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Crucial Red Sea data cables cut, telecoms firm says

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The severed communications cables reportedly ran under the Red Sea from Saudi Arabia to Djibouti (BBC)

Several undersea communications cables in the Red Sea have been cut, affecting 25% of data traffic flowing between Asia and Europe, a telecoms company and a US official say.

Hong Kong-based HGC Global Communications said it had taken measures to reroute traffic after four of the 15 cables were recently severed. The cause is not yet clear.

The US official said it was trying to find out whether the cables were cut deliberately or snagged by an anchor.

Last month, Yemen’s internationally-recognised government warned that the Iran-backed Houthi movement might sabotage the undersea cables in addition to attacking ships in the sea.

The Houthis – who control much of western Yemen’s Red Sea coast – denied last week that they had targeted cables and blamed US and British military strikes for any damage to them.

US and British forces have targeted Houthi weapons and infrastructure in response to the drone and missile attacks on merchant vessels passing through the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

The Houthis say their attacks are a show of support for the Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

HGC Global Communication said in a statement on Monday that four submarine cables in the Red Sea – Seacom, TGN-Gulf, Asia-Africa-Europe 1 and Europe India Gateway – had been cut in a recent “incident”.  An estimated 25% of traffic was affected, it added, noting that some 80% of the west-bound traffic from Asia passed through the cables.

HGC said it had taken measures to mitigate any disruptions for its clients by rerouting data to Europe through cables in mainland China and under the Pacific Ocean to the US, as well as using the remaining cables in the Red Sea.

 African telecoms cable operator Seacom told the Associated Press that “initial testing indicates the affected segment lies within Yemeni maritime jurisdictions in the Southern Red Sea”.

A Pentagon official confirmed to CBS News, the BBC’s US partner, that undersea telecommunications cables in the Red Sea had been cut.

The official said the US was still trying to determine whether they were deliberately severed or snagged by a ship’s anchor.

Map showing control of Yemen

Last week, Israeli business website Globes reported that the same four cables running between the Saudi city of Jeddah and Djibouti had been damaged and pointed the blame at the Houthis, without providing any evidence. Sky News Arabia, which is based in the United Arab Emirates, cited unnamed sources as accusing the Houthis of “blowing up” the cables”.

The Houthis’ telecommunications ministry denied those reports. The ministry said it wanted to reaffirm remarks in a recent speech by Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi, who said the group did not want to put any communications cables at risk.

The decision to “prevent the passage of Israeli ships” through the Red Sea did “not apply to ships belonging to international companies licensed to carry out marine work on cables in Yemeni waters”, it added.

On Monday, Telecommunications Minister Misfer al-Numair said his ministry was “ready to assist requests for permits and identify ships with the Yemeni Navy”, referring to the Houthis’ naval forces.

Meanwhile, the US military’s Central Command said the Houthis had fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles at a Liberian-flagged, Swiss-owned container ship, MSC Sky II, in the Gulf of Aden. One of the missiles hit the vessel, causing damage but no injuries, it added.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea claimed that the ship was Israeli and that it would “continue to prevent Israeli navigation or those heading to the ports of occupied Palestine”.

(BBC)



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Foreign News

USA midfielder sues doctors after on-pitch cardiac arrest

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Savannah DeMelo collapsed during a league match between Racing Louisville and Seattle Reign [BBC]

United States women’s national team player Savannah DeMelo is suing a hospital and two doctors after she suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch last year.

Midfielder DeMelo, who has seven senior caps for the USA, has filed a lawsuit against University of Louisville Health (UofL Health) for negligence.

The 28-year-old, who plays for Racing Louisville, collapsed in the first half of a National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) match on 14 September 2025.

According to documents seen by BBC Sport, the case was filed on Tuesday morning with Jefferson Circuit Court in Kentucky, where her club is based – a year and a day after her on-field collapse.

DeMelo’s filing claims UofL Health and two doctors, Dr Sarabjeet Suri and Dr Jennifer Daily, “failed to act as a reasonably prudent and competent medical practice, and such negligence was a substantial factor in causing DeMelo to suffer severe physical injuries, including, but not limited to, her cardiac arrest”.

Dr Daily, according to her online UofL biography, is Racing Louisville’s chief medical officer. The lawsuit states DeMelo was under the care of Dr Daily from January 2024 to July 2026.

It states that in March 2025, Dr Daily referred DeMelo to Dr Suri for “evaluation and treatment” after she had been complaining of chest pain, dizziness and shortness of air; Dr Suri obtained a history, performed a physical examination and ordered diagnostic tests.

Nearly six months later, DeMelo suffered the cardiac arrest.

“She was subsequently diagnosed and treated for ventricular tachycardia [an abnormal heart rhythm],” the suit states.

DeMelo, who has spent her entire professional career with Racing Louisville, has not played since her collapse.

In a post to her instagram page on Tuesday, De Melo – who was picked in the USA squad for the 2023 Women’s World Cup and started their first two games – marked the anniversary of the incident.

“A year ago today, while playing soccer, I collapsed due to an undiagnosed cardiac arrhythmia, that caused me to go into cardiac arrest,” she wrote.

“I respect and appreciate the privacy everyone has met me with while going through everything I have this year. I’ll never be able to fully put into words how emotionally hard this year has been. There has been a lot of uncertainty and emotions intertwined with it all.”

[BBC]

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Death toll from Philippines ferry fire rises to 76, with more still missing

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The ferry caught fire near tourist hotspot Coron on Wednesday [BBC]

The Philippine Coast Guard says it has recovered 41 bodies from the wreckage of a ferry that caught fire this week, bringing the total death toll to 76.

More than 130 people were on board the MV June Aster when the blaze erupted on Wednesday as it neared its destination at the tourist hotspot of Coron, after departing from Manila.

The coast guard said on Saturday the number of survivors remained 43, with many receiving treatment in hospital, but 13 people remain unaccounted for.

Recovery of bodies had been hampered due to toxic fumes and lingering heat, which meant authorities were unable to board until Friday.

Geronimo Tuvilla, an official for the Philippine Coast Guard, said the priority was identifying victims and determining the cause of the blaze.

Kristine Ablana, a tourism official in Coron, said relatives were being asked to help identify family members through personal items and DNA testing.

“Once someone is able to verify that this photo or these belongings are indeed those of their relative, they will be asked to provide a DNA sample,” she said.

Coast Guard spokesperson Commodore Noemie Cayabyab said the fire began in a cargo hold before spreading.

She said survivors had described hearing a loud explosion, “the appearance of smoke and then fire. It spread very quickly”. She added that those who had made it off the ship did not have time to put on lifejackets.

A survivor who was hauled to safety on a rescue boat told the BBC he had heard frantic cries onboard when the fire erupted, and was trampled by panicked people as he tried to escape.

The ferry, built in 2002, held valid safety certificates and passed an enforcement inspection in March, but investigators are looking into potential manifest discrepancies, cargo loading integrity, and crew emergency response protocols, the Palawan Daily reported.

The vessel was carrying 117 passengers and 17 crew members.

Atienza Interisland Ferries, the vessel’s operator, has pledged full co-operation with the inquiry.

[BBC]

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Princess Diana’s ‘revenge dress’ goes up for auction on 9th December

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[pic BBC]

A dress worn by Princess Diana to a party in London hours after a documentary was televised in which the then-Prince Charles admitted to committing adultery during their marriage is going up for auction.

Her dramatic arrival at the Serpentine Gallery in 1994 in a custom-made black silk evening dress by designer Christina Stambolian became an iconic pop-culture moment.

The media dubbed her outfit the “revenge dress”.

Auction house Sotheby’s expects the dress to sell for up to £220,000 ($300,000) when it goes under the hammer on 9 December.

A press release from Sotheby’s said it is the first time the dress has been offered at auction since 1997, when the late princess sold 79 of her dresses to raise money for charities.

Morgane Halimi, Sotheby’s Global Head of Handbags and Fashion, said in a statement that Princess Diana “understood instinctively” that fashion can be a language in its own right.

“On her own terms, Princess Diana turned the dress into one of the most powerful messages she ever made, during one of the most scrutinised and emotionally charged episodes of her life,” Halimi said.

“She walked into a moment in which so much of her story was being told for her and, through what she chose to wear, reclaimed the narrative for herself.”

Martin Keene/PA Wire Princess Diana arriving at the Serpentine Gallery wearing a dress designed by Christina Stambolian dress. The famous "revenge dress" worn worn by Diana during a Vanity Fair fundraising dinner at the Serpentine Gallery in London, on the same night her then-husband the Prince of Wales publicly admitted his infidelity on national television
[BBC]

According to Sotheby’s, Anna Harvey, her stylist at the time, said Diana “wanted to look a million dollars”.

The princess made a last-minute wardrobe change for the fundraising dinner and chose the strapless evening dress by the Greek designer Christina Stambolian – which she accessorised with a royal jewel, a black clutch and black heels.

The vintage Jaguar XJ40 car that Diana arrived in at the event was sold at auction earlier this year for £66,250.

The revenge dress is expected to fetch a considerably higher price.

If it does, it will not be the first time an item from the princess’s wardrobe has sold for a significant sum.

Princess Diana’s sweater featuring a black sheep among rows of white ones was sold for £920,000 at an auction by Sotheby’s in New York in 2023.

[BBC]

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