Explainer

Explainer

Donald Trump speaks to reporters at Los Angeles International Airport before leaving for Las Vegas. Photo: Reuters

What would a US claim over the Strait of Hormuz mean?

Trump, speaking at a police academy in New York, suggested that a US naval blockade of the waterway meant the United States effectively already controlled it

Two F/A-18 Super Hornets launch from the flight deck of the US Navy Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in support of the Operation Epic Fury attack on Iran from an undisclosed location March 3, 2026. Photo: US Navy/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

How long can the US keep its blockade of Iran in place?

Migrants return back to Morocco, as seen from Ceuta, Spain, after tens of thousands of migrants surged into the Spanish enclave by land and sea, July 31. Photo: REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer

EU faces pressure after mass migrant crossing into Spain's Ceuta enclave

Photo: Bloomberg

Can J&J finally put the talc litigation behind it?

Oil tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz in 2018. Photo: Reuters

Why is Oman proposing a new plan to manage the Strait of Hormuz?

United States of America forward Folarin Balogun (20) before a Round of 32 match of the 2026 Fifa World Cup against Bosnia and Herzegovina at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium in Santa Clara, California, USA on 1 July 2026. Photo: Reuters

What is Article 27 of Fifa's Disciplinary Code that allows red-carded Balogun to play?

Ibrahim Hilmi arrived in the US on board a private plane, photographed in light blue detention clothing, hands shackled and flanked by FBI agents, on June 19, 2026. Photo: X@FBIDirectorKash

Who is Ibrahim Khaldoon Hilmi and what is the alleged $3.7b Medicare fraud case?

G7 logos are pictured on the pier ahead of the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, June 12, 2026. Photo: REUTERS/Denis Baliboouse/File Photo

What is the G7 and what's on the agenda at the Evian-les-Bains summit?

Representational Image. Photo: Collected

Why is gold falling despite the US-Israel-Iran conflict?

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported two sets of Israeli strikes had taken place on Tyre and an area to its east on 28 May 2026. Photo: BSS/AFP

Will Israel's troops take over more of southern Lebanon?

A nurse cares for a newborn baby at a hospital in Kishanganj district in Bihar state Photo: Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters/FILE PHOTO

Why India's fertility rate has fallen below replacement level

Flags of China and Russia are displayed in this illustration picture taken March 24, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Florence Lo/Illustration/ File Photo

Why Russia and China are getting closer amid global tensions

AI-powered surveillance cameras have been installed at the Bijoy Sarani intersection in Dhaka. The camaras will monitor traffic violations under a new e-prosecution system, detect offences including signal violations, wrong-way driving, riding without helmets and mobile phone use while driving. The photo was taken on 7 May 2026. PHOTO: SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN/TBS

Why AI cameras cannot fix Dhaka's traffic chaos on their own