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Search for survivors after Houthis sink second Red Sea cargo ship in a week
Six crew members have been rescued and at least three others killed after a cargo ship was attacked by Yemen’s Houthis and sank in the Red Sea, a European naval mission says.
The Liberian-flagged, Greek-operated Eternity C was carrying 25 crew when it sustained significant damage and lost all propulsion after being hit by rocket-propelled grenades fired from small boats on Monday, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency.
The attack continued on Tuesday and search rescue operations commenced overnight.
The Iran-backed Houthis said they attacked the Eternity C because it was heading to Israel, and that they took an unspecified number of crew to a “safe location”.
The US embassy in Yemen said the Houthis had “kidnapped many surviving crew members” and called for their immediate release.
Authorities in the Philippines said 21 of the crew were citizens. Another of them is a Russian national who was severely wounded in the attack and lost a leg.
It is the second vessel the Houthis have sunk in a week, after the group on Sunday launched missiles and drones at another Liberian-flagged, Greek-operated cargo ship, Magic Seas, which they claimed “belonged to a company that violated the entry ban to the ports of occupied Palestine”.
Video footage released by the Houthis on Tuesday showed armed men boarding the vessel and setting off a series of explosions which caused it to sink.
All 22 crew of Magic Seas were safely rescued by a passing merchant vessel.
Since November 2023, the Houthis have targeted around 70 merchant vessels with missiles, drones and small boat attacks in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
They have now sunk four ships, seized a fifth, and killed at least seven crew members.
The group has said it is acting in support of the Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, and have claimed – often falsely – that they are targeting ships only linked to Israel, the US or the UK, which have carried out air strikes on Yemen in response.
On Wednesday the EU’s naval mission in the Red Sea, Operation Aspides, said it was participating in the international response to the attack on the Eternity C and that “currently six castaway crew members have been recovered from the sea”.
An Aspides official told AFP news agency that five were Filipinos and one was Indian, and that 19 others were still missing.
The Greece-based maritime security firm Diaplous released a video on Wednesday that showed the rescue of at least five seafarers who it said had spent more then 24 hours in the water, according to Reuters news agency.
“We will continue to search for the remaining crew until the last light,” Diaplous said.
Reuters also cited maritime security firms as saying that the death toll was four.
The US state department condemned the attacks on the Magic Seas and Eternity C, which it said “demonstrate the ongoing threat that Iran-backed Houthi rebels pose to freedom of navigation and to regional economic and maritime security”.
“The United States has been clear: we will continue to take necessary action to protect freedom of navigation and commercial shipping from Houthi terrorist attacks, which must be condemned by all members of the international community.”
In May, the Houthis agreed a ceasefire deal with the US following seven weeks of intensified US strikes on Yemen in response to the attacks on international shipping.
However, they said the agreement did not include an end to attacks on Israel, which has conducted multiple rounds of retaliatory strikes on Yemen.
The secretary-general of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) called for intensified diplomatic efforts following the new wave of attacks.
“After several months of calm, the resumption of deplorable attacks in the Red Sea constitutes a renewed violation of international law and freedom of navigation,” Arsenio Dominguez said.
“Innocent seafarers and local populations are the main victims of these attacks and the pollution they cause,” he warned.
[BBC]
Countries around the world are welcoming the New Year as midnight strikes from time zone to time zone.
The island of Kiritimati – an atoll in the remote Pacific nation of Kiribati – became the first place to enter 2026. One tourist there told us he marked it “on a beach with no satellites, no signs of human life, complete darkness and countless crabs”.
Spectators in the UK have enjoyed thousands of fireworks light up London skies, while in Edinburgh, crowds gathered in true Hogmanay fashion despite weather warnings.
Then Australia lit up the sky over the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge.
In Sydney, celebrations were tempered by sadness as the nation reflected on the Bondi Beach attack on 14 December in which 15 people were killed.
At 23:00 local time, Sydney Harbour fell silent for a minute, with crowds holding lights to remember the victims of Bondi. A Jewish menorah was projected on to the pylons of the Harbour Bridge.
Elsewhere, there were more fireworks at Marina Bay Waterfront in Singapore.
Fireworks matched the brilliance of skyscraper lights in Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines. [BBC]
Thousands lined the Chao Phraya river in Bangkok as Thailand welcomed the New Year.
In Dubai, people watched fireworks from the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, following a performance with light displays, music and water jets.
[BBC]
In Hong Kong, spectators enjoyed live performances with fetching headwear.
The Juyongguan Great Wall was lit up in Beijing.
[BBC]
Laser lights dominated the night sky over the Lotte World Tower, South Korea’s tallest building in Seoul.
At the Bosingak pavilion in Seoul, artists performed during the New Year countdown.
A street performer showed off her fiery skills as part of the Procession of Light in Dublin before heading to the Matinee Countdown Concert in Dublin Castle.
In other parts of the world, nations marked the coming New Year with their own traditions.
On a nudist beach in Le Cap d’Agde, southern France, clothed and unclothed revellers took part in a traditional sea dip to mark the New Year’s celebrations.
Swimmers at Islands Brygge Harbour Bath in Copenhagen, Denmark, also braved the cold waters for a traditional splash, known as Nytaarsbad.
In Ommen, the Netherlands, local residents watched the annual carbide shooting – a New Year’s Eve tradition of turning milk cans into cannons.
In Osaka, Japan, young women dressed in traditional kimono took part in a Shinto ritual procession to mark the end of the year at Sumiyoshi Taisha, one of Japan’s oldest Shinto shrines.
Colourful runners braved the December air in Krakow, Poland, for the traditional Krakow New Year’s Run in the Old Town.
Adults and children performed a traditional dance to release the sun of 2025, and to welcome the sun of 2026, in in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia.
AFP via Getty Images
Highlighting the spirit of global and regional cooperation, the Sri Lanka Navy acknowledged the invaluable support by foreign warships, which had arrived to take part in the International Fleet Review (IFR) 2025, extending much-needed Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations, during the recent weather disaster in Sri Lanka.
The IFR 2025 was held off the Galle Face seas, marking the milestone 75th anniversary celebrations of the Sri Lanka Navy.
Representing the Government of Sri Lanka, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya graced the event and received the traditional naval salute from onboard SLNS Gajabahu, as the participating foreign warships paid their honours.
Eight (08) foreign naval warships arrived in Sri Lanka by 27 November to take part in the IFR under the theme “Sailing Strong – Together”. The participating warships included the Bangladesh Navy’s BNS PROTTOY, the Indian Navy’s aircraft carrier INS VIKRANT and INS UDAYGIRI, Iran Navy’s IRIS NAGHDI, the Maldivian Coast Guard’s CGS HURAVEE, the Royal Malaysian Navy’s KD TERENGGANU, Pakistan Navy’s PNS SAIF and Russian Navy’s GREMYASCHCHY.
Due to the disaster-situation triggered by severe weather conditions across the island, foreign warships that arrived for the event were promptly redirected to support humanitarian efforts. Particularly, helicopters deployed from the Indian Navy’s aircraft carrier INS VIKRANT and Pakistan Navy’s PNS SAIF played a praiseworthy role in search and rescue missions for affected communities.
Accordingly, the warships representing each nation joined the IFR, honouring proud maritime traditions and in acknowledgement of Sri Lanka and its Navy. Their participation also reinforced collective cooperation and partnership needed to address non-traditional maritime threats in the region, as well as natural disasters driven by climate change.
The Prime Minister expressed gratitude to a group of diplomatic officials, present on this occasion, for their support in the disaster relief operations. The officials, who were present on the occasion, represented the High Commissions and Embassies of Bangladesh, India, Iran, Maldives, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Russia in Sri Lanka.
A train driver has died and at least 40 people have been injured in a head-on rail collision near Peru’s most popular tourist attraction, Machu Picchu.
Two trains collided on the single track leading to the ancient Inca town on Tuesday, according to a statement from the local government.
It said that 20 ambulances had attended the scene and that injured people had been transferred to medical facilities in the nearby city of Cusco.
The US embassy in Peru said that US citizens were injured in the crash, while the UK Foreign Office said it was “supporting a number of British nationals involved”.
Local media outlet Peru21 reports that hundreds of tourists remain at the scene awaiting evacuation, which has been hampered by difficult terrain around the crash site.
At least 20 of the injured are in a serious condition, a health official told the Reuters news agency.
The collision occurred on the track linking Ollantaytambo Station and Aguas Calientes, the closest town to Machu Picchu. The journey between the two stations usually takes around 90 minutes.
The two trains involved in the accident were operated by PeruRail and Inca Rail respectively.
“We deeply regret what has happened,” PeruRail said in a statement, adding that its staff had “immediately” provided first aid to the train driver, the train conductor and the passengers involved in the incident.
The cause of the accident has not yet been made clear.
(BBC)
In pictures: New Year welcomed around the world
Foreign warships commended for their assistance during weather disaster in Sri Lanka
Machu Picchu train crash leaves one dead and dozens injured
I invite you to step into 2026 with renewed energy, hope, and determination – PM
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