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    ‘From liabilities to goldmines’: refineries eye record profits from diesel shortage

    Firms turning crude oil into the ‘workhorse’ fuel stand to gain most despite economic fallout from record pricesDays after Donald Trump announced a deal to import Russian diesel into the US in an effort to lower soaring pump prices, the world’s energy watchdog has warned that the global fuel shortage will drag into 2027.Trump’s temporary sanctions reprieve was criticised for offering “too little, too late” to temper the sky high pump prices triggered by the shutdown of war-damaged refineries in the Middle East and Russia – once the world’s second-largest diesel exporter behind the US. Continue reading… More

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    The Gulf has entered a new era of instability. If its leaders think they can rely on old alliances, they are wrong | Nesrine Malik

    The latest attack by Houthi rebels on Saudi Arabia may prove to be more calamitous for the region than the world imaginesOn Saturday, Houthi rebels launched a shocking and deadly attack on Saudi Arabia’s capital city, Riyadh. At the time of writing, the missile strike on King Khalid international airport has killed at least 13 people and left 300 injured, marking a significant turn in a regional conflagration that is only getting more intense. It was the single most deadly attack on any Gulf country since the US and Israel launched their war on Iran in February. In Saudi Arabia, a country that is unaccustomed to such fatalities, the death toll is bewilderingly high and likely to prompt a bloody response.Over the past year, the Gulf has entered a new era of instability that is not temporary and cannot be reversed. This may feel like an overstatement – casualties have been relatively low, after all, compared with Gaza and Iran – but the gradual erosion of peace and security in places such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE has changed the region more dramatically than its leaders would like to acknowledge.Nesrine Malik is a Guardian columnist Continue reading… More

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    New Delhi 2026: The Summit of the Disunited BRICS

    On September 12 and 13, New Delhi hosted the 18th BRICS summit under the solemn theme “Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.” It was a fine formula, but what reality did it cover? For the first time in their history, the BRICS met with members waging war on one another, members who had just signed military… Continue reading New Delhi 2026: The Summit of the Disunited BRICS
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    I saw Iran execute a man in public. Is this what the US wants? | Robert Tait

    It is odd for the US defense secretary to be laying the groundwork for an event that could be organized by TehranPete Hegseth’s plans to stage a public execution resemble a grotesque Iran-imitation game.Having failed over the past seven months to defeat the Tehran regime on the battlefield, the self-styled “secretary of war” now proposes to mirror its notorious practice of enforcing the death penalty as a grand public spectacle. Continue reading… More

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    The Iran war is unpopular, but will it cost Trump the midterms? Our reporters answer your questions

    The war with Iran is reshaping America ahead of the midterms – how will it affect US voters at the polls? Join us for a live conversation on 6 October at 12pm ET with political and global correspondentsSign in or sign up to join the conversationWelcome to our latest US midterms live Q&A – just over a month away from election day on 3 November.The war with Iran has had major implications for Americans’ wallets, government spending and US foreign policy. It’s has also been an important factor in reshaping the political landscape as the war enters its eighth month, with the 2026 US midterms quickly approaching.The makeup of the Democratic party, plus key races to watchWho are the groups financially backing the candidates in the midterms? Continue reading… More