Routes

• Tensions have escalated in the Strait of Hormuz as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) continues to insist on designated transit routes. • This dispute persists despite ongoing ceasefire discussions between the United States and Iran aimed at stabilizing the region. • Foreign policy expert Col. Rajeev Agarwal notes that Oman has historically acted as a peacemaker, with the Omani Foreign Minister mediating right up until U.S. attacks began.

Train operator says passenger demand will still be met as it trims summer timetable at government’s behestAvanti West Coast is to cut about one in seven trains on its busiest intercity routes this summer to reduce costs.The train operator said it was reducing its timetable between London Euston and Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester in response to a government request to lower spending. Continue reading...

Replacing a leader is difficult, as Jeremy Corbyn proved – but MPs can apply pressure, publicly or privatelyMany Labour MPs believe Keir Starmer will not survive as Labour leader for long enough to fight the next election. What they cannot agree on, however – even after a disastrous set of results in this week’s elections – is how his departure might come about.The Labour rulebook makes it notoriously difficult to unseat a party leader: none has been formally ejected in the postwar period, though some, including Tony Blair, have resigned under pressure from their own MPs. Continue reading...

‘Stone age’ system of booking cross-border rail tickets holding back climate action by consumers, says thinktankEurope’s “stone age” system of booking train tickets makes it needlessly difficult for travellers to avoid polluting flights, a report has found.Booking equivalent train tickets is “difficult or impossible” on almost half of the EU’s busiest international air routes, analysis from the Transport & Environment (T&E) thinktank shows. Continue reading...

• Mexican authorities reported 847 homicides in the past 30 days, the highest monthly toll in 18 months, as rival drug trafficking organizations battle for control of U.S. border crossing routes, particularly in Sinaloa and Tamaulipas states. • The U.S. DEA warned of expanded methamphetamine trafficking networks moving through Central America, with seizures at the U.S.-Mexico border up 38% compared to last year. • Mexico's security ministry announced deployment of additional federal police units to three border states and pledged cooperation with U.S. law enforcement agencies to dismantle trafficking networks.

• 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.

Music’s most famous number is being repurposed to offer resources for patients and caregiversSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe telephone number immortalized in the enduring Tommy Tutone hit song 867-5309/Jenny has started connecting callers to a cancer support line – as one ad touting the news says it was time that music’s most famous digits “did some good”.Cancer Support Community (CSC)’s Instagram page announced the campaign with a series of posts on Monday alluding to the song about a guy who nervously ponders calling the phone number of a woman named Jenny, which is scrawled on a bathroom wall. Continue reading...