Moira Deeming disendorsed as Victorian Liberal party candidate for upcoming state election

• Renewed hostilities in the Strait of Hormuz are threatening to disrupt one of the world's most critical maritime supply chain arteries. • The instability risks increasing costs for fuel, transportation, and agricultural inputs, which could trigger a broader global inflationary shock.

• The text discusses a conceptual shift in international relations, referencing Otto von Bismarck's principle that "the flag follows trade" (Die Flagge folgt dem Handel). • This perspective suggests that geoeconomics now drives geopolitics, meaning that national security strategies and military conflicts are increasingly dictated by economic interests.

• Experts discussed the impact of tariffs, geopolitical tensions, and economic pressures on virgin and recycled plastic and metal markets during a virtual Supply Chain Outlook event on July 15, 2026. • The session focused on how these external forces are disrupting commodity markets and altering the flow of raw materials.

• The ongoing conflict involving the US, Israel, and Iran has highlighted a significant disconnect between global financial markets and actual economic activity. • Oil markets have experienced extreme volatility, though these fluctuations are driven primarily by shifting perceptions and expectations rather than fundamental economic shifts.

• Global tensions are escalating across the Middle East, prompting governments to intensify diplomatic efforts to prevent a wider regional war. • The conflict is creating significant risks for international shipping, global oil markets, and geopolitical stability.

• Economic disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz are expected to have a delayed impact, with the full effects potentially not manifesting until the second half of 2026. • The situation involves critical intersections of energy, trade, and food security within the Middle East and North Africa region.

Democrats also criticize speech as ‘lies and long-debunked conspiracies’Sign up for US News Breaking emailTrump makes unverified claims of China ‘election meddling’Donald Trump repeated calls in his Thursday speech for the passage of the Save America Act – a rebranded and expanded version of last year’s Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (Save) act, which passed in the US House but didn’t get a vote in the Senate.This year’s version includes a very strict voter ID requirement for casting a ballot and a provision that requires states to regularly turn their voter rolls over to the Department of Homeland Security, in addition to criminal liability for election officials who register a voter without proper documentary proof of citizenship. Continue reading...

Arrest in Pennsylvania of Wu Shaoping, who is awaiting asylum decision, raises fears of deportation and persecutionA Chinese human rights lawyer has been arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), raising concerns he could be deported to China where he would face persecution.Wu Shaoping fled China at the end of 2019 amid a crackdown on human rights lawyers. He travelled to the US on a tourist visa and made an asylum claim in 2020, for which he is still awaiting a decision. Continue reading...

Film fanatics arrive from US, Switzerland and Ireland for midnight premiere of director’s critically acclaimed epicOdysseus made his name by embarking on a perilous journey from Troy to Ithaca, plus a few unplanned diversions courtesy of the gods. But this is nothing on Christian Campbell, who last night travelled more than 4,000 miles to see the Greek king’s epic fable on the big screen.The 22-year-old film graduate, who aspires to be an editor, made the journey from Atlanta to London to watch Christopher Nolan’s take on Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey. Continue reading...

Designers say that as well as offering a degree of protection from surveillance, their clothes make a powerful fashion statement about the importance of privacyAs facial recognition technology is rolled out across Britain’s public spaces, a new generation of designers say privacy could be the next big fashion trend.Companies have started incorporating “adversarial patterns” in their garments – carefully designed arrangements of shapes, colours and repeated motifs said to exploit weaknesses in some computer vision systems. Continue reading...

Storms are typical during intense heat but this week’s have been extreme. Plus, deadly monsoon rains in BangladeshHailstones the size of golf balls have been seen in French villages as, on top of the exceptional European heatwave, thunderstorms struck across certain parts of Europe.While thunderstorms are typical during and after a period of extreme heat, the storms across countries like France, Germany and Poland have been particularly severe and have brought flooding, strong winds and heavy showers with huge balls of hail. Continue reading...