplomats of these countries. According to report, representatives of the German Foreign Ministry are currently in Pyongyang. They have been "inspecting the territory of the German embassy for two days now," a representative of the German Foreign Ministry told the agency, noting that the decision to resume the work of the diplomatic mission has not yet been made. According to a representative of the British Foreign Ministry, the United Kingdom, which closed the embassy in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in May 2020, is also trying to send a group of diplomats to Pyongyang. "We are negotiating with the DPRK government through the embassy in London in order to prepare for the visit of the technical and diplomatic group in the near future," he said. Sweden's Special Envoy for Korean Peninsula Affairs, Peter Semneby, told Reuters that some progress had been made towards the possible return of Swedish diplomats to Pyongyang, but declined to provide details, citing the sensitivity of the issue. "There is some movement, and we hope that we will be able to reopen our embassy relatively soon," he added. As previously reported by the Yonhap news agency, the head of the German Foreign Ministry's department for East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific, Martin Tummel, the first high-ranking Western diplomat to visit the country in four years, arrived in the DPRK. According to the agency, visits of this level have not been reported since January 2020,

Microsoft, Google, Meta, other tech companies slash more than 21,000 jobs this year Microsoft said today it is laying off 1,900 employees. It joins dozens of other tech companies, including Google, Amazon, TikTok and Meta, in slashing tech jobs. It's the latest sign that Silicon Valley is still trying to adjust from the boom times of the pandemic. NPR's Bobby Allyn reports. So far, in 2024, over 75 tech companies have laid off over 21,000 employees. The tech industry has been shedding jobs for years now. Last year marked one of the worst in recent memory, with some 260,000 techies losing their jobs. This year isn't expected to be anywhere near that total, but the layoffs haven't stopped. The way executives are defending the continuation of job cuts may sound familiar. And no, it's not AI. The biggest driver of the recent tech layoffs we've been seeing is still companies trying to correct for their overhiring during the pandemic surge given that the high-interest-rate environment and tech downturn have both lasted longer than initially expected. Estimates that just about 20% of the job losses in tech have been explained away by artificial intelligence, with tech companies trimming and reshuffling staff and investing more in automation. The big focus is on generative AI, which is the next gold rush in Silicon Valley. And while the economy is improving, sticky inflation and still historically high interest rates are dampening the outlook.

At least six Houthis killed in purported US-UK Sunday strike on Yemen's Hodeidah Province At least six members of the rebel Houthi movement Ansar Allah were killed on Sunday in a strike on Yemen's Red Sea coastal province of Hodeidah, which was attributed to combined US-UK forces, the Sky News Arabia TV channel reported, citing sources. In addition, two advisers to the Lebanon-based Shiite party Hezbollah, which together with Iran provides military and technical support to the Houthis within Yemeni territory, fell victim to a strike on an Ansar Allah facility in Hodeidah. Earlier, Sky News Arabia reported that one of Ansar Allah's facilities located in northern Hodeidah Province came under attack. The Houthi-owned Al Masirah TV channel claimed that the strike was carried out by US and British warplanes. However, a Pentagon official told TASS that the US-led international coalition did not carry out any strikes on Yemeni territory on Sunday.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Navy Unveils New Warship According to local reports, the Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis boasts advanced radar-evading technologies, a 14-day naval endurance, and a 2,000 nautical-mile radius. In a ceremony held on Saturday in Iran’s southern port of Bandar Abbas, The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Navy unveiled a new batch of military equipment and systems, including a new domestically manufactured warship. The Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis is a corvette-type vessel with a catamaran design which, according to Iran, has advanced radar-evading technologies, a 14-day naval endurance, and a 2,000 nautical-mile radius. The vessel is named after the deputy head of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units who was assassinated alongside Quds Force commander Quasem Suleimani in a 2020 US drone strike. Hezbollah’s media outlet Al Mayadeen reports that the IRGC Navy chief, Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri, said during the ceremony that the corvette is akin to a “mobile maritime city.” According to Colton Jones on Defense Blog, analysts have identified several weapon systems, including 30mm and 20mm cannons, lightweight torpedoes, and six box launchers which can presumably house C802 anti-ship missiles.