Michael Bociurkiw

As inviting as Dubai is to influencers, they must acquire advertiser permits that can cost up to $4,000 and are told to respect the state and avoid circulating rumors and unverified information or any content that can harm the UAE’s foreign relations or “offend or compromise national unity or social cohesion.” In the wake of Iran’s strikes, the UAE’s Public Prosecution announced that “anyone who shares or republishes content from unknown sources may face legal accountability under the country’s applicable laws, even if they are not the original creator of the content.” codastory.com/disinformation… via @CodaStory #Dubai #UAE

World Briefing Plus (Video): Asia Pacific Edition: As NYT noted, the policy of lifting sanctions on Iranian oil “underscores the lengths that the Trump administration is prepared to go to reduce global oil prices.” Let’s be clear: it also underscores the lengths it’s willing to go to protect itself politically - particularly with November’s midterm elections looming open.substack.com/pub/worldbrief… #IranWar‌

Gobsmacked! The Trump administration has lifted sanctions on seaborne Iranian oil - effectively opening the taps for Tehran to further bankroll its war machine against the United States and its allies. And it doesn’t stop there. Earlier, Washington eased restrictions on sanctioned Russian oil - handing the Kremlin yet another financial lifeline as its war in Ukraine grinds on. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent attempted to frame the move as strategic: “In essence, we will be using Iranian barrels against Tehran to keep the price down.” But here’s the reality: most of those barrels are already spoken for. A significant share of sanctioned oil continues to flow - largely unabated - to China via a sprawling “shadow fleet” operating beyond the reach of enforcement. As The New York Times noted, the policy “underscores the lengths that the Trump administration is prepared to go to reduce global oil prices.” Let’s be clear: it also underscores the lengths it’s willing to go to protect itself politically - particularly with November’s midterm elections looming.

Patriarch Emeritus Filaret, one of the leaders of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, has passed away. Filaret reportedly expected a full-scale war with Russia before it began in 2022. kyivindependent.com/ukrainian-chur…

A French sailor accidentally exposed the location of an aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean by going on a run on the deck. According to @lemondefr, a serviceman aboard France’s flagship aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, logged a roughly 4.4-mile run on the deck using the popular fitness tracking app Strava

Multiple US news outlets, citing sources, are reporting that President Donald Trump is considering sending thousands of additional US ground troops to bolster operations in the Middle ⁠East, a move that would give Trump additional options in the war against Iran open.substack.com/pub/worldbrief… #IranWar

A lot of airlines simply do not have the spare aircraft. @AirCanada is a good example, stretched thin like many global carriers by aircraft shortages, delivery delays (the first of its 18 firm-ordered @BoeingAirplanes 787-10 Dreamliners are now expected to arrive between June and Q4 2026 rather than 2025, losing roughly two "summer seasons" of utility), and the lingering post-Covid pilot crunch open.substack.com/pub/worldbrief…

8,000 phones, $580 million frozen, and the FBI is rotating agents to Thailand FBI's Bangkok office set up a joint task force with Royal Thai Police last August to go after scam compounds in the region. Royal Thai Police have since seized over 8,000 phones and 1,300 hard drives from suspected compounds. FBI Deputy Assistant Director Scott Schelble says they're no longer just targeting individual scammers but dismantling the networks financing and sustaining the compounds, tracing crypto across blockchains and freezing accounts. DOJ's Scam Center Strike Force has frozen or seized over $580 million in crypto so far. The FBI is also rotating special agents to Thailand on six-month deployments to work alongside Thai authorities. Meanwhile, Meta just took down 150,000+ accounts tied to scam center networks as part of a joint effort with Thai police, leading to 21 arrests.

Saad al-Kaabi, CEO of QatarEnergy, a state-owned energy company, told Reuters that the Iranian attacks had knocked out nearly a fifth of the company’s liquefied natural gas export capacity, and that repairs would take three to five years nytimes.com/2026/03/18/bus… #IranWar‌

Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada spoke about the contradictions of human nature: “Some people dream of having a swimming pool at home, while those who have one hardly ever use it. Those who have lost a loved one feel a profound sense of loss, while others often complain about their living relatives. Those without a partner long for one, while those who have one often don't appreciate it. The hungry would give anything for a meal, while the satiated complain about the taste of their food. Those without a car dream of owning one, while those who have a car are always looking for a better one.” The key to happiness is gratitude: truly seeing and appreciating what we already have, and understanding that somewhere, someone would give anything for what we take for granted.

World Happiness Report Reveals Dismal U.S. Ranking: U.S. was ranked a distant No. 23, after most of Western Europe, Mexico, Australia, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia cnn.com/2026/03/18/tra…

If the Middle East war drags on, Istanbul will not just be a useful alternative to Doha or Dubai. It could emerge as the dominant east-west hub of a more anxious age. Read how @TurkishAirlines is cashing in on the turmoil in the Gulf open.substack.com/pub/worldbrief… #travel #Iran

Most Americans will likely soon be paying over $4 per gallon as the war in Iran drives one of the sharpest gas-price surges in recent history - Axios

World Briefing: A senior French military figure has delivered a scathing rebuke of U.S. efforts to draw NATO into the escalating Iran conflict. “He (Trump) would let us down whenever it suited him.” open.substack.com/pub/worldbrief… #IranWar‌

Israel's Airports Authority has confirmed three private planes were damaged at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport in recent days. In a statement it says: "The Airports Authority reiterates that the risks involved in operating in this area at this time were clarified in advance - BBC

A senior French military figure has delivered a scathing rebuke of U.S. efforts to draw NATO into the escalating #Iran conflict - comparing participation to “buying cheap tickets for the Titanic after it hit the iceberg.” More in today’s World Briefing: open.substack.com/pub/worldbrief…

Travel is breaking. Prices soaring. Routes disrupted. Chaos everywhere. 🚨 My #1 tip right now: Avoid third-party booking sites like @bookingcom and their sister platforms @KAYAK @priceline and @agoda When things go wrong — you’re on your own. 🎥 Watch before your next trip: youtu.be/DTtfFxtZdUE?si… #travel #IranWar

Donald Trump was warned that attacking Iran could trigger retaliation against U.S. Gulf allies despite his claims on Monday ​that Tehran’s reaction came as a surprise, said a U.S. official and two sources familiar with U.S. intelligence reports. open.substack.com/pub/worldbrief… #IranWar

One of the busiest air corridors at the moment right now. Due to the Iran war the link between Europe and Asia being tightly funneled over Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia and Turkey (+Saudi & Egypt). More on the impact on travel at open.substack.com/pub/worldbrief… #IranWar‌ #travel