United States

• 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%.

• Thursday, April 9th 2026 - 21:36 UTC

  Chilean Air Force conducts first-ever aerial refueling of US F-35 fighters

  

  The Chilean Air Force (FACh) completed for the first time an aerial refueling operation involving two U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II fighters, in a milestone that demonstrates growing interoperability between the two countries and the level of modernization achieved by Chile's military aviation.

• Wednesday, April 8th 2026 - 20:55 UTC

  Iran re-closes Strait of Hormuz after Israeli strikes in Lebanon, putting ceasefire at risk

  

  Iran suspended tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz just hours after its ceasefire with the United States took effect, in response to continued Israeli strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon. The move jeopardizes a truce that had barely begun to ease the worst global energy crisis in decades.