Stories for 2026

Thursday, April 2nd 2026 - 04:52 UTC
Artemis II lifts off successfully: humanity heads back to the Moon after half a century

NASA's Artemis 2 mission launched Wednesday at 6:35 p.m. EDT from Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the first crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in December 1972 — 54 years ago.
Thursday, April 2nd 2026 - 03:01 UTC
US lifts sanctions on Delcy Rodríguez, clearing the way for her visit to Washington

The U.S. Treasury Department on Wednesday removed Venezuela's interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, from the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list, the country's main financial sanctions registry managed by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). The move allows her to access blocked assets, conduct transactions with U.S. entities, and travel to American territory.
Thursday, April 2nd 2026 - 03:00 UTC
Trump vows to send Iran “back to the Stone Age” as oil surges back above $100

Oil prices surged on Wednesday after U.S. President Donald Trump vowed in a televised address to the nation to hit Iran “extremely hard” over the next two to three weeks. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose 4.1% to $104.21 per barrel, while Brent, the international benchmark, gained 5% to $106.42, according to CNBC data.
Wednesday, April 1st 2026 - 10:37 UTC
Bolivia: probe into ring that stole and adulterated fuel imported through Chilean ports

Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz on Tuesday denounced the existence of an international ring dedicated to stealing and adulterating gasoline and diesel imported into the country, with operations detected in Chile, Argentina, and Paraguay. According to the president, the scheme originated under the previous management of Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales Bolivianos (YPFB), the state-owned fuel supply company.
Wednesday, April 1st 2026 - 10:12 UTC
Trump running out of options in Iran, a US victory is possible?

By Gwynne Dyer - The Iranians know they have won, but President Trump doesn’t get it yet. He’s still at the stage of counting up the US and Israeli air-strikes and assuming that those numbers mean a US victory is possible. But five gets you ten that the Iranians are already thinking about nuclear weapons. Not their own, which don’t exist. America’s.
Wednesday, April 1st 2026 - 09:24 UTC
Increases in fees for applications for British passports in Falklands begin 6 April

The Falkland Islands’ Customs and Immigration Service would like to inform the public that from Wednesday 8 April 2026 His Majesty’s Passport Office will be increasing their fees by approximately 8%.
Wednesday, April 1st 2026 - 09:09 UTC
UK Government implements measures to bring down the cost of living for families

As a consequence of events in the Middle East, UK is implementing a aft of new measures – coming into force today (1 April 2026) – among which will see wages go up, bills come down, and more support for those who need it most.
Wednesday, April 1st 2026 - 09:01 UTC
Another front for Trump, “pain in the pump”, gasoline above US$ 4 a gallon

”If the (Iran) conflict is contained soon, the hit to confidence may be temporary, but a prolonged crisis could prompt more precautionary saving and further discretionary spending cuts,” warned Moody’s in a report on the current war in the Middle East, and the impact for US households.
Wednesday, April 1st 2026 - 08:44 UTC
Antarctica, eco-sail expedition vessels will have a hybrid sail propulsion system

Oceanwide Expeditions which specializes in Arctic and Antarctic cruises will construct two 146-passenger eco-sail expedition vessels, constructed with a hybrid sail propulsion system, reducing fuel consumption and lowering operational emissions.
Wednesday, April 1st 2026 - 02:07 UTC
Machado meets Rubio in Washington, says her return to Venezuela is near

Venezuelan opposition leader and 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado met Tuesday with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the State Department in Washington. It was the second meeting between the two since the U.S. military operation that captured Nicolás Maduro in Caracas on January 3.