Briefly

YEMEN

Exporters seek a way out of bottleneck

Exporters are scrambling to find alternative air, land and ocean routes to get toys, apparel, tea and auto parts to retailers, as disarray ripples through freight supply chains around the world during a wave of attacks in the Red Sea. Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen have stepped up attacks on vessels in the Red Sea since Nov 19 to show support for Hamas during Israel's military offensive in Gaza. The attacks have disrupted a key trade route linking Europe and North America with Asia via the Suez Canal. Container shipping costs have surged, more than tripling in some cases, as companies seek to move goods via other, often longer, ocean routes. If there are extended disruptions, the consumer goods sector that supplies the world's top retailers like Walmart and Ikea will face the biggest impact, S&P Global said in a report.

EUROPEAN UNION

'Historic' reform of asylum laws agreed

The European Union on Wednesday agreed to an overhaul of its asylum system that includes more border detention centers and speedier deportations, prompting migrant charities to slam the changes as "dangerous".But EU governments, officials and MEPs hailed the preliminary accord on the bloc's new pact on asylum and migration as "historic", saying it updated procedures to handle growing irregular arrivals, while maintaining the respect for human rights. The legislative reform, reached after lengthy negotiations between EU member countries and bloc lawmakers, has yet to be formally adopted by the European Council and European Parliament.

AFRICA

DR Congo votes in extended elections

Polling for the general elections will continue on Thursday in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, announced Denis Kadima, president of the Independent National Electoral Commission, on Wednesday evening. Some 44 million voters in the country went to the polls on Wednesday to elect a new president, members of the National Assembly and provincial assemblies, as well as municipal councilors, with delays in deployment of voting materials and reports of sporadic violence at some polling stations. Five presidential candidates, including Martin Fayulu and Denis Mukwege, main challengers from the opposition, demanded the reorganization of the ballot within a deadline to be decided among the stakeholders and with a new commission office.

Xinhua - Agencies