All posts tagged: Passage

How ships are risking ‘safe’ passage through the Strait of Hormuz

How ships are risking ‘safe’ passage through the Strait of Hormuz

Published by Sam Flores

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, the ideological armed wing of the Islamic Republic of Iran, issued a stern warning last week that only certain maritime routes would be authorised for navigation. It added that any ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz outside of the framework defined by Iran “will not be guaranteed safe passage”. In recent days, Iran has acted on its threat. It twice attacked ships in the strait following efforts to open Oman’s territorial waters to both inbound and outbound traffic from the Persian Gulf. In the first attack on June 25, a cargo ship sustained damage by a missile of unknown origin while sailing 7.5 nautical miles (14 kilometres) south-east of Dahit, on Oman’s Musandam Peninsula. The vessel had taken an alternative maritime route to the one typically used in the Strait of Hormuz, instead transiting Omani territorial waters. The aim was to avoid the corridor under the control of the Iranian maritime authority. The ship’s route was recommended on June 18 by the Joint Maritime Information Centre (JMIC), a naval information centre supported …

House GOP pushes billion immigration funding package toward passage

House GOP pushes $70 billion immigration funding package toward passage

Published by Sam Flores

Democratic Caucus Chairman Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA) speaks during a news conference with House Democratic leadership at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., January 10, 2023. Sarah Silbiger | Reuters A monthslong stalemate over immigration enforcement could come to an end on Tuesday, as the U.S. House is poised to vote on a $70 billion funding package despite Democrats’ vows to fight back. It’s a major test for House Speaker Mike Johnson as he tries to cement one of President Donald Trump’s top domestic priorities. Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., chair of the House Democratic Caucus, called the package a “$70 billion blank check for ICE and border patrol, with no strings attached.” “This comes after Republicans already cut healthcare, food assistance, and they’ve a already give ICE $140 billion in their Big Ugly Bill,” Aguilar said at a press conference on Tuesday, referring to Republicans’ 2025 tax and spending package more commonly known as the One Big Beautiful Bill. “On top of that, this doesn’t do a single thing to help Americans with their daily …

Iran claims it coordinated passage of 26 vessels out of Hormuz in 24 hours | US-Israel war on Iran News

Iran claims it coordinated passage of 26 vessels out of Hormuz in 24 hours | US-Israel war on Iran News

Published by Sam Flores

The IRGC claims to maintain control over the Strait of Hormuz despite the US blockade on Iran’s ports. Published On 20 May 202620 May 2026 Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has said it coordinated the transit of 26 vessels through the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours, as talks between Washington and Tehran over the resumption of traffic through the narrow waterway remain stalled. “Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is being carried out with permission and in coordination with the IRGC Navy,” the statement carried by Iran’s state-affiliated ISNA news agency said on Wednesday. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list Later on Wednesday, Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) published a new map of Hormuz on X, marking a controlled maritime zone that vessels will not be able transit without its authorisation. The authority said the zone stretches from Kuh-e Mubarak in Iran to south of Fujairah, in the United Arab Emirates, at the eastern entrance of the strait, and from the tip of Qeshm Island to Umm al-Quwain …

The human brain processes the passage of time across three distinct stages

The human brain processes the passage of time across three distinct stages

Published by José Betancourt

A recent study mapping the human brain reveals that our perception of time does not happen all at once, but rather unfolds across a series of distinct physical processing stages. As visual information travels from the back of the brain to the front, different groups of neurons handle specific parts of the timing process, ultimately creating our subjective experience of how long an event lasts. These findings were published in the journal PLOS Biology. For decades, researchers have mapped out a broad network of brain regions that become active when people estimate how much time has passed. Studies involving both animals and humans have shown that certain groups of neurons respond to specific durations of time. These specialized cells are often arranged in topographic maps across the brain. In these maps, neurons that prefer similar lengths of time are located physically close to one another on the folded outer layer of the brain, known as the cerebral cortex. Despite knowing where these timing regions are located, researchers have struggled to understand exactly how they work …

Commentary: Even the world’s most powerful navy cannot simply restore safe passage in the Strait of Hormuz

Commentary: Even the world’s most powerful navy cannot simply restore safe passage in the Strait of Hormuz

Published by Sam Flores

GEOGRAPHY FAVOURS IRAN The problem is that forcing open the Strait of Hormuz would be an asset-intensive and operationally demanding mission. The challenge of operating in this chokepoint is geography. Iran’s position along the northern edge of the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman allows it to use relatively cheap cruise missiles, uncrewed aerial vehicles and small boats to threaten shipping with very limited warning time. US warships supported by airpower can defend themselves and limited groups of escorted vessels against these attacks. But doing so over prolonged periods is demanding on crews and rapidly consumes missiles that cannot be replenished at sea.  While there is no fixed ratio, it is unlikely a single US destroyer could effectively protect more than two or three merchant ships transiting the Strait at one time, particularly given that the merchant vessels themselves have no ability to defend against these threats. Any sustained escort operation would also require extensive intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support across the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman, as …

Russell Brand mocked over ‘painful’ Piers Morgan interview as he struggles to find Bible passage

Russell Brand mocked over ‘painful’ Piers Morgan interview as he struggles to find Bible passage

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Russell Brand’s controversial appearance on Piers Morgan Uncensored has been widely ridiculed online after the former comedian spent over 90 seconds attempting and failing to find a Bible passage he read in court. Brand, 50, will face trial later this year over allegations of rape and sexual assault made against him by six women. He denies all the charges, which date from 1999 to 2009. While appearing on Morgan’s YouTube show on Friday (24 April), Brand – who became a right-wing podcaster in 2021 and a Christian last year – was asked about taking a Bible into his court hearing in February. The religious text was confiscated by the dock officer after he began reading it in Southwark Crown Court. Piers Morgan awkwardly looks at the camera as Russell Brand struggles to find a Bible passage (Piers Morgan: Uncensored) “Can I …

Here’s why the Bible passage Trump read aloud is so potent and polarizing

Here’s why the Bible passage Trump read aloud is so potent and polarizing

Published by Sam Flores

The scriptural passage that President Donald Trump read Tuesday evening in a livestreamed Bible-reading marathon dates back to the depiction of an ancient event — but it’s one that carries a highly charged significance in the current religious and political climate. It has long been quoted and promoted by those who believe America was founded as a Christian nation and should be one. It’s from the seventh chapter of 2 Chronicles, a book in the Hebrew (Old Testament) portion of the Bible. The 14th verse — the one most often quoted — says: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” Trump is among hundreds who are taking turns reading the entire Bible aloud over the course of a week. Most of the readings are taking place at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, though Trump’s is coming by video from the …

Iran military orders Indian ship to abort Strait of Hormuz passage | News

Iran military orders Indian ship to abort Strait of Hormuz passage | News

Published by Sam Flores

NewsFeed Video shows the moment Iran’s military ordered an Indian ship to abort its passage of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran says it has closed the Strait again, calling the decision a response to a continued blockade of its ports by the United States. Published On 18 Apr 202618 Apr 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Source link

Philippines seeks safe passage for oil in Iran meeting

Philippines seeks safe passage for oil in Iran meeting

Published by Sam Flores

MANILA: The Philippines has sought safe passage for desperately needed oil shipments in a meeting with Iran, a presidential spokeswoman said on Wednesday (Apr 1), as the import-dependent archipelago jockeys with other regional countries for fuel. The price of fuel has hit historic highs in the Philippines since treaty ally the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran on Feb 28, with Tehran effectively closing the vital Strait of Hormuz to traffic since. President Ferdinand Marcos declared a state of national energy emergency last week, later saying that “nothing was off the table” as the country of 116 million tried to meet its need for fuel. On Wednesday, Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro said she had explored “key avenues for cooperation” in a meeting with Iranian ambassador Yousef Esmaeilzadeh that included the Philippines’ energy secretary. “Building on the momentum of our Political Consultations last November 2025, we are committed to deepening our cooperation across all fronts, particularly energy cooperation,” she said in a post on social media platform X. Presidential spokeswoman Claire Castro later told …

Trump reverses course, allows passage of Russian oil tanker to Cuba

Trump reverses course, allows passage of Russian oil tanker to Cuba

Published by Sam Flores

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media after departing Air Force One at Miami International Airport on March 27, 2026 in Miami, Florida. Nathan Howard | Getty Images U.S. President Donald Trump signaled he was reversing course on blocking oil shipments to Cuba on Sunday, saying he had “no problem” with any country sending in crude as a Russian tanker neared a Cuban port with a badly needed shipment. A sanctioned Russian vessel, part of the country’s “shadow fleet,” was just off the coast of eastern Cuba on Sunday, according to ship tracking data, and was expected to reach port on Monday, a lifeline for the country’s economy that has nearly ground to a halt under a de facto oil blockade imposed by Washington. The U.S. cut off Venezuelan oil exports to Cuba after toppling Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on January 3, and Trump threatened to slap punishing tariffs on any other country that sent crude to Cuba. Mexico, the largest supplier to Cuba along with Venezuela, then halted its shipments. As a result, Cuba has not received an oil tanker in three months, according to President Miguel Diaz-Canel, exacerbating an energy crisis that has led to …