It was so hot in Kuwait last summer that birds dropped dead from the sky.

Sea horses boiled to death in the bay. Dead clams coated the rocks, their shells popped open like they'd been steamed.

Egypt's Central Bank raised its key interest rate Monday for the first time since 2017, citing inflationary pressures triggered by the coronavirus pandemic and Russia's war in Ukraine, which hiked oil prices to new records.

The move saw the Egyptian pound slip, trading at over 18 to the dollar by midday — from an average of 15.6 pounds for $1 — after the bank's decision. That is likely to have a heavy toll on poor and middle-class Egyptians.

Saudi Arabia said on Monday that it "won't bear any responsibility" for a shortage in global oil supplies after a fierce barrage of attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels affected production in the kingdom, the world's largest oil exporter.

The unusually stark warning marked a departure from the giant oil producer's typically cautious statements, as Saudi officials remain aware that even their smallest comments can swing the price of oil and rattle global markets.

Mount Lebanon Prosecutor Judge Ghada Aoun on Monday filed charges against Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh, accusing him of illicit enrichment and money laundering, TV networks said.

She also filed charges against Salameh’s brother Raja, who is in custody, and against Ukrainian national Anna Kosakova for interfering in the alleged offenses.

A China Eastern Boeing 737-800 with 132 people on board crashed in the southern province of Guangxi on Monday, officials said.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China said in a statement the crash occurred near the city of Wuzhou in Teng county. The flight was traveling from Kunming in the western province of Yunnan to the industrial center of Guangzhou along the east coast, it added.

The U.S. has transferred a significant number of Patriot antimissile interceptors to Saudi Arabia in recent weeks as the Biden administration looks to ease what has been a point of tension in the increasingly complicated U.S.-Saudi relationship.

A senior administration official confirmed Sunday night that the interceptors have been sent to Saudi Arabia. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a decision that has not been formally announced, said the decision was in line with President Joe Biden's promise that "America will have the backs of our friends in the region."

Yemen's Houthi rebels unleashed a barrage of drone and missile strikes on Saudi Arabia that targeted key facilities including natural gas and desalination plants early Sunday, Saudi state-run media reported, temporarily reducing oil production at one site in the latest escalation as peace talks stall and the war in Yemen rages into its eighth year.

The attacks did not cause casualties, the Saudi-led military coalition fighting in Yemen said, but damaged civilian vehicles and homes in the area. A Saudi energy official later acknowledged that a drone strike targeting the Yanbu Aramco Sinopec Refining Company on the Red Sea coast caused "a temporary reduction in the refinery's production."

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has asked Turkey to be a guarantor of any future deal with Russia, along with the U.N. Security Council's five permanent members and Germany, Ankara's top diplomat said Thursday.

"Ukraine made an offer on the collective security agreement: P5 (the U.N. Security Council's five permanent members), Turkey and Germany. The Russian Federation has no objection," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said during a visit to the Ukrainian city of Lviv.

Canada on Thursday unveiled fresh sanctions against 22 Belarus defense department officials for allowing Russia to launch attacks on Ukraine from its territory.

The announcement, Canada's foreign ministry said in a statement, "sends a clear message to President Putin's accomplices: those who support violations of Ukraine's sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence will be held accountable."

Italian scientists are racing against time to study, scan and sample Europe's southernmost glacier before it melts and disappears as a result of rising global temperatures.

Researchers conducted a preliminary radar survey of the Calderone glacier in Italy's central Apennine Mountains on March 13 and plan to return next month to drill into it and take samples. The aim is to extract chunks of the glacier and store them in Antarctica for future study.