The UK announced on Tuesday that its military will fly Typhoon fighter jets over Saudi Arabia on “defensive missions” to help repel attacks from Yemen’s Ansar Allah, also known as the Houthis, marking an escalation of British involvement in the war. “The UK will fly defensive counter-air missions to support the protection of Saudi cities […]

Saudi airstrikes struck two fishing boats off the coast of Yemen on Tuesday, killing at least eight fishermen, according to Yemeni media. According to the SABA news agency, vessels were struck off the al-Kadha coast in the Dhubab district of Yemen’s southwestern Taiz province near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, an area that was under the […]

The Cradle – October 20, 2026

US special envoy Tom Barrack conceded that a “ground kinetic” battle in Yemen by the US “seems fruitless” during a talk at the Global Security Forum in Qatar on 20 October.

“I think the president’s been clear that he supports Saudi Arabia and the backing that they need logistically he will supply. But America getting involved in a ground kinetic battle somewhere else seems fruitless.”

Barrack is Washington’s ambassador to Turkiye and special presidential envoy for Syria and Iraq.

He admitted that military force has failed in Yemen and that Riyadh is in a “very difficult position.”

“These kinetic reactions have never worked. It doesn’t work. It’s probably not likely that it’s going to work,” he said.

Barrack questioned whether US meddling across West Asia has helped or harmed the region, arguing that Ansarallah in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the resistance factions in Iraq would lose their reason to exist only once states took responsibility themselves.

He pressed for talks between Riyadh, Sanaa, and regional mediators, urging regional capitals to build their own alliances instead of leaning on Washington.

He went further, admitting that the US has had a hand in 23 regime changes across the region, none of which achieved their aims.

He declined to say whether the US-Israeli war on Iran launched on 28 February was a mistake, while conceding that it had unleashed unintended consequences across the region.

The admission comes as the Saudi-led coalition presses on with airstrikes on Yemen, drawing retaliatory missile and drone strikes by the Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF) on the kingdom.

Riyadh has turned to its defense partners under the Mecca pact, including Pakistan and Turkiye, after Washington declined its requests for direct US intervention against Yemen.

Barrack’s remarks follow Washington’s failed bid to subdue Yemen by military force, with more than 1,000 US airstrikes between March 2024 and April 2025 unable to halt Yemeni naval operations waged in support of Gaza, forcing the US into an Omani-brokered ceasefire with Sanaa in May 2025.

The campaign cost Washington $1 billion in its first three weeks alone, as Yemeni forces downed 17 MQ-9 Reaper drones and the US lost two F-18 fighter jets.

Ansarallah leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said in November 2024 that the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier had retreated hundreds of miles after coming under Yemeni fire, while then US Under Secretary of Defense Bill LaPlante admitted he was “just shocked” by what Yemen’s missiles could do.

Europe fared no better, with Rear Admiral Vasileios Gryparis, commander of the EU’s Operation Aspides, telling Bloomberg in June 2024 that his Red Sea fleet needed to more than double in size and that US–UK strikes on Yemen were “not contributing to the solution,” after France withdrew one of his frigates citing the threat level.

 

The tension in a wardrobe often exists between the desire for armor and the inclination toward softness. In the Fall/Winter 2026 capsule from Leonie Hanne for GUESS, this conflict is not resolved by choosing one over the other, but by layering them into a single silhouette. The most immediate signal of this approach is the burgundy croc-embossed leather maxi trench. Its rigidity-the stand-up collar and the heavy, lacquered surface-establishes a sharp, architectural boundary. However, the wearability of the look shifts when that structure is paired with the fluidity of lace skirts or the matte drape of cashmere palazzo pants. By placing a heavy leather exterior over a weightless fabric, the outfit moves from a statement of sheer power to a study in proportion. The Shift in Texture Where a traditional professional wardrobe might lean entirely on structured tailoring, this collection introduces a specific collision of materials. The juxtaposition of coarse leather against delicate lace changes the visual meaning of the ensemble; the leather no longer reads as purely utilitarian or rebellious, and the lace ceases to be solely romantic. Together, they create a balanced silhouette that allows a wearer to transition from a rigid, decisive presence to a more relaxed, tactile softness without changing the primary garment.

Ciudad de Guatemala, 20 oct (Prensa Latina) Familiares y amigos despidieron hoy al reconocido exfiscal del Ministerio Público (MP) de Guatemala Juan Francisco Solórzano Foppa, asesinado el pasado sábado en un campo deportivo de esta capital.

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The post Houthis Show Capture of Strategic Jabal Han as Battle for Taiz Intensifies appeared first on South Front.

Iran-backed Houthi rebels struck a residential area in Yemen's third-largest city, killing two teenage girls. The strike on Tuesday renewed attention to the dangers faced by civilians in Taiz.

La organización instó a Saná y Riad a detener enfrentamientos para preservar unidad territorial y concentrar esfuerzos en enfrentar la agresión sionista.

Fighters of the Bratstvo Battalion, part of the Timur Special Unit of Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR), captured three Russian servicemen and gave first aid to one of them, HUR reported on 19 October. They also found and destroyed Russian sabotage groups, HUR said, adding that counter-sabotage operations in the Zaporizhzhia direction are ongoing.

Russian forces have spent months trying to get closer to Zaporizhzhia, one of Ukraine’s largest cities. They may try to use the dried-up bed of the Kakhovka Reservoir to infiltrate north toward it as autumn fog and dense vegetation set in, the Institute for the Study of War reported on 26 September. Ukrainian troops are now clearing the area of Russian saboteurs trying to get into the rear of Ukrainian positions, according to HUR.

HUR’s video shows the fighting and the captures, with one dead Russian soldier blurred. At the end, a captured Russian says two of the three men in his group were killed by a “Baba Yaga,” the nickname Russian troops use for Ukraine’s heavy bomber drones.

HUR described what the Russian groups are trying to do:

“Using small sabotage groups, the enemy is attempting to penetrate deep into the rear positions of Ukraine’s Defense Forces, build up forces to destabilize the situation, disrupt logistics, and neutralize Ukrainian defenders’ combat crews.”

Russia seeks to bring the front closer to Zaporizhzhia

Russia’s objective in the Zaporizhzhia direction is to advance within artillery range of the city, hold forward positions, and protect its rear from Ukrainian strikes, the Institute for the Study of War noted.

In January, Russian forces were trying to capture Stepnohirsk and advance along the shore of the former Kakhovka Reservoir toward Zaporizhzhia. Taking the settlement would let Russian troops place long-range artillery or fiber-optic drones there to strike the city’s outskirts, Southern Defense Forces spokesperson Vladyslav Voloshyn told Ukrinform on 14 January.

On 22 September, Anastasiia Shevchenko, spokesperson for the Southern Forces Group, said there were no signs of preparations for a direct offensive on Zaporizhzhia and that Russian forces lacked the troops and means to advance directly toward the city.

Dense vegetation and limited visibility: combat on the reservoir bed

The Kakhovka Reservoir was a vast artificial body of water on the Dnipro River in southern Ukraine that supplied water to millions of people, as well as to agriculture and industry. On 6 June 2023, Russian forces blew up the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant, the Southern Operational Command reported.

After the dam was destroyed, the bed of the former reservoir quickly became overgrown with willows, poplars, and shrubs, creating a new battlefield. Ukrainian troops have fought there before.

In November 2025, fighters from the same Bratstvo unit carried out a reconnaissance and sabotage operation 7 kilometers from the shoreline of the former reservoir, HUR said. They found and eliminated Russian troops, then raised the Ukrainian flag over the islands there and took control of the area.

In April, the Bratstvo unit’s chief of staff, who goes by the call sign “Dyviziia,” described the conditions on an earlier raid across the reservoir bed:

“You’re just constantly moving through these thickets, with no way to figure out which direction to go. You can literally see everything just two meters ahead of you.”

U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk says the Houthi siege has sent prices soaring, leaving many residents without food and other necessities.

U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk says the Houthi siege has sent prices soaring, leaving many residents without food and other necessities.

Modern cosmetic tattooing of the eyebrows has shifted away from the dense, graphic lines of previous years toward a philosophy of transparency and soft transitions. This transition is driven largely by the physical behavior of pigments in the skin: heavily saturated dyes with rigid contours often shift in hue over time, potentially developing gray, blue, or red undertones as the body reacts to the foreign substance. Because removing deeply embedded pigment is a complex process requiring multiple sessions, current practices prioritize techniques that avoid over-saturation. The outcome of any pigment implantation remains conditional, depending heavily on the client's skin chemistry and the depth of the needle penetration. Mechanisms of Application Powder browsing involves the pinpoint delivery of pigment to mimic the effect of brow shadows. Rather than creating a solid line, the pigment is deposited in a stippled fashion to produce a soft gradient. This is typically used to create an illusion of density in sparse brows without defining a hard border.

The Iranian-backed Houthi militia has cut road access to Taiz, one of Yemen’s largest cities, besieging it. Officials there warn of an impending humanitarian disaster.

© Anees Mahyoub/Reuters

The Saudi military has expensive equipment, but the missiles and drones used by the Yemeni militia are difficult to detect and stop.

© Fayez Nureldine/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

R.A.F. Typhoon fighter jets will be deployed to protect infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, Britain said, after a spike in attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi militia.

© Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

The difference between a blue ripple and a blue wave will be the turnout of young voters.

The reliability of blue denim often borders on the predictable, a wardrobe staple so universal it can flatten the visual impact of an outfit. The shift toward brown denim offers a specific adjustment in tone that alters the mood of a look without requiring a complete departure from a casual silhouette. While black denim provides a sharp, formal contrast, deep shades of chocolate and coffee introduce a softness to the lower half of the body. This change in hue shifts the garment from a utilitarian piece to something that interacts more fluidly with autumn textures. When paired with the matte finish of suede or the weight of heavy wool, a pair of dark brown jeans anchors an outfit in a way that feels grounded rather than stark. The Logic of Palette and Proportion The versatility of brown lies in its ability to bridge the gap between neutral and accent colors. A coffee-toned straight-leg jean allows for a seamless transition when paired with cream, grey, or black tops-colors already prevalent in most closets. However, the visual effect changes based on the specific pigment: caramel and chestnut tones pull the eye downward, turning the pants into the focal point of the ensemble, whereas bitter chocolate tones recede, functioning much like a traditional neutral.

For the 2027 holiday season, nail design is moving away from the high-saturation reds and heavy glitter traditionally associated with New Year's Eve. The current direction favors deeper, more muted palettes and subtle textural shifts that extend usability beyond the winter break. The focus has shifted from decorative excess to the structural integrity of the shape and the specific optical properties of the finish. Texture and Optical Depth One of the most distinct alternatives to standard sparkle is the "pearl champagne” effect. This look relies on a milky beige base with a soft pearlescent sheen rather than large, visible glitter particles. The difference is mechanical: a fine, micron-level powder or "inrube" (rub-in pigment) creates a uniform, mirror-like luster that only becomes apparent when the hand moves. This avoids the visual clutter of chunky sparkles, allowing the natural light to reflect off a smooth surface. This finish is most effective on short nails cut in a soft square or oval shape, where the clean line of the free edge complements the subtle shift in light. Conversely, deep emerald green offers a saturated, jewel-like alternative to red. The key to this look is the finish. A high-gloss top coat is essential here, as it mimics the refractive quality of a polished gemstone. Because the pigment is so dense, adding rhinestones or complex graphic lines often detracts from the elegance. The color itself serves as the primary visual element, requiring a cold undertone to maintain its depth against skin tones.

Ginebra, 20 oct (Prensa Latina) El Fondo de las Naciones Unidas para la Infancia (Unicef) reportó hoy que la intensificación de los combates y la escasez de combustible afectan el suministro de agua a más de 1,6 millones de niños en Taiz, Yemen.

The post Unicef reporta afectaciones a suministro de agua en Yemen first appeared on Noticias Prensa Latina.

Mohammed bin Salman is learning a lot about being a leader, although it is the Houthis who are giving him the lessons.

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Mohammed bin Salman is learning a lot about being a leader, although it is the Houthis who are giving him the lessons. The first one is that in the Arab world all promises of military support from neighbours are worthless. The second: only Iran has the power to stop the war in Yemen.

It’s hard to define Donald Trump’s legacy in the Middle East when, since the end of February this year, everything seems to point to him and the U.S. being a huge loser in a war against Iran. But one decision he did make more recently can be considered quite smart: not to hit the Houthis.

This group in Yemen has cultivated the model of how to stay in power even in the face of airstrikes from the U.S. They remain in mountainous regions, scattered as much as possible, and are the toughest fighters in the entire region. Trump’s decision in March 2025 to halt his own bombing campaign against them was probably the smartest thing the Donald has done in the region. He knew that they were just too tough, too resilient, and the price of U.S. shipping being hit in the Red Sea was just too great.

Tough times now for Saudi Arabia’s young crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, who can’t be sleeping very well at night – if he is getting any sleep at all. His own decision back in 2015 to launch a bombing campaign against civilians mainly in Sanaa (and often wedding ceremonies) might be one he is regretting now. The Crown Prince’s own air force is still bombing the Houthis, but this time along the coastline in a bid to break their stranglehold on the Bab el-Mandeb straits. But the response by the Houthis – to bomb the living daylights out of Saudi Arabia’s main airport in Riyadh – has not only shocked leaders of the entire region but underlines a point that media based in Dubai, too used to writing flattering copy about the Crown Prince, might not make: the fate of this young country, with its young leader, is balancing on the edge of a knife. Many experts point out why the Crown Prince is so paranoid about security and the threat of a coup d’état by pointing out that it is only a matter of time before one of these Saudi pilots drops his payload on the Crown Prince’s palace instead – which would be the tinderbox moment for a regime to fall, for a leader to slip away in the dead of night and arrive perhaps somewhere in London, Tangiers or even California. While MbS is fretting about the state of the war with the Houthis, which is not going at all well, his main worry is not that this group enters KSA and does anything politically to destabilise the country. It is rather that the lack of confidence within the royal family – by enough princes – reaches a tipping point and he is either assassinated or given the opportunity to flee at a moment’s notice. The attack on the airport was really such a tipping point, as it showed not only how MbS’s leadership and the poor decisions he makes are evident (the airport should have been closed months ago, but it would look like a defeatist move) but also how vulnerable the entire country is to any attack by the Yemeni group. Such a vulnerability is the issue, given that it was the young Crown Prince himself who upped the ante with the conflict with the Houthis – and he has hundreds of princes whom he locked up in a five-star hotel and held hostage while extracting huge amounts of money from, as one of his first policy initiatives as leader, who all hold mock reverence to him as the country’s leader. But for how long?

“This could turn out to be existential for Bin Salman,” argues London-based MENA commentator Sami Hamdi. “UAE and Houthis are hammering him in Yemen, Trump has taken his money and turned his back on him, Netanyahu is violating him by insisting on an official invite for help (normalisation), his best friend Turki Al Sheikh continues to fleece him with unprofitable boxing matches and never-ending raves, and his international allies refuse to fight for him and are pushing him towards a deal that will be interpreted by all as a humiliation for him.”

Solitude seems to come with the job of being MbS in Saudi Arabia – a country always appearing to be on the cusp of being great and significant but never quite managing it. Recently MbS carved out the reputation of being a dynamic regional leader who allowed pop concerts with scantily clad Western performers, while his own mega-projects in the desert quietly get wound down, barely leaving the drawing board.

The real lesson of the Houthis for MbS is that they are simply too tough – and even Turkey and Pakistan, who presented themselves as allies for Riyadh militarily, are remarkably quiet. Some would even go as far as to call it a betrayal of the Arabs.

“Why does Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ‘rightfully’ live in a state of disappointment and betrayal from his Arab and American allies?” asks the legendary Egyptian journalist and geopolitical hack Abdel Bariatwan. “Where is Turkey and Pakistan, and where is the Mecca alliance? Isn’t it a disgrace that Iran is the only one volunteering to mediate to stop the war?” he asks.