Hong Kong actress Angela Yuen spoke out about inappropriate remarks made by a veteran journalist during an interview.

The journalist has since issued a public apology.

In late 2025, Yuen and other female cast members attended an interview promoting the film Gamer Girls.

The journalist joked that he felt like he was sitting at a hostess club, as reported by The Standard.

Yuen called him out on the spot and said the remarks were inappropriate. She asked him to either apologise or remain quiet, and he chose to stay silent.

The journalist has since acknowledged the inappropriate remarks he made and apologised for his actions. He also expressed regret for not apologising at the time.

She brought this incident to light through a social media post titled Apologies That Will Never Come on Oct. 12.

Yuen also revealed other instances where she was sexually harassed.

A male director had allegedly made a demeaning comment on her appearance, a crew member allegedly made an obscene remark to her in Japanese, and a veteran actor allegedly kissed her cheek during filming without prior discussion.

Yuen recently earned plaudits for her role in Afterpiece, landing a Golden Horse nomination for leading actress.

Johor Bahru politician Andrew Chen has urged Indonesia to take responsibility for transboundary haze and apologise to affected Asean countries.

The DAP politician and member of the Johor state legislature's remarks came after an Indonesian government official said forest fires were "beyond human error".

He also said Indonesian forests supplied oxygen to neighbouring countries when there was no haze.

People’s health should not be treated as a joke

In a Facebook post on Oct. 12, Chen described access to clean air as an immediate, non-negotiable human right.

Chen is a member of the DAP, which is still part of the governing coalition of Malaysia's Madani government, although there have been recent tensions with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. However, he is a state politician and not a Member of Parliament.

He pointed to declarations by the United Nations and Asean recognising a clean, safe and healthy environment as a universal human right.

Chen said Indonesian spokespersons should stop being unapologetic towards affected Asean countries and their own people over human-made haze pollution.

He also criticised Indonesian authorities for allowing haze containing toxic PM2.5 particles to affect neighbouring countries, calling for them to be held accountable.

“We Malaysians are suffering and yet you are making fun of our health.

This is unacceptable. The health and lives of the people should never be treated as a joke.”

Responding to Indonesian official’s remarks

Chen’s statement comes in response to remarks made by Indonesia’s head of Government Communications Agency, Syahganda Nainggolan, on Oct. 10.

Nainggolan said Indonesia understood Malaysia’s and Singapore’s concerns about haze caused by forest and land fires in his country.

However, he made a comment about Singapore and Malaysia receiving oxygen from Indonesia's forests, which sparked criticism online.

“We're not just sending over the haze. When there's no haze, we send oxygen,” he told the media.

Nainggolan described the fires as “beyond human error” and a natural phenomenon, asking neighbouring countries to understand the situation.

UPDATE on Oct. 13 at 6:01pm: By 4:37pm, all affected services were restored, according to health tech agency Synapxe.

All three public healthcare clusters in Singapore — NHG Health, National University Health System and SingHealth — are experiencing connectivity issues that is affecting some services.

The affected services include patient-facing systems like appointment booking through call centres, visitor registration and billing enquiries.

It was reported earlier today (Oct. 13) that call centre lines across NHG health, including four hospitals, were temporarily unavailable.

The service disruption then grew to include National University Hospital and Singapore General Hospital by noon time.

No indication of cyber incident: health tech agency

In a statement on Facebook, national health tech agency Synapxe said that as a result of the connectivity issues, patients and visitors may experience longer waiting times for some services as a result.

Synapxe also noted that there is no indication that this is a cyber incident.

"We understand the inconvenience this may cause, especially for patients and visitors who are at our healthcare institutions," Synapxe said.

"We sincerely apologise for the disruption and thank you for your patience and understanding. We will continue to keep you updated as services are progressively restored," the agency added.

The agency also said that its technical teams are working urgently to resolve the issue and restore services as soon as possible.

According to its website, Synapxe manages systems such as the National Electronic Health Record system and the National Billing System.

At the time of writing, a banner notice atop NHG Health's website indicates that its call centre lines across the healthcare group remain temporarily unavailable and that a system disruption is affecting some services.

It also states that additional staff have been deployed to assist with patient services on site.

A similar notice was shared on NUHS' Facebook page at around 11:23am today.

Signages seen at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital

When Mothership visited Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH) at around 3:15pm, signage informing patients of the service disruption were seen at the outpatient pharmacy and patient services counter.

KTPH is under NHG Health.

The pharmacy also informed that medication processing may take slightly longer.

Yishun Community Hospital, also under NHG Health and located beside KTPH, had no public indication of a disruption to services.

Operations were observed to be running smoothly at both hospitals.

Calls to Sengkang General Hospital, Changi General Hospital (CGH) and KK Women's and Children's Hospital, all under SingHealth, were successful.

However, the CGH operator informed that longer waiting times may be expected due to the service disruption.

All services restored

In an update on Facebook, Synapxe shared that all affected services were restored by 4:37pm on Oct. 13.

The connectivity issue which resulted in the service disruption began at around 7:10am the same day.

Services were progressively restored from approximately 3pm.

Investigations into the technical issues are ongoing.

A currency trader based in Sydney, Australia, who was allegedly on holiday in Singapore when he was supposed to be working from home, was fired by his company HIFX Australia, trading as Xe.

The man won an unfair dismissal case on Oct. 7, but was not compensated or reinstated.

The Guardian reported that the Fair Work Commission ruled Charles Graham to have been unfairly dismissed in 2025.

Fired, ruling

He had been fired on Dec. 2, 2025, The Straits Times (ST) reported, noting that he received about a month's worth of back pay.

However, Graham did not receive compensation or reinstatement, with Fair Work Commission commissioner Alana Matheson being satisfied that Graham's dismissal was unreasonable.

According to The Guardian, this was because even though there was a valid reason for the dismissal, the process was procedurally unfair.

In September 2025, Graham had asked to work in Singapore for a year.

His request was rejected, with the company explaining that it did not have a licence to operate in Singapore and his role was based in Sydney.

For weeks after that, Graham worked from home, saying he had an eye injury, according to ST.

Investigation, high-value client

Following this, he used his annual leave and went on holiday, after which he was expected back at work in November 2025.

Graham's manager, Abigail Plummer, reached out to IT on Nov. 17, 2025, where she wrote an email stating: "Our mate should be online today, first day since his holiday, so I will need your FBI skills."

An investigation was then conducted, which found that Graham was apparently in Singapore when he was supposed to be "working from home" in Sydney, ST reported.

According to The Guardian, the company told Graham "there was a case to answer regarding alleged breaches of company policy".

His written defence to the company stated that his partner supposedly fell ill with a bacterial infection while the couple were on holiday and as such, had to delay returning to Australia.

He added that he was unable to inform his manager about rescheduling his flight over a weekend since there had not been any expectation or precedent of contacting her outside business hours.

Graham further argued that when he logged on for work in Singapore, he received a complaint from a high-value client as well as numerous emails and calls which he had to deal with.

As such, he claimed this took priority over informing his manager about the flight delay. He also claimed he was not familiar with hybrid work policies.

Termination letter

The company did not accept his explanation and sent him a termination letter on Dec. 2, 2025, The Guardian reported.

The company found Graham had apparently not provided screenshots of his flight, including his name and medical evidence, in his written submissions.

That would supposedly prove that his partner could not travel, and would also explain why he did not inform his manager about being in Singapore.

According to The Guardian, the letter added that since Graham had previously followed "absence and approval processes", it showed his familiarity with them.

It also apparently demonstrated that he had made "a conscious choice not to follow" them.

The company also pointed out earlier incidents where Graham either claimed to be unwell or stuck doing chores at home when he was late for work.

ST reported that at the time, the company had introduced a compulsory three-day-a-week office attendance policy.

In one incident, Graham was reportedly in Bali, Indonesia, despite claiming he had to work from home as a plumber was going to fix the toilet.

Rationale behind ruling

According to The Guardian, Matheson reasoned that the subsequent process after the dismissal had been unfair as the company did not fully raise the matters on which it relied on in deciding that Graham should be dismissed.

This was reportedly evident in lapses in how it handled his dismissal, according to ST.

Graham's outcome could possibly have been decided before properly considering his response, based on internal messages.

Matheson ruled that it was inappropriate to reinstate him. Despite the man winning the case, he was also not awarded any compensation.

According to The Guardian, it was partly because his alleged misbehaviour contributed to the company's decision to fire him.

He was also entitled to receive four weeks in lieu of notice, which he was paid.

A man in Singapore, convicted after stalking and raping an intoxicated woman in her home, lost his appeal to reduce his 15-year jail and 12 strokes of the cane sentence.

Dhanabalan Fok Jin Jin, 43, had appealed against his rape conviction and to have his jail sentence reduced to 13 years.

After a nearly three-hour court hearing on Oct. 13, the judges dismissed the appeal.

They decided to uphold both the conviction and sentence, as well as the order the accused to pay the victim about S$18,524 in compensation for the psychological harm caused.

Fok appeared at court for the appeal hearing on bail.

About the case

On Jan. 30, 2021, Fok, along with a friend Lee Kit, now 37, followed the victim and one of her friends for about 45 minutes at Holland Village after she had drinks.

Surveillance footage showed the two men stalking the victim and her friend between about 10:45pm and 11:30pm.

The men then offered to drive the two women home.

The victim initially turned the men down, but could not book a ride.

The two women vomited and fell asleep in the backseat of the car.

The victim was brought back to her home and she took a minute to find her access card.

Lee used it to open the gate.

The court heard contrasting versions of what happened in the apartment, but Fok did have sex with the victim and Lee performed a sex act on her.

Lee, who testified as a prosecution witness during the trial, said Fok wanted to follow the two women because they were drunk.

The victim’s friend was lying on the same bed. She was not sexually assaulted.

The victim was sexually assaulted between 11:50pm and 12:10am.

She was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and mixed depressive and anxiety disorder (MDAD) as a result of the incident.

During trial in 2025, Fok asserted that the victim had consented to sex, but this was shot down by the trial judge, who found that she had been too intoxicated to do so.

Fok and Lee drove off after leaving the apartment.

In the car, they discussed whether they could get in trouble with the law.

Fok then realised his mobile phone was still at the woman’s home.

The duo returned to the condominium and tried to persuade the victim to return the phone.

She called the police instead.

During the trial, Fok had denied having sex in the bedroom, but then admitted to it after audio recordings from his in-car camera captured him saying he was worried about getting caught.

He said he denied having sex as he was “scared” that his wife might find out about his actions.

Fok also told the police that the woman started touching him while they were kissing on the bed.

At trial, he said he kissed the woman to ascertain whether she was interested in sex after she began stroking his thigh.

The trial judge said Fok's lie showed his guilty conscience.

In March 2024, Lee was already sentenced to 20 months’ jail and four strokes of the cane after he pleaded guilty to molesting the same woman.

Issue of consent

Defence lawyer Ramesh Tiwary, representing Fok, focused most of his appeal submissions on the issue of whether the victim had consented to sex with Fok that night.

He challenged the prosecution's point during trial that she lacked the capacity to consent because she had been unconscious due to the alcohol she had consumed.

They had highlighted Lee's testimony where he observed that she did not actively participate in sex with Fok.

Tiwary, citing the same testimony by Lee, argued that there was a difference in how the victim responded to the two men.

According to Lee, while she had no reaction when Fok penetrated her, she made a slight movement to push Lee's hand away when he performed the act after Fok.

Tiwary further argued that just because she gave no reaction to Fok cannot prove that she was unconscious at the time, "because there is nothing to say a person must react in a particular manner in a sexual encounter".

He also pointed out that before they got to her house, the victim was fully capable of taking care of herself and even assisted her friend from the car, as seen from CCTV footage.

She also appeared to have the presence of mind after the sexual act to call her mother and the police to report Fok, Tiwary added.

The prosecution, however, said that beyond what happened in the bedroom, there was a lot of other corroborating evidence to support that she was incapacitated and was not able to give consent at the time.

They reiterated the medical evidence cited during the trial, where two doctors found that the effects of the victim's alcohol intoxication would have peaked at the time of the sexual act.

Deputy Chief Prosecutor Ivan Chua argued that even "if she was conscious, she did not give consent" given her lack of response to Fok.

Why Fok was scared

Both the defence and the prosecution also debated over Fok's reaction to being seen by the victim after the sexual act.

According to audio recordings from the in-car camera in Fok's car, Fok told Lee that the victim had sent him out of her apartment, which made Lee react in surprise.

Fok then said, "Suddenly I just feel scared sia... cos I do with her already what."

At the appeal hearing, the judges pointed out these reactions to argue that the two men were surprised because both of them were operating on the basis that she was asleep during the sexual act.

The judges questioned why were they worried that she had seen Fok's face when she saw him out of the flat, and why would they be concerned about that if the sex was voluntary and consensual.

Tiwary argued that they would not have been worried about that as the victim had already seen the men's faces earlier at Holland Village.

Fok's fear was instead that the victim would "twist things around", the lawyer said.

The prosecution countered that Fok showed guilt because he initially denied to the police that he had had any sexual contact with the victim.

Violation and wearing protection

At one point, Judge Ang Cheng Hock asked Tiwary what he made of the evidence that the victim called the police and her mother shortly after the incident saying she was sexually assaulted.

Tiwary replied that because she felt violated does not mean she was violated.

Chua, who later responded to a similar question, said her behaviour showed that she was not a person who consented — she felt violated and felt that she should report the man to police.

On the issue of Fok not wearing a condom during the sexual act, Tiwary said there are very few rapists who carry a condom.

He believed it was "part and parcel" of a violation.

It is a factor that would be found on almost every rapist, he added, and argued that its weight as an aggravating factor towards his sentence should be less.

Judges' decision

After some deliberation, the judges found based on the evidence, that the victim was in a "non-responsive and barely conscious state" when Fok performed the sexual act.

They disagreed with Tiwary's point that the slight movement she made in response to Lee was sufficient to indicate consciousness, and said the trial judge's conclusion on her lack of capacity to give consent was not wrong.

They upheld the rape conviction.

The judges did, however, counter the previous finding that Fok had committed the offence with premeditation.

Even though he did follow the victim around in Holland Village for nearly an hour and showed an intention to engage in a sexual act with her, he did not intend to not seek her consent, they argued.

His actions were opportunistic but not sufficient to consider premeditation as an aggravating factor.

Ultimately, they said the original sentence of 15 years in jail, 12 strokes of cane, and S$18,524 in compensation was not excessive, and upheld it.

They also granted Fok's request to extend his bail so that he could spend some time with his uncle, whom Tiwary said was unwell with cancer.

Fok will begin serving his jail term from Oct. 27, 2026.

His wife was present at the hearing to act as his bailer.

A five-year-old girl, Asiah, passed away after a six-vehicle pile-up along Jalan Kuching in Kuala Lumpur on Oct. 10.

The 24-year-old driver of a BYD Seal that police believe rear-ended the girl’s family car was later found at a private hospital in Damansara, where he was being treated for a concussion, as reported by China Press.

Five-year-old girl sustained severe head injuries

According to Malay Mail, the accident happened at about 3:45pm.

The BYD allegedly rear-ended a Perodua Bezza, which the girl’s 30-year-old father was driving.

A motorcycle was involved in the collision, and the Bezza spun into the right lane and collided with three other vehicles.

The girl, who was in the backseat, sustained severe head injuries and was subsequently pronounced dead at Kuala Lumpur Hospital.

Her father sustained injuries to his right hand, while the 33-year-old motorcyclist suffered head injuries.

View on Threads

 

Driver found in hospital

The police were able to locate the BYD driver at a private hospital in Damansara after he allegedly fled the scene.

The driver was receiving treatment for a concussion and is under supervision of an investigating officer while hospitalised.

The case is being investigated under Section 41(1) of Malaysia's Road Transport Act 1987 for causing death by reckless or dangerous driving.

Police have appealed for witnesses to come forward to assist with investigations.

According to Utusan Malaysia, Asiah's uncle said that she was just discharged from hospital after a fall in the toilet a week before the accident.

He also said that the child was very close to the whole family, and that he had played with her about a week ago.

"That was the last time I could dote on and play with her," he said when contacted by Utusan Malaysia.

The father of a 23-year-old woman who died after being struck by a man who fell from an apartment building in Nagoya, Japan, is calling for the man to face a murder charge.

Tomoki Inaba was walking with a friend along a pavement in Sakae, Naka Ward, when 29-year-old Nobunari Taguchi fell from a building and struck her, according to TBS News Dig and Tokyo Reporter.

Taguchi was believed to have been attempting suicide.

He initially lost consciousness but later recovered.

Tomoki’s father, Kenji Inaba, said he was still struggling to accept her death and often wished it had not happened.

Arrested on suspicion of gross negligence

Taguchi was arrested in August on suspicion of gross negligence resulting in death.

The Nagoya District Public Prosecutors Office has since placed him under psychiatric evaluation until Jan. 13, 2027 to determine whether he can be held criminally responsible, according to TBS.

Kenji, however, believes the case should be treated as murder.

He argued that Taguchi was aware someone below could be killed but went ahead regardless.

Nearly 300 people passed area late at night

The area where the incident occurred remains busy even late at night.

Kenji said he staked out the area at 1am, the time of the incident, and counted nearly 300 pedestrians passing in under two hours, Tokyo Reporter reported, citing TV Asahi.

He has also visited Taguchi in detention three times.

According to Kenji, Taguchi apologised.

The father said he then asked whether Taguchi had acted despite not caring if someone below was harmed, and claimed that Taguchi agreed.

Neither TBS nor Tokyo Reporter included a comment directly from Taguchi about the father's account.

Murder charge difficult to prove

Legal experts, however, said proving a murder charge would be difficult.

Lawyer Yasuo Sawai said that proving murderous intent in such circumstances would be difficult, as it could be impossible to predict whether another person would actually be struck, per Tokyo Reporter.

Kenji nevertheless wants the case treated as more than an accident.

“I don't want this treated as just an accident,” he said.

Petition draws more than 40,000 signatures

On Sep. 21, Kenji launched an online petition calling for a murder charge.

TBS reported that it attracted more than 40,000 signatures in about two weeks.

Kenji said he hoped the campaign could lead to changes in how similar cases are handled in future and serve as proof that his daughter had lived.

Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto has announced stepped-up measures to tackle the forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan.

However, he did not mention whether Indonesia would accept any offers of assistance from neighbours Singapore and Malaysia, who have also been affected by the haze emanating from the fires.

Stepped-up efforts

CNA reported that Prabowo ordered intensified firefighting efforts in the provinces of Central Kalimantan and South Sumatra.

Over 60,000 personnel have been deployed to support ground operations, including water bombing.

However, an Indonesia minister said that offers of assistance from Malaysia and Singapore were not discussed.

Previously, Singapore's Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu said Singapore stands "ready to assist" with Indonesia's efforts.

She added that she has been in touch with Indonesia's environment minister and said she is supporting any regional efforts to have discussions on cooperation on haze issues.

Singapore has also convened its Haze Task Force, and N95 masks will be distributed to vulnerable Singaporeans when the PSI hits the "unhealthy" range.

Malaysia says Indonesia hasn't responded to offer of help

Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi also revealed that the Indonesian government has yet to respond to Malaysia's offer to assist with fighting forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan.

As reported by Malaysian media Sinar Harian, Ahmad Zahid said he conveyed the offer of assistance during a previous official visit to Jakarta, Indonesia.

While there, he met with Prabowo and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka.

Malaysia offered 55 firefighting personnel, three helicopters and one plane to help battle the blaze.

However, Ahmad Zahid said Malaysia has yet to receive a response from Indonesia, Indonesian media Kompas reported.

He added that officials in Malaysia's foreign affairs ministry and disaster response agency have sent letters to their counterparts to follow up, but have not received an answer as of Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026.

Ahmad Zahid said that Malaysia chose to be optimistic and assume that Indonesia did not need their help.

"We view this matter positively and assume that perhaps they do not need our assistance. As I said, we assume the best of them."

He also said that the haze crisis should not be seen as a conflict between Malaysia and Indonesia, but both countries should cooperate to tackle the forest fires.

Former Jurong GRC Member of Parliament (MP) Tan Wu Meng sent his well wishes to Sengkang GRC MP Jamus Lim following news that the latter had been hospitalised for pneumonia.

Writing on Facebook on Oct. 12, Tan said he had just seen news about Lim's hospitalisation.

"I remember our conversations over the years in the Members' Room, during my time serving in Parliament of Singapore," the former MP wrote.

Tan also shared that he and Lim would chat "from time to time" on a variety of topics, including young parents in politics.

"Get well soon, Jamus, and wishing you a swift and uneventful recovery!" Tan wrote.

The two had a brief exchange in the comments of Tan's post.

Lim responded to Tan's well-wishes, thanking Tan for the "kind words".

"I, too, recall your kind guidance as I was just starting as a freshman MP. Hope you're thriving in the next chapter of your journey," Lim wrote.

According to his LinkedIn, Tan is an oncologist at National Cancer Centre Singapore and a clinical assistant professor at Duke-NUS Medical School.

Tan replied, "Glad to hear from you, amidst the hospital admission. Please take care and rest well, and let's continue to keep in touch."

Sniffles

Lim, who represents Sengkang GRC in parliament, was seen sniffling and pausing to wipe his nose while delivering remarks in the House on Oct. 6.

Fellow MP Diana Pang was seen offering Lim tissues.

Lim shared on Oct. 12 that the sniffling developed into a "bad case of Influenza A" and then a "full-blown pneumonia".

He also shared he checked into a hospital as his blood oxygen level fell to the low 90s over the weekend.

Saudi Arabia’s King Khalid International Airport in Ridyadh was recently struck in a series of missile attacks, with the Yemeni Houthi militia claiming responsibility.

CNN reports at least 20 deaths and hundreds of injuries.

Saudi Arabia finds itself facing military challenges along two critical waterways.

In the east, the U.S. war with Iran has restricted the Strait of Hormuz, while in the south, recent advances by the Houthi militia have threatened to similarly restrict access through the critical Bab al-Mandeb, which connects the Indian Ocean to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.

This has a significant knock-on impact on the world, as the transport of energy supplies faces further difficulties.

Who are the Houthis?

The Houthis is the colloquial name of a group of fighters from northern Yemen, also known as Ansar Allah, according to a report written by the Council on Foreign Relations.

They have been fighting a rebellion against Yemen's government since around 2004, and in 2014, they took control of Yemen's capital, Sana'a.

They have continued fighting against government forces, slowly but successfully taking more and more land from government-controlled areas.

At present, they control at least one-third of Yemen's territory, roughly concentrated in the northwest of the country, along its Red Sea coast and the Wall Street Journal estimates they have around 350,000 fighters.

That region is the most densely populated part of the country, resulting in the Houthis governing over two-thirds of Yemen's roughly 34 million population.

How is it connected to Iran?

The Houthis and Iran are both Shia Muslims, but of different branches, and distinct from the Sunni Saudi Arabia.

The alliance between Iran and the Houthis appears to be geopolitically and ideologically related, although the Houthis have occasionally been called proxies of Iran; the Council on Foreign Relations says they are more accurately described as an 'informal partner'.

The CFR notes that, in contrast to other Iranian proxies such as Hezbollah, the Houthis' origin does not involve Iran, and they have, on occasion, taken action independently of Iran.

However, geopolitically speaking, the Houthis and Iran are very closely aligned and are hostile not just to the internationally recognised government of Yemen, but also to the United States and Israel.

Iran is known to have provided the Houthis with a significant amount of weaponry, including ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and modern drones such as the Shahed, as reported by the WSJ.

The Houthis have, in turn, used those weapons against their neighbours, such as Saudi Arabia.

In earlier conflicts, they used them to attack Saudi oil facilities, such as refineries and storage.

In more recent years, it has also used these weapons to attack shipping passing through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

The war with Saudi

While the Houthis' most notable international opponent is Israel, its longest cross-border conflict is with Saudi Arabia.

When the Houthis began to rebel against Yemen's government, allegedly with Iranian backing, the Saudi government was concerned that it would soon face hostile powers at two of its most critical waterways: Iran and the Strait of Hormuz in its east, and a Houthi-controlled Bab al-Mandeb in the south.

The Strait of Hormuz is a critical waterway for the Middle East Gulf states to ship out their supplies of oil and gas.

But in recent years, concerns about Iranian hostility and potential disruption of that strait have led to Saudi Arabia building a pipeline from east to west, allowing it to send out shipments of oil and gas from the Red Sea: either north through the Suez Canal to Europe or south through the Bab al-Mandeb into the Indian Ocean and Asia.

In 2015, concerned about a potential Houthi control of the Bab al-Mandeb, Saudi Arabia began a military campaign to fight the Houthis, largely consisting of airstrikes.

The military campaign was of limited efficacy and ultimately failed to meaningfully disrupt Saudi Arabia's concerns about Houthi control of Yemen.

But it was also a very violent campaign, resulting in a large number of civilian deaths that sparked a multi-year protest campaign against the Yemen war in the West, and Yemen, with many activist groups demanding that the United States stop supplying Saudi Arabia with weaponry.

While this protest campaign failed to change the minds of U.S. President Donald Trump's first administration, after Joe Biden won the presidency in 2020, one of his first actions was to pause U.S. weapons sales to Saudi Arabia, effectively ending its military campaign.

Strait talking

However, after the Hamas attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, the Houthis showed that the Saudi concerns about their ability to restrict shipping through the Bab al-Mandeb were real.

In retaliation for Israeli attacks against Hamas and Gaza, the Houthis said that they would attack selected ships passing through the Bab al-Mandeb, particularly those aligned with Israel and its ally, the U.S.

This led many ships to avoid the Bab al-Mandeb entirely and therefore also avoid the Suez Canal, and instead choose to add weeks to their travel time by circumnavigating the continent of Africa, adding a significant amount of shipping cost to goods carried by those ships.

In the past few months, this situation has, if anything, worsened.

In recent months, the Houthis have managed to take a significant amount of territory from the Yemeni government, including more of the country's Red Sea coast and the island of Perim, also known as Mayyun, which sits at the heart of the Bab al-Mandeb.

This allows the Houthis even more control over the Strait, effectively controlling its narrowest point.

The Bab al-Mandeb is about 29 km wide at its narrowest point, compared with roughly 16–19 km for the Singapore Strait.

The Mecca Pact

The most recent attacks over the weekend targeted an international airport in Riyadh, but perhaps the more significant attacks are the alleged attacks on the holy city of Mecca, which the Houthis deny.

After a recent September attack, Saudi Arabia said attacking Mecca was a “red line” according to CNN, and unlike previous accusations from 2019 and before, the Saudis had an additional resource: the Mecca Pact.

The Mecca Pact, otherwise known as the Mecca Defence Alliance, was first signed in August 2026 between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan, and was invoked barely two months later in October, in response to the alleged targeting of Mecca.

Al Jazeera reports that the pact is a mutual defence agreement, that an attack on one is an attack on all, and that the two other parties to the pact have agreed to a limited deployment of troops and military forces to Saudi Arabia, in keeping with the agreement.

This means that an additional two countries are being drawn into an ever-expanding military scenario in the Middle East, with no clear sign as to when that engagement will, if it even can, end.