THE BRIEFING
THE COST OF WAR
FOR THE FIRST TIME since spring, oil has traded above US $ 100 a barrel, as conflict in the Middle East disrupts shipping through the region’ s key routes. Brent crude, the international benchmark, pushed past US $ 107 in mid-September before settling near US $ 105, driven by attacks on Red Sea infrastructure and renewed Iran-US hostilities. Should the conflict continue, energy costs will keep rising through almost every global industry, and politicians and industry experts alike are urging faster investment in alternatives to volatile fossil fuel supply.
LUNAR CRASH LANDING
16 October 2026
ON 5 AUGUST a spent Falcon 9 upper stage, abandoned after delivering two commercial landers in January 2025, hit the Moon at 8,700 km / h. South Korea’ s Danuri orbiter photographed the approach, NASA’ s LRO measured the crater at 18 metres wide, and nobody could do anything about it. The lunar economy is now big enough to leave litter.