Fighting intensifies in Yemen as Saudi-backed government forces push to reclaim Houthi-held territory and secure the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait. We examine the Houthis’ rise from a religious movement to a regional power. The Kremlin dismisses reports of a supposed plague outbreak in eastern Russia as “false information.” Meanwhile, Malian troops, backed by Russia’s Africa Corps, retake the strategic northern city of Kidal from separatist forces.