Americas

• Escalating hostilities between the United States and Iran, alongside the renewed closure of the Strait of Hormuz, have disrupted the flow of crude oil and refined products from the Persian Gulf. • These geopolitical tensions have pushed base oil and energy prices to steeper levels due to supply chain instability. • The situation is expected to worsen as Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen threaten to attack shipping companies loading cargoes at Saudi ports on the Red Sea.

• UN partners have launched the Winter Response Plan to provide critical aid to 2.1 million people in Ukraine to help them survive the upcoming cold season amid the ongoing Russian invasion. • In the Democratic Republic of Congo, at least 30 people were killed and dozens injured during attacks in the Beni territory between July 13 and 19. • The violence in DR Congo has forced at least six humanitarian organizations to suspend their operations and movements within the affected territory.

• Commercial property insurer FM Global announced April 2, 2026 that the Financial Times has recognized it as one of The Americas' Fastest-Growing Companies of 2026. • The Johnston, Rhode Island-based insurer joins other leading regional companies on the prestigious FT list recognizing high-growth businesses. • The recognition highlights FM's strong business performance and market position in the competitive commercial property insurance sector.

• Costa Rica signed a pact on March 27, 2026, to accept 25 migrants deported from the US each week, as part of President Trump's third-country deportation initiative overseen by special envoy Christine Noim. • The agreement advances the Shield of the Americas policy amid broader US immigration enforcement tied to geopolitical pressures. • This development supports US efforts to manage migration flows during escalating Middle East conflicts.

Monte Verde, thought to be 14,500 years old, had cast doubt on earlier idea for how humans came to western hemisphereA groundbreaking new study may have once again upended our understanding of human prehistory in the Americas.For years, the predominant theory of how humans arrived in the western hemisphere centred around the Clovis culture, which crossed the Beringia land bridge from Asia between 13,400 and 12,800 years ago, and spread south. Continue reading...