Geneva — Disruption to the Strait of Hormuz is driving up food prices and putting further strain on the livelihoods and household resources of millions of women and girls, according to a new UN Women analysis. An additional 11.7 million women and girls could face food insecurity by the end of 2026, as the escalation…
As the Middle East conflict disrupts global trade and financial markets, middle powers must unite to drive diplomatic solutions in an increasingly fractured, two-tier multipolar world order. The US-Israel war on Iran, which began on 28 February 2026, has had consequences far beyond the Middle East. The breakdown of the June 2026 Islamabad Memorandum of…
Disruptions are making Southern Africa more important to global shipping and energy markets without making the region more prosperous. Countermeasures to offset reduced energy exports shipped from Persian Gulf countries through the Strait of Hormuz are now failing, with significant global impacts, including for Africa. Saudi Arabia has prioritised its East-West pipeline to bypass the…
When South Africa’s two-pot retirement system was introduced, the big question was whether people would treat their retirement savings as easy money to dip into or leave it alone for retirement. Two years later, the data tells a more complicated story – one driven primarily by real financial pressure. Many assumed withdrawals would happen evenly…
The Middle East stands once again at the edge of a dangerous precipice. What began as a targeted military strike on an airport runway has rapidly evolved into a wider regional confrontation, threatening global energy markets and exposing the vulnerability of economies far beyond the Gulf. On July 14, Saudi Arabian forces reportedly struck the…
Two sanctioned oil supertankers engage in a crude transfer near the Borrachas Islands at Venezuela’s northeastern coast off Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela Aug. 9, 2026. Leonardo Fernandez Viloria | Reuters Oil prices fell Thursday as Saudi Arabia shifts some crude exports through the Strait of Hormuz to compensate for the closure of a key pipeline,…
Brent crude has risen above $100 a barrel as war in Iran disrupts shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, while the Houthis’ capture of Mayun Island raises concerns over another major oil route through the Bab al-Mandeb. Al Jazeera’s Farah Samir explains. Published On 14 Sep 202614 Sep 2026 Share Why Middle East…
Zolfaghar and Qadr missiles alongside a metal model of a mini submarine are displayed at Azadi Square as the mutual attacks between Iran and the US, sparked by the parallel routes established in the Strait of Hormuz, intensify day by day in Tehran, Iran on July 24, 2026. Fatemeh Bahrami | Anadolu | Getty Images…
Before the war in Iran, roughly 15 million barrels of Persian Gulf oil were shipped each day through the Strait of Hormuz. Within a few years, much of that oil could bypass the strait. As Iran’s chokehold on the strait drags on and oil prices surge — to over $100 per barrel for Brent Crude…
An aerial view taken from an helicopter during a media visit shows five platforms over the Johan Sverdrup oil field in the North Sea some 140 kilometres west from the town of Stavanger, Norway, on December 3, 2019. (Photo by Tom LITTLE / AFP) (Photo by TOM LITTLE/AFP via Getty Images) Tom Little | Afp…
