Donald Trump has ordered the US Navy to guide stranded ships through the Strait of Hormuz, leading to reported clashes with Iranian vessels and Iranian rockets launched at the UAE. The move, dubbed 'Project Freedom', aims to open a route for hundreds of ships trapped in the Gulf, but has brought the region back to the brink of full-scale war as Iran seeks to reassert its blockade.
The world's shipping industry has questioned whether vessels will be able to travel safely to and from the Gulf. Analysts warn that Trump's latest idea could be a fast track to a resumption of hostilities.
In other news, Labor has opted to retain its electric vehicle tax break in full for another year as Australians rush to buy EVs amid soaring fuel costs. Property investor borrowing rose at its fastest rate in a decade in March despite rate hikes and speculation about property tax changes.
One in four humanities students will take more than 25 years to fully repay their student loans because of Morrison government changes to university fees, Treasury modelling reveals. The New South Wales government will criminalise the secret monitoring of another person after a report found that a quarter of people who buy tracking devices are domestic violence offenders.
In Germany, two people were killed and two severely injured when a car ran into a crowd in Leipzig. Meanwhile, Dolly Parton has cancelled her Las Vegas residency over ongoing health issues, saying she still had some 'healing to do'.
