THE REGISTER

Today's stories

More from today's coverage, told in the same calm voice.

1. Iran conflict raises fertiliser costs, threatening global food supply

   Yara CEO Svein Tore Holsether has warned that rising energy prices driven by the Iran conflict are pushing up fertiliser production costs worldwide. Because natural gas is the primary feedstock for nitrogen fertiliser, sustained oil and gas price increases translate directly into higher food prices. Farmers in developing nations, who cannot absorb those costs or outbid wealthier buyers, face the sharpest shortfalls. The disruption adds pressure to food systems already strained by recent supply chain instability.

   "The true cost of the conflict may be running close to $50 billion — roughly double what the Pentagon told Congress."

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2. Congress funds DHS after two-month shutdown

   The House passed a funding bill on Thursday ending a record shutdown at the Department of Homeland Security, which had left TSA and other security workers without pay for more than two months. The bill does not include funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement or Customs and Border Protection. Travellers had faced lengthy airport queues during the disruption. The measure now moves forward without resolving the full scope of border agency funding.

   "The bill provides funding for DHS after a more than two-month shutdown, but does not include dollars for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection."

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3. WHCD gunman breached security checkpoint in four seconds

   New footage released by prosecutors shows a gunman emerging from a hotel doorway and reaching a security checkpoint in four seconds while President Trump attended the White House Correspondents' Dinner nearby. A Secret Service agent was struck by buckshot and sustained bruising; a second officer was hit in a ballistic vest. Neither suffered serious injuries. US Attorney Jeanine Pirro's office is handling the prosecution.

   "A gunman burst out of a hotel doorway and charged through a security checkpoint in just four seconds."

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4. Venice Biennale jury resigns over Russia pavilion

   All five members of the Venice Biennale's international jury resigned on Thursday, one day after Italian culture ministry inspectors arrived in Venice to investigate the decision to allow Russia a pavilion at the 2026 event. The jury offered no detailed explanation beyond a brief statement released by the Biennale's organisers. The episode places the institution under pressure from both government authorities and the broader arts community over how it handles the participation of nations implicated in ongoing conflicts.

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5. UAE Departure Strains OPEC and Global Food Supply

   The United Arab Emirates has moved to exit OPEC, a decision that analysts warn could weaken the cartel's ability to manage oil output and prices. The broader concern extends beyond energy markets: a disruption to Persian Gulf shipping lanes would cut off a significant share of the world's seaborne fertilizer supply, with estimates suggesting roughly 30 percent passes through the region. A prolonged crisis, compared in scale to the Suez disruption, could affect agricultural production globally within months.

   "Fertilizer is the most important element — thirty percent of the world's seaborne fertilizer comes from the Persian Gulf."

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6. Artemis II Crew Visits UN Before Moon Mission

   The four astronauts assigned to NASA's Artemis II lunar flyby — Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen — met with United Nations diplomats ahead of their planned 2026 mission. The visit was intended to mark the international significance of the first crewed journey around the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972. The crew described the upcoming flight as a shared human milestone rather than a purely national achievement.

   "An adventure of a lifetime — and one the crew frames as belonging to the world, not just one country."

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7. Second attack on Golders Green in five weeks

   Two people were stabbed in Golders Green, a neighbourhood with a large Jewish population in north London, five weeks after an attack on four Jewish charity ambulances in the same area. Suspect Essa Suleiman is in custody. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley faces questions about the policing of a community that has now been targeted twice in quick succession. Local residents and community leaders have described a mood of shock and sustained unease.

   "There is a palpable sense of shock and anger in the community in Golders Green, which has been targeted again just five weeks on from the attack on four Jewish charity ambulances."

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8. Gunman Stopped at Correspondents' Dinner Security Checkpoint

   A man identified as Cole Allen attempted to breach a security checkpoint at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, according to officials and video footage reviewed by CBS News. One Secret Service officer was shot before Allen was stopped. Journalists and correspondents attending the annual event were present at the time of the incident. Federal authorities are treating the episode as an alleged assassination attempt.

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9. Trump weighs troop cuts as US-Germany tensions grow

   President Trump said the United States is reviewing its military presence in Germany, amid a widening public dispute with Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Trump criticised Merz's handling of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, calling him ineffective. The row adds pressure to an already strained transatlantic relationship, with Germany, Italy, and Spain all facing uncertainty over American troop commitments.

   "Trump told Merz he should spend 'more time on ending the war with Russia/Ukraine, where he has been totally ineffective.'"

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10. Israel detains 175 flotilla activists near Crete

    Israeli naval forces intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla roughly 965 kilometres from Gaza and detained 175 activists from multiple countries, including 24 Italian nationals. The vessels were attempting to deliver aid to Gaza, which remains under an Israeli naval blockade. Flotilla organisers said the boarding occurred in international waters and described it as unlawful seizure of civilians at sea.

    "Those on board were seized unlawfully more than 965 kilometres from Gaza, in what organisers called piracy."

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