US mortgage rates top 7% for first time in 20 months The GuardianShould you buy a home when rates are over 7%? Here are the best lenders for finding a deal CNBCThe average rate on a 30-year home loan crests 7% after a steady ascent that began in mid-August dailyrecordnews.comUS FREDDIE MAC 15-YEAR MORTGAGE RATE AVERAGES 6.42% IN LATEST WEEK VS. 6.26% LAST WEEK, 5.49% IN YEAR AGO WEEK TradingViewMortgage Rates Hit 2-Year Peak as War Continues to Hinder Economy RISMedia
Read briefing President William Samoei Ruto meets FIFA president Gianni Infantino in New York. facebook.com
Read briefing Israel’s election panel has voted to disqualify the two main Palestinian-led lists from next month’s election. Reacting to the decision, Hadash lawmaker Ofer Cassif, also barred, told Al Jazeera Israel has become a ‘fully fledged fascist dictatorship’. The bans are not final and appeals are expected.
Read briefing Iran-backed Houthi militants taking part in a funeral procession in Sanaa, Yemen, on Sept 24, carrying portraits and coffins of fellow fighters killed in action.RIYADH - Saudi Arabia intercepted Houthi ballistic missiles on Sept 24 after issuing warnings for several regions including Mecca, as France vowed to send “military means” to help shield the key Saudi oil terminal of Yanbu.The attacks were reported as fighting raged in Yemen between the Houthis and Riyadh-backed government forces, killing dozens of people on both sides, according to a tally from seven sources who spoke to AFP.The missiles were the latest in a series of escalating Houthi attacks since July, when renewed hostilities shattered a years-long truce and embroiled Yemen in the wider Middle East war.Since then, the Houthis have imposed a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, hitting its tankers and territory and seizing swathes of Yemen’s Red Sea coast, which is vital for Saudi oil exports.Their gains cement the hold of Iran and its allies on the two waterways that the wider Gulf, including top crude exporter Saudi Arabia, relies on to ship out its oil and other fuel products.The Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s government since 2015 against the Houthis said six ballistic missiles had been intercepted, thwarting attacks on Taif and Yanbu.“Escalations and violations by the terrorist Houthi militia will be dealt with firmly,” said coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki on X.Earlier, the Saudi Civil Defence had issued a brief series of alerts including one for Mecca, home to Islam’s holiest sites, with separate warnings for the Red Sea governorate of Yanbu as well as the Taif, Jeddah and Tabuk regions.The alerts were lifted a few minutes later. In recent weeks, alerts have often preceded attacks by the Houthis.With pressure mounting on Saudi Arabia, French President Emmanuel Macron said France planned to “send military assets, meaning soldiers, radars and defence systems to protect” Yanbu.The infrastructure in and around Yanbu forms a key node in Saudi Arabia’s vast network of energy installations.Yanbu serves as the kingdom’s primary crude export terminal on the Red Sea and is connected to its oil-producing regions near the Gulf coast by the East-West pipeline, also known as Petroline.Yanbu is also home to major oil storage and refining facilities, while its location on the Red Sea provides Saudi Arabia with an alternative route for sending crude and petroleum products towards European markets.People who fled fighting between the Houthis and government forces in Red Sea coastal areas, queue for food vouchers at a camp for internally displaced people near Aden, Yemen, on Sept 23.Last week, Riyadh accused the group of targeting Mecca for the first time since 2017 with a drone that was downed, an accusation the Houthis denied.A few days later, the group attacked the Saudi capital Riyadh - the first in years, marking a new escalation in the conflict.As the Houthi attacks targeted Saudi Arabia on Sept 24, battles raged on the ground in Yemen.At least 150 Houthi fighters and government forces members have been killed in the past 24 hours, sources from both sides told AFP, including in clashes over hilltops overlooking the Bab al-Mandab strait at the mouth of the Red Sea.At least 98 soldiers and government forces members were killed, according to an AFP tally compiled from five military sources.Most were killed in Houthi ballistic missile and drone attacks, with dozens of Yemeni troops killed.The Houthis later claimed launching a complex barrage involving ballistic missiles and drones to target command centres and weapons depots in southern Saudi Arabia, with the group saying Yemeni and Sudanese fighters were killed and injured in the attack along with Saudi personnel.The group also claimed late on Sept 24 to have launched attacks across the border that targeted Aramco infrastructure in Yanbu and an unnamed site in Riyadh.At least 52 Houthi fighters were killed in other clashes, two sources from the group said.Many on both sides were also killed in clashes in the Kahboub Mountains and in areas between the Lahj and Taiz regions, as the Houthis seek to dominate the highlands overlooking Bab al-Mandab to protect newly seized territory.In July, a fragile 2022 truce between the Houthis and Yemen’s government fell apart after the group allowed an Iranian plane to land in Sanaa in defiance of Riyadh’s control over Yemeni airspace, setting off a spate of attacks. REUTERS
Read briefing Kiborgoch was established after community elders set aside the land as a dry season grazing area.For generations, the Endorois pastoralist community in Baringo has depended on land for pasture, water, and livestock. But as pressure on these resources grows, wildlife and livestock are increasingly competing for the same space.On 2,000 acres of community land, the Endorois community living around Kiborgoch Community Wildlife and Wetland Conservancy is pursuing a different approach. Here, cattle, sheep and goats graze alongside zebras and ostriches, as well as antelopes like gazelles, kudu and waterbucks.This is a community conservancy model where the local community owns the land and collectively decides how to manage it for their livelihoods, wildlife, and the wider environment.Kiborgoch was established after community elders set aside the land as a dry season grazing area, recognising its importance during periods when pasture and water became scarce in the surrounding hills.Joel Kiprop, the Manager of Kiborgoch Conservancy, says the decision was rooted in the community's need to protect a reliable grazing area.“Kiborgoch means an open savanna where people can see far across the grass and shrubs. The name is also associated with a medicinal tree that was once found in that area,” Kiprop says.“The community elders set the land aside so that during the rainy season, the livestock...
Read briefing Sifuna replaces car burnt during Linda Mwananchi rally in Homa Bay People Daily
Read briefing Bond yields keep rising. How income investors can best take advantage of the moves CNBC
Read briefing Fitch Affirms QatarEnergy LNG S(2) and QatarEnergy LNG S(3) at 'AA'; Outlook Negative Fitch Ratings
Read briefing The military says 272 TPLF rebels were killed and about 260 wounded as renewed clashes threaten to unravel Ethiopia’s fragile 2022 peace deal.
Read briefing Researchers identified 25 plants elephants may use to treat illnesses, while local observers reported a mother feeding her calf a plant mixture described as “a kind of immunisation.”
Read briefing Gemini 3.8 text-to-speech refines voice AI capabilities TechTargetGemini 3.8 text-to-speech says hello blog.googleGoogle's new AI models can create voices from text prompts NewsBytesGoogle Stock (GOOGL) Slides Despite Launching Two New Gemini 3.8 Voice Models TipRanksGemini Task mode in testing along with Gemini Live support TestingCatalog AI News
Read briefing Renewed fighting in Tigray threatens Ethiopia’s fragile peace and could destabilise the wider Horn of Africa by drawing Eritrea and Sudan deeper into the conflict.
Read briefing Fitch Affirms AutoZone at 'BBB'; Outlook Stable Fitch Ratings
Read briefing This week the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) joined forces with former rivals to create an opposition alliance. The fighters say they want to overthrow the government in Addis Ababa.Some commitments contained in that deal remain unfulfilled. Both the government and TPLF accuse each other of breaching the terms of the agreement.
Read briefing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described the measures as "common-sense tools that do not divide but really help to integrate".
Read briefing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a combative speech at the UN General Assembly on Thursday in which he denied that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza, lashed out at leaders, including New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and said attacking Iran was "one of the easiest decisions" he had ever made.
Read briefing Kai Havertz injury update: Germany's Arsenal man leaves game vs Netherlands USA TodayInjury nightmare for Kai Havertz and Brian Brobbey during Nations League clash between Germany and Netherlands Goal.comNasty knock not the reason? Jürgen Klopp has to substitute DFB top star early on in his debut as Germany coach LiveScore🤕 Second Germany star off injured: Bundesliga gem makes debut Yahoo SportsKai Havertz forced off injured after nasty challenge from Arsenal team-mate’s BROTHER The Sun
Read briefing The men's national football team failed to qualify for the past three World Cups, having not missed out previously since 1958. Newly appointed Italy head coach Roberto Mancini poses before a press conference in Rome on July 29, 2026. Roberto Mancini has been named the head coach of Italy national team for a second time, tasked with revitalising the Azzurri who have missed out on the last three World Cups, FIGC president said on July 29, 2026.Roberto Mancini embarks on his bid to turn around Italy's fortunes for a second time as coach this week, but he also needs to win over sceptical fans left apathetic towards the Azzurri after an unprecedented series of setbacks.The four-time world champions, for so long the sporting pride of the nation, have hit one embarrassing low after another, while the likes of tennis world number one Jannik Sinner, runaway Formula One championship leader Kimi Antonelli and Italy's Olympic athletes have delivered history-making successes.The men's national football team failed to qualify for the past three World Cups, having not missed out previously since 1958.Luigi Giaquinto wistfully watched a video of Giorgio Chiellini lifting the European Championship trophy five years ago three times on a loop."It all feels like so long ago," says the 27-year-old Italy supporter and electrician at the national team's museum in Coverciano, near Florence."It's incre...
Read briefing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday mounted a forceful defense of Israel's actions in the region at the UN, seeking to counter growing international isolation ahead of elections he could lose, as dozens of delegates streamed out.
Read briefing The road to Dadaab: unlocking the food potential of Kenya's drylands UN World Food Programme (WFP)
Read briefing Macklemore says ‘being apolitical during a genocide doesn’t work’, promises to donate proceeds to Palestinian causes.Grammy Award-winning rapper Macklemore has announced a string of shows in support of Palestine after he was controversially dropped from Ed Sheeran’s United States tour after speaking out against Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.The 43-year-old American rapper, who has almost 40 million monthly listeners on Spotify, announced his Free Palestine Tour on Thursday, with shows set to take place in Dublin, Paris and London in late October.Macklemore said he will be joined by other musicians and will announce their names soon. He added that US shows are currently being organised.He said all proceeds raised from the tour will be donated to causes supporting the Palestinian people and the wider movement.“If these last couple of weeks have shown us anything, it’s that something has shifted over the last three years,” Macklemore said in a statement.“There has been a collective awakening around Palestinian liberation, the power of billionaires that try to censor that call, and what we expect from artists right now. It’s 2026. Being apolitical during a genocide doesn’t work anymore,” he continued.“People are asking artists to show up, educate themselves and be in community. To use the stage for more than entertainment. To push back when the call for a Free Palestine is met with attempts to silence it.”English punk rap duo Bob Vylan have expressed their support for the tour, responding to Macklemore’s Instagram post with a heart emoji. The British YouTuber and influencer known as Chunkz, who has more than four million followers on Instagram, also praised Macklemore.On September 4 at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, Macklemore, who was one of Sheeran’s opening acts, expressed support for Palestine.“A big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so I could stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: ‘Free Palestine’ … My message is for peace; love for all human beings to be treated with dignity, respect, and equality,” Macklemore told the audience at the time.Soon after, the rapper announced that he had been dropped from the Sheeran tour.Venue owner Robert Kraft later confirmed that Macklemore was barred from performing at his Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Kraft denounced what he described as the rapper’s “broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery” and argued that such actions led him to decide that allowing Macklemore to perform at his venue “would cross that line”.Kraft is a Jewish-American billionaire and has donated to several Israeli causes. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is the subject of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity, said in 2019 that Israel did not have a “more loyal friend” than Kraft.Macklemore claimed Sheeran and his team removed him from the tour following pressure from Kraft.He alleged that Kraft rallied the owners of the remaining stadiums that the tour would include and persuaded them not to allow him to perform. The rapper said that Kraft then told Sheeran the tour would not go ahead unless he was dropped.Neither Kraft nor Sheeran have commented on Macklemore’s allegations that stadium owners were contacted by Kraft.
Read briefing A male suspect from Ukraine was arrested after the stabbings in the town of Jarosław, police say.
Read briefing PPR: African Leaders Back New Drive to Eradicate Viral Disease Affecting Domestic Animals Tuko News
Read briefing Kenya News Agency - KNA. . President William Samoei Ruto meets FIFA president Gianni Infantino in New York. facebook.com
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