Tuesday, September 3

Two oil tankers have been hit with missiles launched by Houthi forces, which is the latest round of attacks in the Red Sea by the organization.

The Amjad, a Saudi oil tanker, and the Blue Lagoon, a Panamanian oil tanker, were attacked in the Red Sea on Monday, but they were able to continue on their journey. Thankfully, the oil onboard the ships did not catch fire-- the Amjad alone was carrying around two million barrels of crude oil.

The Houthi group, an Iran-backed organization operating out of Yemen, immediately claimed responsibility for the attack on the Blue Lagoon, but made no mention of the Amjad. They admitted that they were targeting the Blue Lagoon with the ballistic missiles, and it was determined that the Saudi ship was most likely hit by accident, as it is unlikely that they were targeted. Saudi Arabia has attempted to maintain good relations with the Houthis and stay out of the entire Middle Eastern crisis, but they are sometimes hit as a byproduct of the Houthi attacks on other ships.

The Houthis continue to attack ships in the Red Sea to support Palestine in their war against Israel, and it is taking a toll on shipping companies and their routes. The Red Sea is a critical access point to the Suez Canal, which handles over 22,000 ships annually on average. However, that number has dropped greatly over the past 11 months, as shipping companies are halting routes through the area out of fear that they could be the next target. In total, the Houthis have launched over 70 attacks, in which they have capsized two ships, captured another, and killed three people.

Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): King George III had a total of 15 children with his wife, Queen Charlotte.

Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. Out of a fear of the unknown, they prefer suffering that is familiar. (Thich Nhat Hanh)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Incandescent (adj)- Incandescent has literal and figurative meanings. Its literal meanings relate to heat and light; it describes something that is white or glowing because of great heat, and also something (like a light bulb) that produces bright light when heated. In figurative use, incandescent relates to several kinds of brilliance. Something or someone described as incandescent can be very impressive, successful, or intelligent, or simply happy and lively. In British English, incandescent can also describe someone or something feeling or showing great anger.

In a Sentence: The invention of the incandescent bulb in the 19th century ushered in the age of electric lighting.