Ambassadorial appointments should be subject to veto by MPs, committee recommends

• Renewed attacks on shipping vessels in the Strait of Hormuz have unsettled global energy markets as of Wednesday. • The International Maritime Organization (IMO), a UN maritime agency, has issued an urgent call for "maximum restraint and de-escalation" to prevent further conflict.

• The U.S. military has launched a new round of strikes against Iran, as confirmed by U.S. Central Command. • The attacks follow a period of "mixed messaging" from President Trump regarding the intended scope and scale of the military conflict.

• Recent conflicts involving Israel, Iran, and the United States have highlighted a significant shift in the global distribution of power. • While military exchanges occurred, the resolution through diplomacy suggests a move away from the era of undisputed American primacy that followed the Cold War.

• Global energy supply chains are undergoing a fundamental restructuring following two major international supply shocks within five years. • Recent exchanges of fire and instability in the Strait of Hormuz have shattered confidence in traditional transit routes, making trust a critical commodity for energy security.

• Former President Donald Trump declared that the ceasefire with Iran has ended during a major announcement at the NATO Summit. • The statement was made in response to journalist inquiries regarding whether the previous ceasefire and the associated 14-point Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) are now "dead."

• Turkey is set to host the 2026 NATO Summit in Ankara, marking a strategic shift from being viewed as a "difficult partner" to an indispensable stakeholder within the alliance. • This repositioning is the result of Turkey's long-term investments in industrial capability, technological development, strategic autonomy, and regional diplomacy.

• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned on Wednesday that renewed geopolitical conflict in the Middle East would negatively impact global economic growth and increase inflation. • This warning follows an announcement by President Donald Trump that the U.S. ceasefire and peace process with Iran has officially ended.

• A military crisis erupted in the Strait of Hormuz starting February 28, 2026, involving a series of ship attacks and military strikes. • The conflict has been characterized by a volatile cycle of diplomatic developments, ceasefires, and strategic market fluctuations.

• On July 8, 2026, the U.S. renewed attacks on Iran and reimposed oil sanctions after President Trump declared the ceasefire "over," while simultaneously praising Turkish President Erdoğan. • The escalation has caused diplomatic friction, with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu criticizing Trump's embrace of Erdoğan and the Pentagon considering relocating Gulf bases to Israel.

Attacks on three locations across Iran came after three tankers in the strait of Hormuz were targeted on TuesdayMiddle East crisis – live updatesThe US military carried out strikes on Iran for a second day, hours after president Donald Trump said that an interim agreement to end the war was “over”.Late on Wednesday Iranian state media reported explosions in the port city of Bandar Abbas in the strait of Hormuz; in Sirik, another southern coastal city; and the south-western Bushehr province, home to Iran’s nuclear-power-plant complex. Continue reading...

Request for rehearing comes after Fox News report of Texas hospital advertising maternity services in MexicoDonald Trump said on Wednesday he would ask the US supreme court to reconsider its ruling that the 14th amendment to the US constitution guarantees birthright citizenship in light of what he described as shocking new evidence: a hospital in Texas advertising its services to expectant mothers in Mexico on a pair of billboards.“Signs and Billboards are being put up all over our Southern Border, and Mexico, advertising BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP, with ‘Deliveries starting at $4000’, the president wrote on his social media platform, in what appeared to be a wild exaggeration of a Fox News report on just two billboards. Continue reading...

Democratic marines veteran and oyster farmer has been dogged by controversy since entering contest last yearWoman accuses Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner of sexual assaultGraham Platner, the Democratic nominee for US Senate in Maine, is suspending his campaign following a sexual assault allegation.Platner announced his decision in a video posted to social media on Wednesday evening. Continue reading...