CPJ, RSF, and Foley Foundation Urge US to Designate Shelly Kittleson as Hostage and Secure Her Release

• Somalia announced plans for historic oil drilling operations, marking a significant economic development for the Horn of Africa nation. • The initiative carries substantial geopolitical weight as it could reshape regional influence and resource control in East Africa. • Industry analysts view the project as transformative for Somalia's economy and a potential catalyst for regional stability or tension.

• The U.S. has initiated measures to secure Venezuela's gold reserves as American geopolitical influence in the region intensifies. • The effort reflects Washington's strategy to expand economic leverage and control over Venezuelan assets during the nation's ongoing political and economic crisis. • The move signals escalating U.S. intervention in Venezuela's internal affairs with significant implications for regional power dynamics.

• Oil prices spiked sharply as geopolitical tensions escalated between Iran and the United States following military confrontations. • The U.S. dollar recovered against major currencies as investors sought safe-haven assets amid rising uncertainty. • Energy markets remain volatile with traders closely monitoring developments in Middle East tensions and their impact on global supply chains.

• Estonia has formally warned Russia against aggressive actions in the Baltic region and pledged a military response to any violations. • The Baltic nation reaffirmed its commitment to NATO defense protocols and regional security frameworks. • The warning reflects heightened tensions between NATO members and Russia along Eastern European borders.

• Recent geopolitical tensions are fundamentally altering maritime shipping routes for energy commodities worldwide. • Energy shipping companies are implementing agile strategies to navigate heightened tensions and supply chain disruptions. • The shift in maritime logistics has broader implications for global energy prices and international trade networks.

• A US fighter jet was shot down over Iran as military tensions between Washington and Tehran intensify dramatically. • The incident marks a significant escalation in direct military confrontation between the two nations amid ongoing threats and counter-threats. • US forces have deployed advanced long-range missile systems in response, positioning for potential large-scale operations.

It is clear among top officials in the Trump administration that the Israeli president overpromised in his pitch to the USMiddle East crisis – live updatesWhen Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, arrived at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club on 29 December last year, he came with an ask – and a not so subtle inducement.After months of restocking air defence and other missiles after June’s 12-day conflict in which the US joined in to bomb Tehran’s nuclear facilities, Israel was ready to go again, this time with more substantial objectives. Continue reading...

Concerns about coming wildfire risk, and temperatures also remain high on other side of Pacific where rare tropical cyclone has formedAfter a historically warm winter across nine states in the US, the first month of meteorological spring again brought exceptionally high temperatures, with numerous states recording new all-time high temperatures in March. The remarkable intensity and longevity of the warmth have left much of the mountain snowpack, a crucial source of water for millions in the American west, at critically low levels.Though precipitation totals tend to increase in spring, the low snowpack has raised concerns about a potentially severe wildfire season if conditions do not improve soon. And with further spells of abnormally warm, dry weather expected this week, the outlook is becoming increasingly worrying heading into the late spring and summer months. Continue reading...

Companies using heating oil have already begun rationing their fuel use, says Federation of Small BusinessesMiddle East crisis – live updatesThousands of independent businesses across the UK are braced for their energy bills to more than double owing to the sharp rise in heating oil costs as the war in Iran pushed Europe’s fuel market prices to fresh record highs.About 7% of all small and medium-sized companies warm their properties and provide hot water using heating oil, which in some cases has more than doubled in recent weeks. Continue reading...

Oliver Tokic-Bensley, 16, says he had been in the water mere minutes when a shark bit his footGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA teenage surfer bitten by a shark at a South Australian beach has described how he “flicked it off” and “legged it back to shore”.Oliver Tokic-Bensley, 16, was bitten on his foot while surfing on Good Friday near his family beach house at Middleton, 80km south of Adelaide. Continue reading...

BFI and National Portrait Gallery to mark centenary of the film star’s birth with ‘the summer of Marilyn’Though often reduced to a sex symbol frozen in time, or a tragic figure at the centre of several scandals, Marilyn Monroe was something far more subversive, according to two exhibitions that will herald what has been nicknamed “the summer of Marilyn”.To mark the centenary of her birth, Monroe is being celebrated by leading British cultural institutions as a performer of sharp comic intelligence, a canny architect of her own image, and a woman who reshaped the possibilities for female stardom on screen. Continue reading...

While path and strength of storm remain uncertain, BoM warns Cape York could again take direct hit if cyclone makes landfallGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAnother cyclone may hit the Queensland coast less than three weeks after the same area was smashed by Severe Tropical Cyclone Narelle, the Bureau of Meteorology says.But a meteorologist warned forecasts predicting the path and strength of Severe Tropical Cyclone Maila remained uncertain, with the storm likely to make landfall over the weekend. Continue reading...