Category: World

Tehran has sharpened its confrontation with Washington and Gulf shipping powers after Mojtaba Khamenei declared that the Strait of Hormuz would be “managed by new rules”, signalling Iran’s intention to tighten political and operational control over the world’s most sensitive energy corridor.Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader and the son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said the waterway would no longer be treated as a passage subject to what Tehran describes as foreign pressure. His remarks, carried through state media, placed

Australia’s data centre industry is moving from rapid expansion to sharper scrutiny as new forecasting shows a widening gap between announced projects and capacity likely to be delivered by 2030.A joint market intelligence initiative by Data Centres Australia and DC Byte has put operational IT capacity at about 1.4 gigawatts at the end of 2025, with the market projected to reach 3.1GW to 3.2GW by 2030. That would imply a five-year compound annual growth rate of about 17%, driven by

Conspiracy theories swept across social media after gunfire disrupted the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner at the Washington Hilton, turning a security emergency into another test of America’s fragile information system.The April 25 attack, which led to federal charges against 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California, unfolded near the main screening area outside the ballroom where President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, senior officials, journalists and guests had gathered. Trump was not injured. A Secret Service officer was

Justice Department lawyers have asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit blocking parts of President Donald Trump’s planned White House ballroom, using language that legal critics say closely mirrors the president’s combative social media style and marks a striking departure from the department’s traditional courtroom tone.A motion filed in federal court argues that the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which brought the case, has no legal basis to obstruct the project and is driven by “Trump derangement syndrome”. The

France has set deadlines to end the use of coal, oil and fossil gas for energy, placing itself among the first major economies to publish a full fossil-fuel exit timetable as governments debate how to turn climate pledges into enforceable national plans.The roadmap, presented at the international talks in Santa Marta, Colombia, commits France to phasing out coal by 2030, oil by 2045 and fossil gas by 2050. The plan links the timetable to energy security, industrial renewal and climate

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright has said ships could resume passage through the Strait of Hormuz without every mine being removed, raising hopes of a faster reopening of one of the world’s most important energy corridors while leaving unresolved questions over risk, insurance and maritime security.Wright said a workable channel could be created for vessels moving in and out of the Gulf, rather than waiting for a full clearance operation across the waterway. Speaking on the sidelines of the Three

Federal prosecutors have charged a U. S. Army Special Forces master sergeant with using classified information from a military operation in Venezuela to make more than $400,000 through prediction-market bets, opening a criminal case that links national security secrecy with the expanding trade in event contracts.Gannon Ken Van Dyke, 38, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, was named in an indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court on charges including unlawful use of confidential government information for personal gain, theft of nonpublic government

Philippine lawmakers widened their impeachment inquiry into Vice President Sara Duterte on Tuesday by pulling her Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth, bank-related records and other financial documents into a deeper examination of whether her declared wealth and reported transactions match what public officials are required to disclose. The move sharpens one of the most politically charged cases in the country, with the House justice committee now testing allegations of unexplained wealth alongside claims tied to confidential funds, bribery

Two fully laden Iranian tankers have slipped out of the Persian Gulf with their tracking signals muted, underscoring how Tehran’s oil trade is adapting to a tightening US-led maritime squeeze even as warships, seizures and threats of interception raise the stakes across one of the world’s most critical energy corridors. Reports circulating on Wednesday said the vessels were part of a broader flotilla that has moved millions of barrels of crude despite the blockade, highlighting both the resilience of Iran’s

Blackstone-owned AirTrunk is preparing what could become a landmark financing for Asia-Pacific digital infrastructure, with the data-centre operator seeking to raise at least A$500 million through asset-backed bonds backed by its facilities, according to market reports and company disclosures on its broader funding platform. The move would mark a notable step in bringing securitised debt structures, long familiar in other asset classes, into the region’s fast-growing data-centre sector.The planned issue comes as investors and lenders search for ways to

Oil traders are warning that the prolonged disruption in the Strait of Hormuz is no longer just a supply crisis but an escalating threat to global growth, as high fuel costs begin to erode consumption, strain industry and darken the outlook for the world economy. Shipping through the waterway remains severely restricted, with only a handful of vessels moving through compared with the normal daily flow, while tens of millions of barrels remain stranded across the Gulf.The concern now

Ministers are moving to turn England’s school mobile phone rules into law, shifting a long-standing policy push from guidance into statute as the government tries to tighten control over children’s screen use and strengthen schools’ hand in enforcing phone-free days. The change is being advanced through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill after fresh parliamentary pressure over children’s online safety and time spent on devices.The proposal would formalise an approach already encouraged across England’s schools: pupils should not be

Hedge funds and other large money managers are stepping up bets against the dollar, using options and other derivatives to position for further weakness as demand for traditional safe-haven assets eases and investors look beyond the shocks that had briefly lifted the US currency.The shift reflects a market mood that has turned more sceptical about the dollar’s ability to hold its defensive premium. After climbing sharply during the flare-up in the Middle East, the currency has surrendered much of that

America’s gross national debt is closing in on $39tn, extending a climb that has more than doubled the federal government’s outstanding obligations since 2011 and sharpening debate over how long Washington can sustain large deficits, rising interest bills and expanding borrowing needs without broader economic consequences. Official daily Treasury data put total public debt at about $38.99tn in mid-April 2026, meaning the widely shared claim that the figure has already reached $39.07tn is slightly ahead of the latest published tally,

Iranian authorities have arrested four people, including two foreign nationals, over the alleged import of SpaceX Starlink terminals, sharpening a crackdown on one of the few remaining channels for uncensored internet access inside the country. Iranian state-linked reporting, carried by Reuters on Sunday, said the arrests were made in the north-west and linked by officials to an alleged espionage network tied to the United States and Israel. The nationalities of the two foreigners were not disclosed.The case appears to

A 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of North Nias in western Indonesia early on Sunday, shaking parts of North Sumatra but triggering no tsunami warning, according to Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency, known as BMKG. The agency said the quake hit at 3.06am WIB at a depth of 10 kilometres, with its epicentre in the sea about 48 kilometres south-west of North Nias.BMKG said the tremor was felt at intensity V on the Modified Mercalli scale in

Fresh uncertainty gripped the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday after merchant vessels attempting to cross the waterway reported gunfire and shipping sources said Iranian naval broadcasts warned that passage was no longer permitted, sharpening fears over the security of one of the world’s most important energy corridors. Reuters reported that at least two vessels came under fire, while New Delhi confirmed that two India-flagged crude carriers were attacked during the attempted transit.The episode marked another abrupt reversal in a

Iran has tightened its grip on the Strait of Hormuz, warning that vessels seeking passage will face military control after Tehran linked the waterway’s closure to a United States blockade of its ports, a move that has sharply escalated a confrontation already straining global energy markets and regional diplomacy. Reports of gunfire at commercial ships, including two India-flagged vessels, have turned a political standoff into a direct threat to one of the world’s busiest maritime corridors.The latest flare-up followed

North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles into waters off its east coast early on Sunday, prompting swift condemnation from Seoul, Tokyo and Washington and extending a run of weapons activity that is deepening security concerns across North-East Asia. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles were detected from the Sinpo area at about 6:10 a. m. local time and were launched towards the East Sea, also known internationally as the Sea of Japan.The launch drew immediate

Air passengers face a tougher booking season as airlines trim connections, suspend weaker routes and ground aircraft to absorb a jet-fuel shock that has spread from energy markets into ticket prices and network planning. Industry officials are warning that the disruption could deepen through the northern summer, especially on thinner international and regional links where carriers have little room to absorb higher costs.Jet fuel prices have surged far faster than crude, leaving airlines with a cost problem that goes