TASNIM NEWS reports a Thai-flagged vessel was attacked after transiting the Strait of Hormuz without permission from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Croatia's deputy prime minister and minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries said at a press briefing on the 18th the country's African swine fever outbreak is "very serious", with 12 new outbreaks reported in one day. He said the outbreak is accelerating: 89 outbreaks have been reported to date, about one-third in the past few days; 2,822 pigs have been culled and culls would rise sharply if spread is not contained. The government has spent more than EUR50 mln since 2023 responding to the crisis.

Energy-storage systems for AI data centers are emerging as a new growth segment as demand climbs. Dedicated storage is cited as better suited than traditional grids for AI workloads’ high energy draw, heavy loads, elevated safety requirements and need for fast response, improving supply reliability and energy efficiency and becoming a core requirement for compute infrastructure. Industry participants say technical barriers are higher than for conventional storage, so clients prioritize quality and delivery, show lower price sensitivity and tend to contract with leading suppliers. Listed companies actively building capacity across the value chain include Sunwoda, Penghui Energy and Sungrow.