United States

• Wednesday, April 15th 2026 - 01:06 UTC

  Trump turns on Meloni, his top European ally, as Italy suspends defense deal with Israel

  

  US President Donald Trump on Tuesday turned on Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, until recently his closest ally in Europe, in a phone interview with the Italian daily Il Corriere della Sera. “I thought she had courage, but I was wrong,” Trump said, criticizing Meloni for refusing to involve Italy in the war against Iran and for calling his attacks on Pope Leo XIV “unacceptable.”

• Wednesday, April 15th 2026 - 00:59 UTC

  US lifts sanctions on Venezuela's Central Bank and backs its return to the IMF

  

  The US Treasury Department on Tuesday lifted financial sanctions on Venezuela's Central Bank and three other state-owned banking institutions, in the most significant easing of the punitive regime in place since 2017. On the same day, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent publicly endorsed efforts by the International Monetary Fund to reintegrate Venezuela into the international financial system.

• Monday, April 13th 2026 - 21:52 UTC

  Tankers turn back at Hormuz as crude jumps over 4% on US blockade

  

  Two oil tankers reversed course as they approached the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, just hours after the US naval blockade against Iranian ports took effect, according to maritime tracking platform MarineTraffic. Brent crude for June delivery closed up 4.4% at $99.36 per barrel, while US benchmark WTI rose 2.6% to $99.08, according to Bloomberg.

• Monday, April 13th 2026 - 21:37 UTC

  Venezuela expands Chevron operations in Orinoco Belt following hydrocarbon reform

  

  Venezuela's government on Monday signed an agreement expanding US oil company Chevron's operations in the country, weeks after a hydrocarbon reform opened the sector to private and foreign investment. The signing ceremony took place at the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas.

• Monday, April 13th 2026 - 21:33 UTC

  Trump deletes image of himself as Jesus Christ amid backlash as clash with Pope escalates

  

  US President Donald Trump on Monday deleted from his Truth Social account an AI-generated image depicting himself as Jesus Christ healing a sick person. The post, which remained visible for more than 12 hours, drew sharp criticism from Catholic organizations, conservative figures and members of his own party, who called it blasphemous.

• Monday, April 13th 2026 - 08:12 UTC

  Trump has demolished the US-led global order, prepare for a rough 15 years

  

  By Mike Martin MP - “We’re all one people … to all of you down there on Earth … we love you”. Listening to the crew of Artemis over the last week has been a refreshing reminder of a part of America’s soul. Deep inside, it is a country that holds the highest ideals about individual spirit and endeavour, and the potential of humanity when we work together. Hearing the astronauts with my four-year-old daughter has been inspiring and awesome.

• Monday, April 13th 2026 - 00:27 UTC

  Uruguay hosts DEA summit that warns of new drug trafficking routes in South America

  

  Uruguay hosted the 2nd Regional Coordination Meeting of the US Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) Southern Cone Division, a conference held on April 9–10 in Montevideo that brought together representatives from Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and the United States to strengthen cooperation against drug trafficking and transnational organized crime.

• Sunday, April 12th 2026 - 13:30 UTC

  Trump escalates Gulf crisis with order for total blockade of Strait of Hormuz

  

  US President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that the Navy would immediately begin blocking all maritime traffic attempting to enter or leave the Strait of Hormuz, and ordered the interception on the high seas of any vessel that has paid a toll to Iran.

• Saturday, April 11th 2026 - 04:44 UTC

  Orion capsule splashes down in Pacific, completing Artemis II, first crewed Moon flight in over 50 years

  

  NASA's Orion capsule splashed down at 8:07 p.m. ET on Friday (00:07 GMT Saturday) in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, California, completing the Artemis II mission, the first crewed flight to the Moon since Apollo 17 in December 1972.

• Friday, April 10th 2026 - 15:26 UTC

  Brazil's inflation rises to 4.14% in March driven by higher fuel and food costs

  

  Annual inflation in Brazil accelerated to 4.14% in March, pushed higher by rising fuel and food prices, the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) reported on Friday. The figure reverses the slowdown recorded in February, when the index had eased to 3.81%.