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Israel’s attack on Iran leads to significant increase in global oil prices

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Global oil prices jumped after Israel said it had struck Iran in a dramatic escalation of tensions in the Middle East.

The price of the benchmark Brent crude rose more than 10%, reaching its highest level since January, before losing some gains.

Traders were concerned that a conflict between Iran and Israel could disrupt supplies coming from the energy-rich region.

The cost of crude oil affects everything from how much it costs to fill up your car to the price of food at the supermarket.

After the initial jump, oil prices eased a little. But Brent crude still ended the day more than 7% higher than Thursday’s closing price, trading a $74.23 a barrel.

Despite Friday’s moves, oil prices are still more than 10% lower than where they were at the same point last year. They are also well below the peaks seen in early 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, when the price of crude soared well above $100 a barrel.

Share prices fell across Asia and Europe on Friday. Japan’s Nikkei share index ended the day down 0.9%, while the UK’s FTSE 100 index closed 0.39% lower.

Stock markets in the US also closed down. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.79% while the S&P 500 was down 0.69%.

So-called “safe haven” assets such as gold and the Swiss franc made gains. Some investors see these assets as more reliable investments in times of uncertainty.

The gold price hit its highest level for nearly two months, rising 1.2% to $3,423.30 an ounce.

Following Israel’s attack, Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said Iran had launched around 100 drones towards the country.

Analysts have told the BBC that energy traders will now be watching how much the conflict worsens in the coming days.

“It’s an explosive situation, albeit one that could be defused quickly as we saw in April and October last year, when Israel and Iran struck each other directly,” Vandana Hari of Vanda Insights told the BBC.

“It could also spiral out into a bigger war that disrupts Mideast oil supply,” she added.

Analysts at Capital Economics said that if Iran’s oil production and export facilities were targeted, the price of Brent crude could jump to around $80-$100 a barrel.

However, they added that such a spike in prices would encourage other oil producers to increase output, ultimately limiting the price rise and the knock-on effect on inflation.

A spokesman for UK motoring body the RAC, Rod Dennis, said it was “too soon” to say what impact the latest rise in oil would have on petrol prices.

“There are two key factors at play: whether higher wholesale fuel prices are sustained over the coming days and, crucially, the sort of margin retailers decide to take,” he said.

In an extreme scenario, Iran could disrupt supplies of millions of barrels of oil a day if it targets infrastructure or shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

The strait is one of the world’s most important shipping routes, with about a fifth of the world’s oil passing through it.

At any one time, there are several dozen tankers on their way to the Strait of Hormuz, or leaving it, as major oil and gas producers in the Middle East and their customers transport energy from the region.

Bounded to the north by Iran and to the south by Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Strait of Hormuz connects the Gulf with the Arabian Sea.

“What we see now is very initial risk-on reaction. But over the next day or two, the market will need to factor in where this could escalate to,” Saul Kavonic, head of energy research at MST Financial said.

Additional reporting by Katie Silver

MBW’s Weekly Round-Up: Sony’s $2.5bn Spent in the Past Year to UMG’s Patrick Whitesell JV

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Welcome to Music Business Worldwide’s weekly round-up – where we make sure you caught the five biggest stories to hit our headlines over the past seven days. MBW’s round-up is supported by Centtrip, which helps over 500 of the world’s best-selling artists maximize their income and reduce their touring costs.


This morning (June 13), Rob Stringer, Chairman of Sony Music Group and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment, updated investors on the music company’s performance and strategy.

Also this week, Universal Music Group launched a joint venture with WTSL, the Silver Lake-backed investment firm founded by Hollywood agent and WME co-founder Patrick Whitesell.

Meanwhile, we learned that legendary UK independent music company Cooking Vinyl will be acquired by US-headquartered Exceleration Music.

Elsewhere, on Wednesday (June 11) The National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) said that Spotify‘s ‘bundling’ move could cost music publishers $3.1 billion through 2032.

Finally, Harbourview Equity Partners secured $500 million in debt refinancing, led by investment giant KKR.

Here’s what happened this week…


1) SONY MUSIC SPENT $2.5BN ON 60+ DEALS IN THE PAST YEAR (AND 7 MORE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW FROM ROB STRINGER’S LATEST INVESTOR PRESENTATION)

Rob Stringer, the Chairman of Sony Music Group and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment, updated investors on the music company’s performance and strategy on Friday morning (June 13).

Delivered as part of Sony Group’s 2025 Business Segment Presentation for investors, Stringer covered Sony’s financial performance, catalog deals, distribution strategy, AI opportunities, music streaming subscription prices, and more. He also took part in a fireside chat with Justin Hill, Senior Vice President, Finance & Investor Relations, Sony Corporation of America.

During the presentation, Stringer revealed Sony “completed more than 60 investments in the past year alone” and spent “over $2.5 billion for frontline, catalog, as well as creative and service ventures with outside entrepreneurs across a vast number of territories.”

Stringer discussed Sony’s strategy in greater detail during the presentation and Q&A. Here are seven more things you should know…


Patrick Whitesell credit: DFree / Shutterstock.com / Sir Lucian Grainge credit Photo: Austin Hargrave

2) Universal Music and Hollywood agent Patrick Whitesell launch joint venture with backing from Silver Lake

Universal Music Group has formed a joint venture with WTSL, the Silver Lake-backed investment firm founded by prominent Hollywood agent and WME co-founder, Patrick Whitesell.

According to the official announcement, the venture’s goal is to “accelerate commercial opportunities for UMG’s artists and artist estates in rapidly growing areas outside traditional recorded music and music publishing”.

The press release added that the JV will pursue opportunities that “extend music’s value across film, television, fashion, consumer products, branded experiences, and other emerging growth areas.”


3) Cooking Vinyl, a prominent UK-headquartered music company, to be acquired by Exceleration Music

Exceleration Music has entered into an agreement to acquire iconic UK-headquartered independent music company Cooking Vinyl, which it describes as “one of the UK’s most successful and long-standing music companies”.

Founded in 1986, Cooking Vinyl is home to a roster of artists that includes Shed SevenSuzanne VegaPassengerThe ProdigyThe CranberriesBilly BraggThe DarknessDeacon Blue47 SoulRoger Waters and The Jesus and Mary Chain.

Exceleration said on Monday (June 9) that Cooking Vinyl will continue to operate independently, led by Managing Director Rob Collins and his team.


SOPA/Alamy

4) NMPA says Spotify ‘bundling’ move could cost music publishers $3.1bn through 2032

The National Music Publishers’ Association projects that music publishers will “lose over $3.1 billion” through 2032 due to Spotify‘s audiobook “bundling practices”.

That’s according to Executive Vice President and General Counsel Danielle Aguirre, who, speaking at the NMPA’s 2025 Annual Meeting in New York on Wednesday (June 11), detailed how Spotify‘s decision to reclassify its premium music service as a bundled offering in March 2024 has, “by Spotify’s own numbers” resulted in a $230 million loss for publishers during its first year of implementation.

Aguirre added that “these losses will continue if we can’t reverse or correct Spotify’s actions. In fact, if we don’t stop them, we are projected to lose over $3.1 billion through the next CRB period,” which will be Phonorecords V, which determines mechanical royalty rates for 2028 through 2032.


5) HarbourView secures $500m in additional debt financing from KKR

HarbourView Equity Partners has secured $500 million in additional debt financing from investment giant KKR, secured via a private securitization backed by its music portfolio.

This latest transaction follows a previous $500 million in debt financing secured by HarbourView in March 2024, through a private securitization backed by its catalog of music royalties, and led by KKR.

Citing an interview with HarbourView Founder and CEO Sherrese Clarke on Monday (June 9), Bloomberg reported that the company plans to use the new financing “to scale up, to add to its portfolio of music content and to push deeper into film and TV-rights management”.


MBW’s Weekly Round-Up is supported by Centtrip, which helps over 500 of the world’s best-selling artists maximise their income and reduce their touring costs.Music Business Worldwide

Lone Survivor of India Plane Crash Shares Story of Survival

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Viswash Kumar Ramesh was one of 242 people on the 787-8 Dreamliner that went down shortly after takeoff in Ahmedabad, India, and the only known survivor.

Benjamin Netanyahu pledges to continue attacking Iran for an indefinite period of time

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to attack Iran for “as long as necessary” after his forces launched devastating air strikes against Tehran’s nuclear programme and military facilities, triggering a new war in the Middle East.

The assault, which came after years of tensions between the two states, struck facilities long at the heart of Iran’s nuclear ambitions, killed Iran’s top three military commanders, as well as leading scientists, and sought to disable the country’s air defences.

Iran retaliated on Friday night, launching a barrage of ballistic missiles at Israel. A US official told the Financial Times that the US was helping to shoot down Iranian missiles targeting Israel.

Tel Aviv was among Iran’s targets, with video on social media appearing to show missiles hitting the city. Thirty-four people have been injured in rocket strikes on the area, Israeli emergency services said.

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei threatened Israel with “heavy blows” and said it would not be allowed to escape unscathed after provoking a war.

“They should not assume that they hit [us] and it is over. No. They were the ones to start it and waged a war,” he said in a pre-recorded televised message late on Friday.

In a video broadcast earlier on Friday, Netanyahu said Israel’s strikes would continue for “as long as necessary, to distance and remove the threat as much as we can”.

In a separate video he addressed the Iranian people, saying Israel’s attacks were “clearing the path for you to achieve your freedom”. He added: “More is on the way. The regime does not know what hit them, or what will hit them.”

On his Truth Social platform, US President Donald Trump warned Tehran that the next “already planned attacks” on it would be “even more brutal”, adding that “Iran must make a deal [on its nuclear programme], before there is nothing left”.

In a later post, he added: “Two months ago I gave Iran a 60-day ultimatum to ‘make a deal’. They should have done it! Today is day 61.”

For more than two decades, Israel has viewed Iran’s nuclear activities as an existential threat and has long been opposed to efforts by the US and other powers to negotiate with Tehran, which insists its programme is purely peaceful.

US administrations going back to George W Bush have sought to prevent an Israeli strike on the Islamic republic for fear of escalation into a wider conflict, but Trump has signalled fewer misgivings.

Speaking to ABC News, he said of the Israeli attack: “I think it’s been excellent.”

An Israeli military official said the attacks could last for as long as two weeks, while another said dozens of strikes had already been carried out.

After massive explosions rocked Tehran at about 3.30am local time on Friday, state television also showed smoke rising from the main command headquarters of the Revolutionary Guards, the regime’s most powerful military force, in eastern Tehran.

Further strikes took place later on Friday, according to local media reports.

Iran’s state news agency said several senior military figures including Major General Hossein Salami, head of the elite Revolutionary Guards, were killed. Iran’s armed forces chief of staff, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, was also killed, state television reported, while Israel said it had killed the IRGC air force commander.

Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, a prominent physics professor, and Fereydoon Abbasi, a former head of Iran’s atomic organisation, also died, the state news agency said.

Unofficial estimates quoted by the Iranian media suggested that 78 people were killed and 329 injured by the Israeli strikes on military sites and residential areas in Tehran province. But they did not specify how many of the casualties were civilians.

US stocks extended their sell-off as the conflict intensified. The S&P 500 ended Friday’s session down 1.1 per cent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite dropped 1.3 per cent. Brent crude, the international oil benchmark, surged as much as 12.5 per cent after Israel’s strikes before paring back to $74.36 a barrel, up 7.2 per cent.

The Israel Defense Forces said it had damaged an underground facility in Natanz, the country’s main site for uranium enrichment, which can produce both nuclear fuel and weapons-grade material.

Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation said there had been some radiation and chemical contamination at Natanz, but the site, and another underground enrichment facility at Fordow, had not been seriously damaged. IDF strikes on Isfahan, another major site in Iran’s nuclear programme, caused fires in several warehouses, it added.

In an indication that Israel was seeking to establish air supremacy, the IDF said it had also carried out a large-scale strike against Iran’s air defences, including bases at Hamadan and Tabriz in western Iran. “Tabriz base was destroyed as a result of the attack,” the IDF said.

Israeli security officials added that Mossad operatives had smuggled explosive drones and precision weapons into Iran that were then used to target missile launchers and surface-to-air missile systems.

The attack came ahead of a sixth round of negotiations on Sunday between the Trump administration and Iran in an effort to resolve the nuclear crisis.

Trump said on Thursday that Washington was “fairly close to a pretty good agreement”, adding that he did not want Israel to attack Iran because it could “blow” the chances of a deal. But in comments before and after the attack he also suggested strikes could help progress towards an agreement.

Netanyahu, who had been lobbying the US to support military action against Iran, said in a video statement that Tehran was buying time, alluding to US and Israeli demands that Iran halt its nuclear enrichment programme.

“That is why we have no choice but to act and act now,” he said.

Israel’s strikes drew swift condemnation from Saudi Arabia, Oman and Turkey. Riyadh said the attack violated international laws.

US secretary of state Marco Rubio said Washington was “not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region”.

“Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defence,” Rubio added. “Let me be clear: Iran should not target US interests or personnel.”

Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said the strikes could not have happened without a green light from the US, adding that Washington was “responsible for the dangerous repercussions of this aggression”.

Earlier this week, Tehran reiterated warnings that the republic could also target American bases across the region if it was attacked.

Tehran has for several years been enriching uranium close to weapons grade. Both Israel and the US have vowed to prevent the republic developing nuclear weapons.

While Tehran says its programme is for civilian purposes, it has the capacity to produce sufficient fissile material required for a nuclear weapon in less than two weeks.

The board of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN atomic watchdog, declared on Thursday that Iran was in breach of its non-proliferation obligations, the first such censure in two decades.

The strikes cap nearly two years of conflict across the Middle East that began with the war between Israel and Hamas triggered by the Palestinian militant group’s October 7 2023 attack on Israel.

Additional reporting by Bita Ghaffari in Tehran and Jamie Smyth and Steff Chávez in New York

Recap of Day Five Finals at the 2025 Australian World Championship Trials

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By Retta Race on SwimSwam

2025 AUSTRALIAN SWIMMING TRIALS

We’ve made it to the penultimate night of racing at the 2025 Australian World Championship Trials with tonight’s agenda including some of the most highly anticipated races of the meet.

The women’s 100m freestyle contains one of the tightest fields as the athletes are vying not only for the top two individual spots but also for a coveted slot on the 4x100m free relay.

Olympic medalist Meg Harris led the field out of the heats, however, she has withdrawn from tonight’s final. That means Mollie O’Callaghan, Olivia Wunsch, Milla Jansen and Shayna Jack are very much in the mix for gold with everyone saving some fuel for tonight’s main event.

Olympic medalist and former world record holder Zac Stubblety-Cook will also be in the water as the clear favorite in the men’s 200m breaststroke while Bradley Woodward will try to fend off Joshua Edwards-Smith in tonight’s men’s 200m backstroke.

Add in the women’s 200m breast and the men’s 1500m free and we’ve got quite the show in store as action unfolds from the SA Aquatic & Leisure Centre.

Men’s 200 Backstroke – FINAL

  • World Record: 1:51.92 – Aaron Piersol, USA (2009)
  • Australian Record: 1:53.17 – Mitch Larkin (2015)
  • AllComers Record: 1:53.72 – Mitch Larkin, AUS (2015)
  • 2024 Trials Winner: Bradley Woodward – 1:56.22
  • SwimAustralia Qualifying Time: 1:57.98

GOLD – Joshua Edwards-Smith, 1:56.94
SILVER – Bradley Woodward, 1:57.14
BRONZE – Stuart Swinburn, 1:58.89

Joshua Edwards-Smith didn’t hold back with his post-race celebration as the 22-year-old Griffith University swimmer nailed a World Championships-worthy effort of 1:56.94 to take the 200m back title.

He was strong from start to finish, splitting 27.41/29.33/30.02/30.18 to hold off Bradley Woodward, who also was under the qualification time with a silver medal-worthy 1:57.14.

Stuart Swinburn rounded out the podium in 1:58.89.

Edwards-Smith talked post-race about the disappointment of missing out on the Paris 2024 Olympic team and how bouncing back to qualify here was what he set out to achieve.

His performance this evening represented the 4th-best result of his career, one which boasts a lifetime best of 1:55.42 from the 2022 Queensland Championships.

Women’s 100 Freestyle- FINAL

  • World Record: 51.71 – Sarah Sjostrom, SWE (2017)
  • Australian Record: 51.96 – Emma McKeon (2021)
  • AllComers Record: 52.06 – Cate Campbell, AUS ( 2016)
  • 2024 Trials Winner: Mollie O’Callaghan – 52.33
  • SwimAustralia Qualifying Time: 54.16

GOLD – Mollie O’Callaghan, 52.87
SILVER – Olivia Wunsch, 53.38

BRONZE – Alex Perkins, 53.53

It was a very tight race among this women’s 100m freestyle pack, one that contained four teenagers, a testament to the ever-present depth waiting to rise to the surface within this sprinting nation.

Mollie O’Callaghan got the job done for gold, producing the sole time of the field under the 53-second barrier.

The 21-year-old Olympic multi-medalist produced a swift 52.87 to grab the gold and add a remarkable 4th individual event to her potential Singapore lineup after already nailing QT’s in the 50m back, 100m back and 200m freestyle.

O’Callaghan finished 4th in this event in Paris but was the 2022 and 2023 world champion. Her time tonight inserts her into slot #4 in this season’s world rankings.

2024-2025 LCM Women 100 Free

TorriUSA
HUSKE

06/03
52.43
2 Marrit
STEENBERGEN
NED 52.77 05/26
3 Gretchen
WALSH
USA 52.78 06/03
4 Simone
Manuel
USA 52.83 06/03
5 Mollie
O’CALLAGHAN
AUS 52.87 06/13

View Top 26»

Slightly surprising was that Olivia Wunsch snagged the silver, putting up a solid 53.38 to earn her bid in this event for the World Championships.

That was just .21 off her lifetime best of 53.17 registered at last year’s Olympic Trials, despite being reportedly afflicted with granular fever (mono) in the lead up to this competition.

Alex Perkins rounded out the top 3 with a mark of 53.53 to add her name onto the 4x100m freestyle relay while Abbey Webb will join her as the 4th swimmer in 53.83. However, Hannah Casey tied Webb for that 4th slot, with Milla Jansen capturing 6th in 53.95.

Olympic medalist Shayna Jack was shut out, finishing a disappointing 8th in 54.03.

As a refresher, Meg Harris was this morning’s top performer in a mark of 53.01 but withdrew from the final.

For perspective, the top 4 American women’s 100m freestyle performers include Torri Huske (52.43), Gretchen Walsh (52.78), Simone Manuel (52.83) and Kate Douglass (53.16).

Men’s 200 Breaststroke- FINAL

GOLD – Zac Stubblety-Cook, 2:09.09
SILVER – Bailey Lello, 2:10.74
BRONZE – Finlay Schuster, 2:11.65

The Mel Marshall-trained Zac Stubblety-Cook accomplished his mission of qualifying for the World Championships, hitting a winning effort of 2:09.09. That positions the former world record holder and Olympic multi-medalist just outside the list of top 10 performers in the world this season.

Stubblety-Cook took silver in the 200 breast at the Paris Olympics with a time of 2:06.79 and helped the Aussie mixed 4×100 medley relay snag silver despite dealing with COVID-19 at the meet. He also revealed on Instagram after the competition that he broke his neck at the end of 2023, but did not reveal how he suffered the injury.

Joshua Yong touched second but wound up being disqualified for flinching at the start.

With that disqualification, Bailey Lello earned silver in 2:10.74, painstakingly short of the 2:10.32 Swimming Australia-mandated qualification time needed for Singapore.

Finlay Schuster collected bronze in 2:11.65.

Women’s 200 Breaststroke- FINAL

  • World Record: 2:17.55 – Evgeniia Chikunova, RUS (2023)
  • Australian Record: 2:20.54 – Leisel Jones (2006)
  • AllComers Record: 2:20.04 – Rie Kaneto, JPN (2016)
  • 2024 Trials Winner: Ella Ramsay – 2:22.87
  • SwimAustralia Qualifying Time: 2:25.91

GOLD – Ella Ramsay, 2:23.92
SILVER – Tara Kinder, 2:24.61
BRONZE – Hayley Mackinder, 2:27.93

The top 3 performers in this women’s 200m breaststroke all dipped under the 2:30 barrier, led by 2024 Olympian Ella Ramsay.

20-year-old Ramsay of Griffith University produced an effort of 2:23.92 to capture gold and add this event to her World Championships lineup. Ramsay already made the Singapore roster earlier in the meet, courtesy of her 200m IM and 100m breaststroke performances.

Ramsay’s lifetime best remains at the 2:22.87 notched at last year’s Trials and in Paris she placed 12th overall in a time of 2:24.56.

Tara Kinder reaped silver in tonight’s final, hitting 2:24.61 to also clear the QT of 2:25.91. 22-year-old Kinder of Melbourne Vicentre already made the World Championships roster in the 200m IM behind Ramsay.

Hayley Mackinder rounded out tonight’s podium in 2:27.93.

Of note, B-Final winner, 16-year-old Lily Koch, fired off a time of 2:30.48, a mark which would have tied fellow 16-year-old Amelie Smith for 5th place in the A-final. That represented the 3rd-swiftest performance of Koch’s young career and the 2nd-best of Smith’s career to date.

Men’s 1500 Freestyle – FASTEST HEAT

  • World Record: 14:30.67 – Bobby Finke, USA (2024)
  • Australian Record: 14:34.56 – Grant Hackett (2001)
  • AllComers Record: 14:34.56 – Grant Hackett, AUS (2001)
  • 2024 Trials Winner: Matthew Galea – 14:58.96
  • SwimAustralia Qualifying Time: 15:01.89

GOLD – Sam Short, 14:52.43
SILVER – Ben Goedemans, 14:52.99
BRONZE – Nick Sloman, 14:56.59

It was a thrilling race to the final touch in this men’s 1500m freestyle, with a cap-less Sam Short being chased by Ben Goedemans through the final 100 meters.

Rackley’s 21-year-old Short lost his cap during the race, which threw off his tempo a tad, but he still remained composed to put up a solid time of 14:52.43, the 4th-swiftest outing of his career. He easily clear the Swimming Australia-mandated QT of 15:01.89.

As did 21-year-old Goedemans who ripped sub-30-second splits on each of his final 6 50s en route to silver by less than half a second.

The Dean Boxall-trained Goedemans turned it on the final stretch and nearly caught Short, registering a final time of 14:52.99. That was a huge personal best, overtaking the 14:57.75 he notched at last year’s Australian National Championships. He’s now Australia’s 7th-quickest man in history.

Open water ace Nick Sloman turned in a time of 14:46.59 as tonight’s bronze medalist.

Short now ranks 8th in the world on the season while Goedemans is ranked 9th thus far this season.

2024-2025 LCM Men 1500 Free

FlorianGER
Wellbrock

05/04
14:36.25
2 Sven
SCHWARZ
GER 14:36.82 05/04
3 Oliver
Klemet
GER 14:39.03 05/04
4 Daniel
Wiffen
IRL 14.42.71 04/16
5 Bobby
FINKE
USA 14:48.65 06/04
6 Dávid
BETLEHEM
HUN 14:48.73 04/09
7 Kazuki
Imafuku
JPN 14:50.18 03/23
8 Samuel
SHORT
AUS 14:52.43 06/13
9 Kristóf
RASOVSZKY
HUN 14:52.82 04/09
10 Benjamin
Goedemans
AUS 14:52.99 06/13

View Top 26»

This checks in as Short’s 4th World Championships qualification after having earned bids in the 400m, 800m and 200m free, although he said he will most likely drop the individual 200m free. Goedemans also is now a multiple-event qualifier, having already earned a spot in the 800m freestyle event.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: 2025 Australian World Championship Trials: Day Five Finals Live Recap

Leading Innovations of 2024: From Green Concrete to Green Hydrogen

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Technological progress often follows a quantitative trajectory, with incremental improvements culminating in a qualitative leap. This pattern is evident in recent developments with generative AI. Some innovations on this list are the result of years of refinement, such as 3D printing, while others, like the use of AI in water management, illustrate the ripple effect of innovation and how seemingly unrelated fields can benefit from this cross-pollination of knowledge. Without further ado, here is a list of the technological trends featured on this page in 2024.

1. Houses were built overnight

They say Rome was not built in a day, but some buildings now materialize within that timeframe. Thanks to robotic systems and on-site concrete module production, certain construction companies are exploring the potential to build at record speed. In an era of soaring housing prices, this is a groundbreaking advance. In this article, we highlighted a robot—named after a Roman emperor—that enables companies to meet unprecedented timelines.

2. Green concrete paved the way for more sustainable construction

Of course, achieving these results still requires one of civilization’s most fundamental materials: concrete. Traditionally, concrete production has been a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Thankfully, more sustainable alternatives are emerging, employing techniques detailed in our article on green concrete. If you are unfamiliar with the term “clinker,” it is time to check it out.

3. Largest carbon sequestering facility inaugurated

When it comes to emissions, greenhouse gases—particularly carbon dioxide—remain a major concern in the fight against climate change. One standout innovation in 2024 was the inauguration of the world’s largest carbon sequestration plant, located in Iceland. Want to know how it works? Dive into our article about this plant and the various techniques used to capture carbon.

4. Some wind turbines retired while others were upgraded

While carbon capture strategies hold promise, renewable energy remains the most effective way to decarbonize the economy. In wind energy, significant progress has led to a new trend: wind farm repowering. This involves replacing aging turbines with newer, larger, and more powerful models. Learn all about the advantages of this approach in our feature article.

 

Do you like what you see? Download the PDF here

5. Wind energy scaled new heights thanks to Blade Lifter

As wind turbines continue to grow—some now taller than the Eiffel Tower—new methods for transporting them to mountainous locations have become essential. Traditionally, massive articulated trucks have handled this task, but a new technology, the Blade Lifter, is simplifying the process. It is already in use at the world’s largest wind farms.

6. Green hydrogen started to boost agriculture

While wind and solar energy remained crucial for sustainable development, other renewable energy sources began to make their mark. Enter green hydrogen: a clean fuel with diverse applications in agriculture, from powering heavy machinery to irrigation and heating systems for farms. Explore its potential in our comprehensive article.

7. World’s tallest 3D-printed tower was completed

3D printing had long been heralded as a game-changing technology, opening up possibilities in medicine, space exploration, and construction. In the latter field, it reached new heights—literally—in the Swiss Alps, where the tallest 3D-printed tower to date was completed.

8. Potable water, energy, and minerals were obtained from one process

The solution to this challenge lay in an experimental project known as INDESAL. This innovative desalination plant prototype combined three processes: generating renewable energy using salt gradient technology, extracting valuable minerals from seawater, and producing potable water through reverse osmosis.

9. Artificial intelligence improved water management…

Another major technological advance of 2024 was the application of AI to water-related processes. These included wastewater management, operations in water treatment plants, and decision-making for forecasting water demand. Our article delved into these applications, which aimed to better manage the increasingly scarce resource of drinking water.

10. And made cycling safer

If one technological breakthrough proved its versatility in 2024, it was artificial intelligence. Already making waves in various sectors, its application to urban mobility stood out. This year saw the debut of bicycles equipped with AI to recognize obstacles and alert cyclists to potential dangers.

If you would like to stay ahead of the curve and learn about next year’s technological breakthroughs before December rolls around, subscribe to our newsletter at the bottom of this page. You will receive monthly updates on the latest innovations.

World Leaders Respond to Assassination

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Former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated on Friday by a gunman who shot him as he appeared at a campaign event.

Abe’s death has sent shockwaves through Japan, where deadly violence and shootings are extremely rare, and around the world.

The 67-year-old was Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, having held office twice from 2006 to 2007 and from 2012 to 2020.

World leaders who worked alongside Abe during his time as prime minister expressed their grief and distress at his death.

Critical Year Ahead for Adverum Biotechnologies: A SWOT Analysis of the Gene Therapy Stock

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Adverum Biotechnologies' SWOT analysis: gene therapy stock faces pivotal year

Israel’s actions may have led Iran to advance towards acquiring nuclear weapons

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Historians may well mark June 13, 2025, as the day the world crossed a line it may not easily step back from. In a move that shocked the international community and sent global markets reeling, Israel launched a wide-scale military operation against Iran in the early hours of the morning, striking targets across at least 12 provinces, including the capital, Tehran, and the northwestern hub of Tabriz. Among the targets were suspected nuclear facilities, air defence systems, and the homes and offices of senior military personnel. Iranian state media confirmed the deaths of several top commanders in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The Israeli government officially confirmed responsibility for the attacks, naming the campaign Operation Raising Lion. Iranian officials described it as the most direct act of war in the countries’ decades-long shadow conflict.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears to be pursuing two objectives. First, Israeli officials fear that Iran is nearing the technical capability to build a nuclear weapon – something Netanyahu has repeatedly promised to prevent, by force if necessary. Second, Israel hopes a dramatic escalation will pressure Tehran into accepting a new nuclear agreement more favourable to United States and Israeli interests, including the removal of its enriched uranium stockpiles. Just as Netanyahu has failed to destroy Hamas through military force, both goals may ultimately serve only to perpetuate a broader regional war.

While the prospect of all-out war between Iran and Israel has long loomed, Friday’s events feel dangerously different. The scale, audacity and implications of the attack – and the near-certain Iranian response – raise the spectre of a regional conflict spilling far beyond its traditional bounds.

Since the 2011 Arab Spring, a Saudi-Iranian cold war has played out across the region as each country has sought to expand its influence. That rivalry was paused through Chinese mediation in March 2023. But since October 2023, a war of attrition between Israel and Iran has unfolded through both conventional and asymmetrical means – a conflict that now threatens to define the trajectory of the Middle East for years to come.

Whether this confrontation escalates further now hinges largely on one man: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. If Iran’s supreme leader comes to view the survival of the Islamic Republic as fundamentally threatened, Tehran’s response could expand far beyond Israeli territory.

In recent months, Israeli leaders had issued repeated warnings that a strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities was imminent. Intelligence assessments in Tel Aviv claimed Iran was only weeks away from acquiring the necessary components to build a nuclear weapon. Although this claim was disputed by other members of the international community, it nonetheless shaped Israel’s decision to act militarily.

At the same time, indirect negotiations between Iran and the US had been under way, focused on limiting Iran’s uranium enrichment and reducing tensions through a revised nuclear agreement. US President Donald Trump publicly supported these diplomatic efforts, describing them as preferable to what he called a potentially bloody war. However, the talks faltered when Iran refused to halt enrichment on its own soil.

The US administration, while officially opposing military escalation, reportedly gave tacit approval for a limited Israeli strike. Washington is said to have believed that such a strike could shift the balance in negotiations and send a message that Iran was not negotiating from a position of strength – similar to how Trump has framed Ukraine’s position in relation to Russia. Although US officials maintain they had advance knowledge of the attacks but did not participate operationally, both the aircraft and the bunker-busting bombs used were supplied by the US, the latter during Trump’s first term.

Initial reports from Iranian sources confirm that the strikes inflicted significant damage on centrifuge halls and enrichment pipelines at its Natanz facility. However, Iranian officials insist the nuclear programme remains intact. Iran’s nuclear infrastructure includes multiple deeply buried sites – some more than 500 metres (550 yards) underground and spread across distances exceeding 1,000km (620 miles). As a result, the total destruction of the programme by air strikes alone in this initial phase appears unlikely.

Iranian officials have long warned that any direct military aggression on their territory by Israel would cross a red line, and they have promised severe retaliation. Now, with blood spilled on its soil and key targets destroyed, Khamenei faces enormous internal and external pressure to respond. The elimination of multiple high-ranking military officials in a single night has further intensified the demand for a multifaceted response.

Iran’s reply so far has taken the form of another wave of drone attacks, similar to those launched in April and October – most of which were intercepted by Israeli and Jordanian defences.

If Iran does not engage with the US at the upcoming talks in Oman on Sunday regarding a possible nuclear deal, the failure of diplomacy could mark the start of a sustained campaign. The Iranian government has stated that it does not view the Israeli operation as an isolated incident, but rather as the beginning of a longer conflict. Referring to it as a “war of attrition” – a term also used to describe Iran’s drawn-out war with Iraq in the 1980s – officials have indicated the confrontation is likely to unfold over weeks or even months.

While retaliatory missile and drone strikes on Israeli targets are likely to continue, many now anticipate that Iran could also target US military bases in the Gulf, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and even Jordan. Such an escalation would likely draw US forces directly into the conflict, implicate critical regional infrastructure and disrupt global oil supplies, particularly through the Strait of Hormuz. That, in turn, could trigger a steep rise in energy prices and send global markets spiralling – dragging in the interests of nearly every major power.

Even if an immediate, proportionate military response proves difficult, Iran is expected to act across several domains, including cyberattacks, proxy warfare and political manoeuvring. Among the political options reportedly under consideration is a full withdrawal from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). Iran has long used the NPT framework to assert that its nuclear programme is peaceful. Exiting the treaty would signal a significant policy shift. Additionally, there is growing speculation within Iran’s political circles that the religious decree issued by Khamenei banning the development and use of nuclear weapons may be reconsidered. If that prohibition is lifted, Iran could pursue a nuclear deterrent openly for the first time.

Whether Israel’s strikes succeeded in delaying Iran’s nuclear ambitions – or instead provoked Tehran to accelerate them – remains uncertain. What is clear is that the confrontation has entered a new phase. Should Iran exit the NPT and begin advancing its nuclear programme without the constraints of international agreements, some may argue that Israel’s campaign – intended to stop a bomb – may instead end up accelerating its creation.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.

Ford CEO Warns of Unstable Rare Earth Supply Following Plant Shutdown

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Ford Motor Co. continues to struggle to obtain rare earth magnet supplies that are essential to car production and have already forced a temporary shutdown of one of its factories.

The supply of the critical components has been trickling out of China, which has instituted a new approval process for exports of rare earths that continues to slow supply lines, Ford Chief Executive Officer Jim Farley said.

“It’s day to day,” Farley said in an interview Friday with Bloomberg TV. “We have had to shut down factories. It’s hand-to-mouth right now.”

Ford idled its Explorer sport utility vehicle factory in Chicago for a week last month due to a shortage of rare earth materials.

Farley said he is pleased with the progress he read about from trade talks between the US and China recently, but he has yet to see an improvement in the flow of magnets. Those are used throughout vehicles to power components such as windshield wipers, seats and audio systems.

We have applications into Mofcom and they are being approved one at a time,” Farley said, referring to China’s ministry of commerce. US President Donald Trump said that fresh negotiations with China this week yielded an agreement for Beijing to swiftly approve export licenses for rare earths. 

The materials have emerged as a hot-button issue in US-China trade talks. The coveted raw materials are deeply embedded in cars, iPhones and other products and China has used its dominance to exert leverage in the negotiations.

“We’re educating the administration, we’re educating the Chinese leadership about how important these jobs in the Midwest are that are dependent” on the supply of rare earth magnets, Farley said. 

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com