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The ongoing conflict in Iran has sent shockwaves through global energy markets, with economies in Asia being hit particularly hard. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical passage for oil and gas shipments, has led to a 90% collapse in traffic through its waters. This has resulted in energy prices surging, affecting countries such as India, Nepal, and the Philippines.India has redirected liquefied gas supplies to households, limiting them to the plastics industry, while Nepal has rationed gas and the Philippines has trimmed the government workweek to four days. Bangladesh has closed universities and rationed fuel, highlighting the widespread impact of the conflict.The US economy has shown relative resilience, with the S&P; 500 index losing only 5% since the start of the conflict. This is attributed to the country's abundance of domestic natural gas, which satisfies about 36% of its energy needs and insulates it from international price fluctuations.However, this has led to accusations that the US is recklessly spreading havoc globally while suffering relatively little harm itself. The tariffs imposed by the US have also had far-reaching consequences, with economists concluding that US consumers and businesses are paying the majority of the costs.The International Monetary Fund has revised its growth forecasts, noting that the US economy has emerged largely unscathed, while prospects for economic growth in other countries have weakened. The World Trade Organization has warned that persistently high energy prices will slow merchandise trade growth and have a lopsided impact on growth, with North America potentially seeing a boost, while Europe and Asia are likely to be negatively affected.The conflict has also disrupted the oil and gas economy, with countries like Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan facing a drop in remittances from their citizens working in Gulf countries. Furthermore, the environmental impact of the conflict has been significant, with interest in coal being reinvigorated in Asia as a result of the energy crisis.The US's actions have raised concerns about its reliability as a partner in maintaining international stability, with erstwhile allies forced to accept that Trump's America is now a source of global uncertainty. The US's belligerence is unlikely to end soon, with tens of millions of Americans motivated by contempt for the rest of the world and a desire to assert US dominance.

The Australian cricket team's Test season, a staple of the country's summer, is on the brink of a transformative change. Next season will feature four matches over four weekends, commencing in the second week of December and concluding a week into January. This shift has sparked concerns about the potential consequences for player well-being and the overall quality of the sport.Cricket Australia's decision to expand the schedule to seven Tests may seem beneficial, but the reality is that several matches will be played outside the traditional summer period. A tropical excursion against Bangladesh in August and a pink-ball Test in March will be distant outliers in the cricket calendar. This scheduling overhaul raises questions about the prioritization of player welfare and the potential erosion of the sport's integrity.The physical demands of Test cricket are well-documented, and players may face increased risk of injury and mental burnout if forced to play at an accelerated pace. The example of Mitchell Starc, who has prioritized his fitness and Test appearances over lucrative IPL opportunities, highlights the challenges faced by players under the current system.Critics argue that Cricket Australia's decision is driven by financial considerations, particularly the growing influence of the Indian Premier League. The governing body's pursuit of profit may lead to further compromises on the sport's quality and traditions. As the organization prepares to sell tranches of the Big Bash League to foreign investors, concerns about the long-term implications for Australian cricket and its values grow.The proposed scheduling changes may appeal to casual spectators, but they threaten to leave Australian summers unrecognizable and undermine the country's Test season. As Cricket Australia navigates the complex landscape of modern cricket, it must balance financial imperatives with its commitment to the sport's integrity and the welfare of its players.

According to a report by IQAir, a Swiss air quality monitoring firm, Pakistan was the world's smoggiest country in 2025 with concentrations of hazardous fine particles known as PM2.5 up to 13 times higher than the World Health Organization's (WHO's) recommended level.The report, which sourced data from 9,446 cities in 143 countries, regions and territories, found that only 13 countries and territories managed to keep their average fine particulate levels below the WHO guideline, an increase from seven in 2024.Pakistan's PM2.5 level was 67.3 microgrammes per cubic metre, significantly exceeding the WHO standard of 5 microgrammes per cubic metre. In comparison, Pakistan's average PM2.5 concentration in 2024 was 73.7 microgrammes.Prolonged exposure to PM2.5 has been linked to higher likelihoods of neurodegenerative conditions, including dementia, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.Bangladesh and Tajikistan ranked second and third on IQAir's list of the most polluted countries while Chad, statistically the smoggiest country in 2024, was in fourth place in 2025.The report also noted that Loni, a city in northern India, was identified as the world's most polluted city in 2025 with average PM2.5 levels of 112.5 microgrammes per cubic metre.Globally, only 14 percent of cities met the WHO air quality standard in 2025, down from 17 percent a year earlier. The report highlighted that wildfires, driven by climate change, were a key factor behind worsening global air quality in 2025 as record levels of biomass burning in Europe and Canada released about 1,380 megatonnes of carbon.