SBS News In Depth

The war in the Middle East, and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, has triggered what experts describe as one of the most significant energy crises in decades. But oil and gas are not the only vital resources that are impacted. The war has also severely disrupted the flow of fertiliser from the Middle East, triggering concerns over the impacts on local food production and food security.

The International Energy Agency is warning world leaders may not appreciate the depth of the energy crisis that is looming, as the US war with Iran develops. The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz has triggered a global fuel shortage experts say will have widespread and severe implications.

The recent attempt by Iran to launch a missile attack on the UK-US air base on the island of Diego Garcia in the middle of the Indian Ocean has raised questions about the real strength of Iran's firepower. Iran previously has put a self-imposed limit on its ballistic missile program, limiting their range to (2,000 kilometers. Diego Garcia is well outside that range, 4000 kilometres from Iran. And as the war drags on, how much weaponry does Iran have in reserve? Justin Bronk, an airpower and defence analyst at defence think tank the Royal United Services Institute, has told the Associated Press Iran's resources are not limitless.

As the use of Artificial Intelligence surges around the world, the number of data centres required to power the technology is also growing rapidly, including in Australia. Now the Federal Government is laying out a plan aiming to ensure sustainability, as investment in data centres grows.

The South Australian election has triggered a federal political crisis, with One Nation displacing the Liberals as the primary alternative to Labor and securing its most significant electoral foothold in nearly 30 years. As the Coalition grapples with whether to pivot right to reclaim regional voters or overhaul its suburban appeal, the result has forced a panicked Parliament House to recognise the populist surge as a permanent disruption to the traditional political order.