A busy, strategic waterway linking Indian and Pacific oceans
Global benchmark Brent has risen toward $86 a barrel after an 11% surge over two sessions as markets react to President Trumps threats of further strikes on Iran, including attacks on power plants and bridges, and to his warnings to "shower Iran with 1000 missiles" following reported assassination plot claims. Talks between the US and Iran continue to be signalled.
LIV Golf is confronting a funding shortfall after the Saudi Public Investment Fund withdraws backing at year-end. The league is seeking about $260 million, with Indianapolis likely to host upcoming events and Michigan deemed unlikely. Investors’ decisions will shape LIV’s 2027 viability.
Ukraine has carried out long-range strikes in the Caspian Sea that hit a vessel Tehran says was Iranian, killing one sailor and wounding others. Iran has summoned Ukraine’s chargé d’affaires, labelled the attack "hostile and criminal" and warned of retaliation; Kyiv has said it targeted ships moving military cargo linked to Iran and called Iran's threats unjustified.
Scientists say humpbacks have rebounded since the 1986 global ban, with a record group of about 299 seen off South Africa. The recovery follows the whaling moratorium, but threats like entanglement and shipping remain; new risks are emerging around Africa amid regional conflicts and security shifts in global trade routes.
Iran has ruled out Oman’s 50-50 regional management for the Strait of Hormuz, insisting on control of its side and opposition to a wide sharing arrangement. Oman proposed a Malacca-style model with voluntary fees to stabilize shipping after disruptions from the US-Israeli war. Officials say talks are progressing step by step, but hardliners remain skeptical about concessions.
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has ground toward a halt this weekend as a 60‑day ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran has reached its expiry and negotiations remain stalled. Kpler data shows single‑digit daily transits; Iran has repeated demands that the U.S. lift its naval blockade, remove sanctions and pay reparations, while the U.S. says it can maintain the blockade indefinitely and is planning further economic pressure.
The USS George Washington has left Da Nang and is relocating toward the Indian Ocean as the Lincoln remains in the Middle East, underscoring a sustained, high-pressure naval posture amid Iran-related operations and logistic strains aboard deployed carriers.
President Min Aung Hlaing has visited Moscow and held talks with President Vladimir Putin to deepen economic, energy and defence ties. The trip has included a Myanmar–Russia business forum and discussions about power plants, oil refineries and military cooperation; it follows a wider diplomatic push by Myanmar since contested 2026 elections.
Indonesia has received the former Italian warship Giuseppe Garibaldi, now KRI Gajah Mada/Sriwijaya-100, and will convert it into a mobile base for helicopters and drones to support disaster response and maritime operations. The transfer, part of Italy’s defense engagement, has sparked debate over cost and necessity amid fiscal pressures.