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Iran is highlighting attacks in the Strait of Hormuz even as oil shipments through the strategic waterway continue largely uninterrupted, according to Al Jazeera reporting. The contrast between Tehran's rhetoric and steady oil flows is drawing attention, with observers weighing how far Iran is willing to escalate and whether the chokepoint, a critical route for global energy supplies, faces real disruption.

Russia's central bank has lowered the official exchange rates it sets for major currencies against the ruble. The move affects the daily rates used across Russia's financial system for accounting, taxation and currency conversion. It comes amid ongoing volatility in the ruble, which has faced pressure from sanctions, energy export fluctuations and shifts in foreign trade flows since 2022.

Nvidia has added $150 billion to its share repurchase authorization, the largest buyback expansion in its history. The move signals the chipmaker's confidence in continued cash flow from the AI boom and its commitment to returning capital to shareholders, and it is drawing attention across finance and tech circles as markets weigh Nvidia's valuation.

Nvidia has authorized an additional $150 billion for its stock buyback program, which the company says is now the largest in history. The announcement, reported by the New York Times, comes as the chipmaker continues to benefit from demand for its artificial intelligence processors. Investors and market watchers are weighing what the scale of the repurchase signals about Nvidia's confidence in its future cash flows and the broader AI-driven rally in technology stocks.

Nvidia has authorized a stock buyback worth roughly $150 billion, one of the largest repurchase programs ever announced. For existing shareholders, the move signals management's confidence in future cash flows and can lift earnings per share by reducing share count. For potential investors, it raises the question of whether Nvidia sees its own stock as the best use of capital, a debate now playing out across markets and financial media.

The Spanish coastguard picked up around 60 migrants a few kilometres off the Moroccan coast near Tarfaya and brought them to the Canary Islands. Commenters say many will be transferred to mainland Spain, with some possibly moving on to other European countries. The rescue adds to the ongoing flow of Atlantic crossings toward the Canaries, a route that has drawn repeated attention and debate over migration policy in Spain and across Europe.

New research suggests that even if the flow of plastic into the oceans were halted by 2050, microplastic accumulation in marine environments could continue. Larger plastic already in the water would keep breaking down into microscopic fragments, meaning legacy pollution alone could sustain microplastic levels for decades. The finding raises questions about whether international efforts to curb plastic pollution would deliver the ocean benefits many expect.

BP is considering selling its Brazilian biofuels business, according to a Bloomberg News report carried by Reuters. The potential sale marks another step as the energy major reassesses its portfolio and trims investments in lower-carbon ventures, and investors are watching how far BP will retreat from biofuels as it prioritises cash flow and shareholder returns.

A new report finds that 84% of housing investors say rising home insurance premiums affected their cash flow in 2026. The finding points to growing insurance costs as a mounting burden on real estate returns, adding to affordability pressures in the housing market and prompting concern among property owners and investors.

Shopify has introduced new WebMCP tools that open its merchants' storefronts to AI agents, allowing automated assistants to browse, interact with, and potentially complete tasks across shops built on the platform. The move positions Shopify at the front of commerce's shift toward agentic AI, letting external AI systems work directly with merchant catalogues and checkout flows. Retail and tech observers are watching closely, as the change could reshape how consumers discover and buy products online, while raising questions about merchant control and data access.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has signalled openness to increasing the distribution of money from the organisation's roughly $6 billion in reserves to member associations. The proposal, reported by The Athletic, could mean more funds flowing to football federations worldwide. Observers are watching what this would mean for FIFA's finances ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

California has signed SB 923 into law, extending the CCPA's right to delete personal data so that businesses must also instruct third parties, such as service providers and contractors, to delete shared consumer data. The change aims to close a long-standing gap that allowed consumer deletion requests to stop at the company that received them. Privacy professionals are now assessing how the obligation flows through data-sharing chains.

Commentators are praising the shipping industry for being the most honest and reliable source of information throughout the current crisis involving Iran and the Strait of Hormuz. The discussion centres on shipping trade reporting noting that the maritime sector has already made its peace with the risk to oil shipments through Hormuz, with many saying they trust seafarers' word above other sources.

A University of Iowa researcher has received funding to improve how plasma waves in the solar wind are detected. The grant, reported by Iowa Now, supports work that could sharpen scientists' understanding of space weather and the stream of charged particles flowing from the Sun. Details of the funding amount and researcher's name were not given.

Green steel production is concentrated in a handful of regions, leaving buyers elsewhere unable to source low-carbon steel near their operations. A book-and-claim system, similar to schemes used in renewable energy certificates, would let companies purchase green steel attributes even when the physical material flows elsewhere. Industry observers are debating whether such accounting fixes can genuinely accelerate decarbonisation or risk diluting real emissions cuts.

Researchers report that a quantum Hall insulator can be used to link resonators so that signals travel in only one direction, a property known as nonreciprocal transmission. The approach exploits the topological edge states characteristic of the quantum Hall effect, which could prove useful for routing signals in photonic or microwave circuits without backward reflections or interference.