So here’s my argument for Ukraine: it’s time to look to Turkey. Ankara knows Russia. It knows #Ukraine. It has massive interests in Black Sea security. It is a serious middle power with credibility on both sides. Let Turkey lead. Let the U.S. step back. open.substack.com/pub/worldbri...

Just hours ahead of a Russia-Ukraine Easter ceasefire, RF forces pounded the southern #Ukraine port city of Odesa for several hours: as a result of a hit on a residential area, two people were killed, several injured. Dozens of houses, a dormitory, and a kindergarten were damaged.

If there’s one defining pattern in this moment, it’s this: the Trump team can announce ceasefires - but it can’t seem to make any of them stick. open.substack.com/pub/worldbri... #Iran #Ukraine

Two wars. One connector: Iran. From the Strait of Hormuz to Odesa -I’ve just covered both in under 48 hours. Iran fights in one theatre, fuels another. Ditto for Russia Overnight strikes in Ukraine prove it.

Absolutely extraordinary. As a former OSCE and @unicef.org spokesperson, I’m stunned by NATO SG’s unwillingness - or inability - to condemn threats by Trump (aka “daddy”) to wipe out an entire Iranian civilization. Credit to @jaketapper.bsky.social for asking the question.

Iran appears to be consolidating the one prize that matters most - de facto control over the Strait of Hormuz, potentially even testing the idea of monetizing global energy flows through transit fees. That’s not a concession - it’s leverage open.substack.com/pub/worldbri... #Israël #Iran

From Istanbul Airport -and the signal is unmistakable. While Gulf hubs wobble amid a fragile U.S.-Iran ceasefire: ✈️ Zero cancellations here 📦 Surging cargo + passenger flows My take: Turkey isn’t just coping - it’s winning. A potential permanent shift in global aviation.

Headline: Israeli attacks on Lebanon a "grave violation" of the US-Iran ceasefire, Iranian minister says. More on the fragility of the deal here: open.substack.com/pub/worldbri... #IranWar‌

Iran showing how firmly it still grips the Strait of Hormuz: only 3 of 4 ships said to have passed today. WSJ reported Tehran plans to charge ships a toll & cap number of vessels at 12/day during ceasefire. Meanwhile, confusion over details of the deal widespread (Photo: mine)

After Israel’s pager attack on Hezbollah, Russia’s proxy Orban offered help to Iran. More in today’s World Briefing: open.substack.com/pub/worldbri...

As I report from the region, the two sides remain miles apart. This isn’t a bridge to peace - it’s a holding pattern. The world wanted a breakthrough. What it got instead is a fragile truce - & a newly empowered gatekeeper of a crucial part of global energy open.substack.com/pub/worldbri... #IranWar

These jets here at Chișinău Airport in Moldova - owned by Ukrainian and UAE carriers - would normally be on the apron being loaded or in the air. They tell part of the wider story of massive disruption to commercial aviation and closed skies due to the war in the Middle East

J.D. Vance accused #Ukraine of attempting to influence Hungarian & US elections - and portrayed Kyiv, not Moscow, as the bad guy. “We’re certainly aware that there are elements within Ukrainian intelligence services that try to put their thumb on the scale.” www.michaelbociurkiw.com/p/a-heartbea...

Donald Trump announces a conditional two-week ceasefire with Iran — hinging on reopening the Strait of Hormuz. My hot take from the region, plus why #Turkey may be the quiet winner in this crisis.

In the middle of one of the most consequential wars of our time, the vice president of the U.S. - a heartbeat away from the presidency - has inserted himself directly into a European election to prop up a leader viewed by critics as an embattled strongman at home open.substack.com/pub/worldbri...

Being a credible global affairs reporter and commentator requires traveling to the frontlines to get the full picture - my quick hot 🔥 take from the Strait of Hormuz… #Iranwar

In the Middle East, Donald Trump is once again threatening Iran with destruction - while quietly extending deadlines and offering no clear path forward. This isn’t a conflict winding down. It’s one where one side is improvising… and the other is all-in open.substack.com/pub/worldbri...

Several injured in the southern #Ukraine port city of Odesa after a Russian attack levelled a multi storey apartment building. A kindergarten was also hit, injuring at least 10 people, including a 10-year-old - officials

As the war in the Middle East rages and US re-deploys assets from Asia to the region, China is accelerating land reclamation at Antelope Reef in the disputed South China Sea. The timing is raising eyebrows across the Indo-Pacific open.substack.com/pub/worldbri...

When deterrence becomes a part-time job, rivals don’t wait - they build, expand and entrench. That’s exactly what’s happening now in the South China Sea. open.substack.com/pub/worldbri...

When one war becomes a war of attrition and another risks spiraling into direct confrontation, the real danger isn’t escalation - it’s the absence of any credible off-ramp open.substack.com/pub/worldbri... #Ukraine #Iran

When one war becomes a war of attrition and another risks spiraling into direct confrontation, the real danger isn’t escalation - it’s the absence of any credible off-ramp. open.substack.com/pub/worldbri...

From Malaysia to Singapore, a familiar but dangerous haze is back - fuelled by smouldering agricultural fires and drier conditions. Visibility is down, respiratory risks are up a decades-old regional problem is proving stubbornly resistant to real solutions. open.substack.com/pub/worldbri...

From Manila to Bangkok, drivers tell me rising fuel costs and fixed commissions are pushing them to the brink. Is it fair for ride-hailing platforms like Grab and Uber to keep commissions as high as 30% when drivers’ fuel costs are surging? Vote now in our poll: open.substack.com/pub/worldbri...

Oil prices surged and stock markets sank on Thursday, hours after President Trump declared in a national television address that the U.S. military campaign against Iran was an overwhelming success but failed to offer a clear exit strategy open.substack.com/pub/worldbri... #IranWar‌

Across SE Asia and from the back seats of Grab cars in Manila, Bangkok & Kuala Lumpur - a very different picture of the war in the Middle East comes into focus. Not missiles, not maps, suits - but exhausted drivers pulling 16 to 18-hour shifts just to stay afloat open.substack.com/pub/worldbri...

What’s becoming increasingly difficult to ignore is not just the escalation - but erosion of credibility at the very top. Trump’s rhetoric has veered from deal-making to outright threats of obliteration. While his minions advance narratives that strain credulity open.substack.com/pub/worldbri...

Volodymyr Zelensky has said Ukraine's allies have urged him to scale back attacks on Russia's energy infrastructure amid the ongoing global fuel crisis - but that they would only end if Russia stopped targeting Ukraine's first. www.bbc.com/news/article...

When leaders talk peace while positioning for war, it’s not strategy - it’s a signal the off-ramp may already be gone open.substack.com/pub/worldbri... #IranWar‌

Tune into @cnn.com At the top of the hour 7pm ET I’ll be speaking to @omarjimenez.bsky.social on the war in #Ukraine, Russia’s offensive and Kyiv’s outreach to Gulf states in defence cooperation. I’ll be live from Bangkok where it’s coming up to 6am. #IranWar

Pakistan ​hosted talks with Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia on Sunday as part of its efforts to broker ‌an end to the Iran war, with initial discussions focused on proposals to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping, sources familiar with the matter said open.substack.com/pub/worldbri...

The UN’s human rights chief has urged the US to conclude its investigation and publish its findings into a deadly strike on an Iranian primary school that happened on the first day of the war - saying it “evoked a visceral horror.” open.substack.com/pub/worldbri...

As I warned in Digital Pandemic, what looked like connection often masked something more deliberate - systems built to keep users inside. The courts are now catching up to the reality. Silicon Valley may find the cost of engagement far higher than anticipated. open.substack.com/pub/worldbri...

Donald Trump’s messaging on what he wants from American allies in his war against Iran is so confusing that any effort to help in reopening the Strait of Hormuz remains deadlocked, according to four European government officials open.substack.com/pub/worldbri... #IranWar‌

A preview of today’s World Briefing. Subscribe now, so as not to skip a beat open.substack.com/pub/worldbrief…#newsw#breakingnewsws

There is a growing concern that the U.S. may abandon the #Ukraine negotiation process altogether if no agreement is reached - shifting focus to other priorities like Iran or domestic politics open.substack.com/pub/worldbri...

Coming up today on World Briefing Here’s your daily ‘World Briefing in 60!’ Subscribe now so as not to miss a beat. open.substack.com/pub/worldbri...

Coming up today on World Briefing Here’s your daily ‘World Briefing in 60!’ Subscribe now so as not to miss a beat. open.substack.com/pub/worldbri...

Is alignment with the United States becoming a liability? In places like Manila - where treaty obligations with the U.S. run deep - even raising that question would have been unthinkable not long ago. Now, it’s being discussed openly in conference rooms open.substack.com/pub/worldbri...

Russia has attacked Ukraine with over 550 strike drones of various types - many targeting western part of country, including the historic center of Lviv. I lived right next to this beautiful cathedral for the first months of the war, always feeling protected

Coming up on World Briefing… Subscribe now so as not to skip a beat! open.substack.com/pub/worldbri...

Iran’s supply chain in ongoing war in Middle East doesn’t end at its borders. It’s linked to China, Russia & even N Korea says a Philippines 🇵🇭 expert. “This means the center of gravity is not in #Iran,” says Rommel Jude Ong of Ateneo School of Govt #IranWar‌

Iran’s supply chain in ongoing war in Middle East doesn’t end at its borders. It’s linked to China, Russia & even N Korea says a Philippines 🇵🇭 expert. “This means the center of gravity is not in #Iran,” says Rommel Jude Ong of Ateneo School of Govt #IranWar‌

As Japan resists US pressure to send mine sweepers to the Gulf, it’s for the first time sending combat troops to the Philippines 🇵🇭 for joint exercises, says Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Browner. Comes as China ups its aggressive actions in West Philippine Sea

A sudden shift in Washington. After threatening to “obliterate” Iran’s power plants, Donald Trump appears to have stepped back - a move that’s raising serious questions about resolve, signalling, and what comes next. open.substack.com/pub/worldbri...

What we’re monitoring at the moment for World Briefing…. Subscribe here so as not to skip a beat! open.substack.com/pub/worldbri...

#BREAKING The ‌pilot and co-pilot of an Air Canada Express regional jet were killed after it collided with a fire truck while landing at New York's LaGuardia airport late on Sunday, in an incident that closed the airport, authorities said www.cbc.ca/news/world/a...

A lawsuit launched against Fraport AG, the owner of Frankfurt Airport in Germany, following accusations of environmental destruction. Ironically the group preaches “sustainable, considerate and careful approach to natural resources and the environment.” More: open.substack.com/pub/worldbri...

Gulf countries warn they may be forced to take action if the war involving Iran continues, Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan says. Officials in the Gulf he met said they see the war continuing for another 2-3 weeks, with risk levels steadily rising open.substack.com/pub/worldbri... #iran

Some of the headlines in today’s World Briefing: Asia-Pacific Edition….subscribe now so as not to miss a beat! We connect the geopolitical dots - so that you don’t have to…. open.substack.com/pub/worldbri...