Is the war entering a new phase? Romania has blamed Russia for a drone strike that sank a cargo ship off Romania's Black Sea coast, killing one crew member and leaving three others missing. It's the latest drone attack targeting commercial shipping off the coasts of NATO members Romania and Bulgaria, with at least seven cargo ships hit and 30 sailors reported killed or missing in the past two weeks, raising fears of an escalation in Russia's war against Ukraine. The shipping data website MarineTraffic showed the Khoryv departed Turkiye on Wednesday and was headed for Romania's Sulina port, which links the Danube River to the Black Sea. The canal has become the primary route for Ukrainian exporters, which rely on ports on the Danube and Romanian territorial waters, as Russia has attacked Ukraine's own Black Sea ports.

A Singapore-flagged container ship has sunk after being struck by an unknown projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, according to Singaporean authorities. All 21 crew members of GFS Pride were evacuated and no injuries were reported after the attack on Tuesday, which caused damage and a fire, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said. Another Singapore-flagged container vessel, GFS Giselle, sustained hull damage after being hit by a projectile on Wednesday but was able to reach a safe anchorage with all 22 crew, it added. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said a ship hit naval mines and sank while passing through what they called an unauthorised route in the Strait of Hormuz. The Guards released photos that appeared to show a plume of black smoke rising from a container vessel that was still afloat but down by the stern.

Image caption, Five crew members on the Ukrainian-registered merchant ship suffered minor injuries in Tuesday's attacks A merchant ship has sunk after drones hit two vessels off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast, Prime Minister Rumen Radev has said. He indicated Russia was suspected of the attacks and that he had called in its ambassador. One of the ships went down 17 nautical miles (31km) east of Krapets and one crew member was saved, he said. The other, Ukrainian-owned vessel was hit by three drones 18 nautical miles from the town of Byala and all 15 crew were rescued, he added. The drone attacks come a week after two other commercial ships were hit by sea and aerial drones in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone.

Is the war entering a new phase? Syria has called for an "independent and transparent" investigation into the sinking of a cargo ship in the Black Sea, demanding answers over the fate of the ship's 10 crew members, including nine Syrians and an Egyptian, who remain unaccounted for. The Togolese-flagged Alfa Watan, went down in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone early on Tuesday, amid a rising number of drone strikes hitting Black Sea shipping during the Russia-Ukraine war. Mazen Aloush, from the Syria's port authority asked the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and Bulgarian authorities to find out why a search and rescue mission was called off, before the missing sailors were found. "Their fate is still unknown" said Aloush, adding that "the reasons that led to the suspension of search and rescue operations" had to be established.

Is the war entering a new phase? Bulgarian authorities have ended search operations after confirming no survivors were found following a drone strike that sank a ship off the country's coast. Drones hit two commercial vessels early on Tuesday as attacks on Black Sea shipping increase amid an intensifying Russia-Ukraine war . One caught fire, and the other sank. The search stopped late on Tuesday and would not continue, he added.

A cargo ship sank in the Black Sea off NATO member Bulgaria after a combined aerial and maritime drone attack. Volodymyr Zelenskyy blamed Russia as search and rescue efforts continue.

Is the war entering a new phase? Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev says drones have hit two commercial vessels, sinking one ship and wounding several people, in what he denounced as an "absolutely unacceptable" attack. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Radev said the ships were attacked by sea drones and aerial drones at about 3am (00:00 GMT), about 70 nautical miles (130km) off Bulgaria's coast, amid a rise in attacks on Black Sea shipping due to expanding drone attacks related to the Russia-Ukraine war. It is a blatant violation of international law and maritime law," Radev said. The Togo-flagged Alfa Watan suffered critical structural damage and sank at the scene.

All those container ships and fishing vessels are only generating noise in the first place because there's a consumer downstream paying them to do so. By simply opting to purchase more goods locally, Fournet notes, everyday people can play at least a small part in reducing their overall contribution to ocean noise. In other words, a farmer's market apple might not just taste better; it's better for whales too. "In this case, sure, humans are the problem," Fournet adds. "Humans in this case are also the solution. We created this problem, but we do have the capacity to fix it."

Is the war entering a new phase? Russian forces have launched widespread missile, drone, and artillery attacks across Ukraine, causing civilian casualties while hitting regional infrastructure and commercial shipping in the Black Sea. Ukraine's Air Force on Saturday reported facing a huge overnight barrage involving 174 drones from across Russia and Ukraine's annexed Crimean Peninsula, alongside two Zircon antiship missiles launched from Russia's Kursk region. "Enemy [Zircon antiship] missiles did not reach the targets," it said. Meanwhile, Russia's Ministry of Defence claimed its forces used Geran-4 Seeker loitering drones to strike two commercial vessels in the Black Sea - a Ukrainian dry cargo ship en route to Odesa and a docked tanker in the port of Odesa - asserting that both ships were carrying military supplies. In the Kharkiv region, Governor Oleh Syniehubov confirmed Russian attacks spanning 14 settlements killed five people and injured 15 others, causing heavy destruction in towns like Balakliya and Lypkuvativka.

Did Iran capture a US submarine? Saudi Arabia's oil exports took another blow last week when drone attacks knocked out part of the country's East-West pipeline, halting oil flow and removing 4-5 million barrels per day (bpd) of oil from global supply. It is unclear how long repairs will take, although The Associated Press estimates three to five weeks, citing two regional officials. The 1,200km (746-mile) pipeline connects the kingdom's main oil-producing fields in the east of the country with Yanbu port on the Red Sea coast in the west, allowing Saudi crude to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, which has largely remained closed since the United States-Israel war on Iran began on February 28. As the world's second-largest oil producer, Saudi Arabia's ability to keep crude flowing has significant consequences for global energy markets.