Britain Financial News

By Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart and Mohammed Ghobari

airstrikes in Yemen on Thursday, targeting Houthi rebels. The Yemen authorities have now vowed vendetta, saying “America and Britain will have to prepare to pay a heavy price". The attack by the US and UK on Yemen comes weeks after the Houthi rebels allegedly unleashed disruptive attacks on the Red Sea hurting commercial shipping on the trade route.

By Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali

Suez Canal. Supply chain struggles are now back on the agenda. Container ships are being forced to avoid the Red Sea and Suez Canal, the main route for shipments from Asia to Europe and an important one for deliveries to the US East Coast, after Iran-backed Houthi rebels started attacking ships as part of a campaign against Israel.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday raised concerns over China's human rights issues in a meeting with senior Chinese official Liu Jianchao in Washington, the State Department said, adding they also discussed «maintaining peace and stability» in the Taiwan Strait. WHY IT IS IMPORTANT

struggling group. The energy sector has slumped nearly 3% since late October, a period during which the S&P 500 has surged 16%. The benchmark index rose 24% for all of 2023, while energy fell 4.8%, the second-largest drop last year among S&P 500 sectors. The sector's struggles have continued even as other economically sensitive groups such as banks and small-cap stocks have benefited from investors' growing belief that the economy will be able to navigate a «soft landing» where growth remains stable while inflation subsides. One key reason for the sector's underperformance has been a sharp downturn in oil prices.

U.S. Navy on Friday warned American-flagged vessels to steer clear of areas around Yemen in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden for the next 72 hours after the U.S. and Britain launched multiple airstrikes targeting Houthi rebels. The warning in a notice to shippers came as Yemen's Houthis vowed fierce retaliation for the U.S.-led strikes, further raising the prospect of a wider conflict in a region already beset by Israel's war in Gaza. U.S.

Yemen that they have determined was putting commercial vessels in the Red Sea at risk. That's according to two U.S. officials who spoke anonymously to The Associated Press to discuss an operation that hadn't yet been publicly announced.

As Elvis Presley once sang, “I’ll have a Blue Monday without you.”

rupee closed at its strongest level in four months on Friday, kicking off 2024 as an outperformer among Asia-Pacific currencies, as US dollar flows have poured in ahead of India's inclusion in global bond indices, while an optimistic view on GDP growth burnishes the country's appeal. So far in January, the rupee has gained 0.4%, with the currency closing at 82.92/$1 on Friday, its strongest closing level since September 12, 2023, Bloomberg data showed. The rupee, which closed at 83.03/$1 on Thursday, weakened 0.6% in 2023 on a closing basis.

Yemen's Houthi forces if they keep up their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea despite dozens of U.S. and British air strikes on the Iran-backed group's facilities. Intensifying concerns about a widening regional conflict, U.S.

Netflix has started the year with a new action comedy series «The Brothers Sun» season 2starring Michelle Yeoh, the Oscar-winning actress following a family greatly immersed in the world of crime. The film which is shot over four months, is the brainchild of Brad Falchuk, best known for his collaboration with Ryan Murphy on several shows. The show is one of the first important TV releases of the year 2024 on Netflix after its launch on January 4, 2024.

premier on Blu-ray. The Blu-ray release date for Godzilla Minus One has not been officially announced yet, but industry expectations suggest it may be available in late 2024. «Godzilla Minus One», directed by Takashi Yamazaki and produced by Toho Studios, made its theatrical debut in the US and Canada on December 1, aligning with its release in several other regions including France, Italy, Spain, Benelux, the Nordics, Poland, Australia, and New Zealand.

Weinstein said closed‐ended funds were a “distinct contributor” to the fund’s strong performance over the last year.

NEW YORK/LONDON (Reuters) -BlackRock said on Friday it would buy Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) for $12.5 billion in a major bet on alternative assets and announced a shake-up of its top management.

President Vladimir Putin warned on Friday that Moscow would regard any move by Britain to deploy a military contingent to Ukraine as a declaration of war against Russia. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, made the comments in response to a visit by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to Kyiv to announce an increase in military funding to help Ukraine purchase new military drones. «I hope that our eternal enemies — the arrogant British — understand that deploying an official military contingent to Ukraine would be a declaration of war against our country,» Medvedev wrote on the Telegram messaging app. Medvedev, whose frequent and harsh public statements diplomats say give an indication of hawkish thinking at the top of the Kremlin, also asked how the Western public would feel if Sunak's delegation came under fire from cluster munitions in the centre of Kyiv, something he said had recently happened to Russian civilians in the city of Belgorod. Belgorod, in southern Russia, is located close to the Ukrainian border and has been targeted by Ukrainian rockets and drones in recent months. In the incident referred to by Medvedev on Dec.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Friday that the country's joint air strikes with the US against Houthi military targets in Yemen overnight was a «necessary and proportionate action in self-defence.» The US-led strikes are the first against the Houthi militia since it started targeting international shipping in the Red Sea from November 2023. Sunak accused the Iranian-backed group of threatening UK ships as the US Air Force said more than 60 targets at 16 locations used by Houthis in Yemen were struck.

outdoor humidity and temperature levels during pregnancy are associated with blood pressure changes in the children, new study has found. An international team of researchers found that exposure to higher relative humidity while being pregnant was linked to a steeper increase in blood pressure in childhood, whereas being exposed to higher temperatures during pregnancy was linked to a slower increase in blood pressure in childhood (age 3-10 years).

Witnesses in Yemen confirmed explosions throughout the country. Brent crude futures were up $3.16, or 4.1%, at $80.57 a barrel at 1124 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures climbed $3.05, or 4.2%, to $75.07. Both benchmarks were on course for a second straight weekly rise. The U.S.

Dua Lipa is dating British actor Callum Turner, who is currently appearing in two major Hollywood productions. The singer and the actor were spotted dancing at an afterparty in Los Angeles for the premiere of his show 'Masters of The Air'. Quoting an unnamed insider source, 'Page Six' reported, «It’s new, but they’re mad about each other.» It said that though it was early days, they were serious enough for her to come to his big event. It also said that the singer was at the premiere to support the actor.

Tarun Tejpal told the Delhi High Court on Friday he will publish an apology in a national daily stating that an Indian Army officer, against whom he had levelled allegations of corruption in defence procurement, had not accepted any money. The high court was hearing an appeal filed by Tejpal, the proprietor of Tehelka.com, and its reporter Aniruddha Bahal challenging a single judge's order awarding a compensation of Rs 2 crore to Major General M S Ahluwalia for the loss of reputation suffered by him on account of a 2001 «expose» by the news portal alleging his involvement in corruption in defence procurement. The counsel for the duo also told the high court that they will deposit Rs 10 lakh each with the court.