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• La administración Trump ha anunciado la 'Operación Furia Económica', implementando un bloqueo integral contra Irán como parte de una campaña de sanciones ampliada. • La iniciativa representa una escalada significativa en la presión económica contra Irán, marcando un cambio en la política exterior de EE.UU. hacia medidas más agresivas. • Esta acción se produce en medio de tensiones geopolíticas más amplias en Oriente Medio y sigue a meses de tensión diplomática entre EE.UU. e Irán.

La votación se produce mientras se avecina el plazo de 60 días, con dos republicanos respaldando los límites y una disputa sobre si el alto el fuego detiene el relojPolítica de EE. UU. en vivo – últimas actualizacionesEl Senado, liderado por los republicanos, volvió a bloquear el jueves un intento demócrata de detener la guerra de Donald Trump en Irán, rechazando una resolución de poderes de guerra que habría limitado el conflicto hasta que el Congreso autorice nuevas acciones militares. La votación fue de 47-50, con dos republicanos —Susan Collins, senadora de Maine, y Rand Paul, de Kentucky— votando a favor y un demócrata —John Fetterman, de Pensilvania— oponiéndose. Continuar leyendo...

• La administración Trump presentó una apelación el miércoles por la noche contra el fallo de un juez federal de Massachusetts del 16 de marzo que bloqueó la reforma del Secretario de Salud Robert F. Kennedy Jr. al calendario nacional de vacunación infantil. • El juez Brian Murphy dictaminó que Kennedy reemplazó el comité asesor de vacunas de los CDC de manera "ilegal" y suspendió cualquier decisión tomada por el comité. • La apelación señala la intención de la administración de proceder con la reestructuración del proceso de asesoramiento sobre vacunas a pesar de los desafíos legales a su autoridad.

• UAE se retiró de OPEC ayer, marcando una ruptura histórica con Saudi Arabia durante la escalada de la crisis regional. • Esta decisión coincide con que el Strait of Hormuz está casi totalmente cerrado debido a un bloqueo naval de US destinado a detener las exportaciones de petróleo de Iran. • US amenaza con excluir a los principales bancos de China de su sistema financiero para evitar el procesamiento de petróleo de Iran, intensificando las tensiones energéticas globales.

Mercados petroleros alarmados mientras Donald Trump parece dispuesto a mantener el bloqueo de la US Navy e Irán mantiene el estrecho de Hormuz prácticamente cerrado El precio del crudo Brent se disparó por encima de los 126 dólares por barril el miércoles, su nivel más alto desde 2022, después de que Donald Trump advirtiera que el bloqueo de los EE. UU. a los puertos iraníes podría durar meses y las conversaciones de paz permanecieran estancadas. Con un aumento de más del 13 % en 24 horas, el crudo Brent alcanzó un precio récord desde que comenzó la guerra el 28 de febrero. El Brent no superaba los 120 dólares desde la invasión rusa de Ucrania en 2022, cuando el precio alcanzó un máximo de 139 dólares. Continuar leyendo...

Los representantes de EE. UU. Jared Huffman y Jamie Raskin calificaron a principios de este mes los acuerdos de indignantes e ilegalesRegístrese en el correo electrónico de Breaking News US para recibir alertas de boletines en su bandeja de entradaLa administración Trump bloqueó esta semana el desarrollo de dos proyectos de energía eólica autorizados en EE. UU., con un acuerdo para pagar millones de dólares en reembolsos a las empresas detrás de ellos si esos fondos se reinvierten en petróleo y gas.Funcionarios del US Department of the Interior presentaron los acuerdos cancelados como una forma de “promover la seguridad y asequibilidad energética de EE. UU.” al canalizar fondos “lejos de fuentes de energía intermitentes y de mayor costo hacia soluciones convencionales probadas”, en un anuncio emitido el lunes. Continuar leyendo...

Meta, propietaria de Facebook, adquirió Manus en diciembre de 2025 por más de 2.000 millones de dólares en un intento de impulsar sus capacidades en agentes de IA.

Meta afirmó el lunes que la transacción "cumplió plenamente con la ley aplicable" y que anticipa "una resolución apropiada a la investigación".(Crédito de la imagen: Jeff Chiu/AP)

• Blocks, una startup de IA, aseguró 20 millones de dólares en financiamiento de Serie A liderado por Entrée Capital para desarrollar fuerzas laborales digitales autónomas. • El financiamiento apoyará el despliegue de agentes de IA capaces de gestionar tareas complejas de manera independiente. • Esta inversión resalta el creciente interés de los VC en las tecnologías de IA agéntica ante las demandas de automatización empresarial.

• Las fuerzas de seguridad venezolanas restringieron el acceso de los partidos de oposición a sus sedes de campaña el lunes, despertando nuevas preocupaciones sobre la conducta democrática antes de las elecciones presidenciales de este año. • El bloqueo impidió que los candidatos y el personal de la oposición recolectaran firmas electorales y organizaran esfuerzos de movilización de votantes, perjudicando significativamente su infraestructura de campaña. • Observadores internacionales de la Organization of American States expresaron su alarma ante la medida, calificándola como una violación de las libertades políticas y advirtiendo que podría socavar la legitimidad de las próximas elecciones.

• Los combates activos entre las Fuerzas Armadas Sudanesas y las Rapid Support Forces han intensificado los bloqueos en los corredores humanitarios, dejando atrapadas a más de 2 millones de personas desplazadas internamente sin acceso a alimentos ni suministros médicos. • El Programa Mundial de Alimentos de la ONU informó que las condiciones de hambruna afectan ahora a múltiples regiones, y que las tasas de desnutrición infantil superan el 40 por ciento en algunas zonas. • El Departamento de Estado de los EE. UU. anunció una ayuda humanitaria de emergencia adicional de 150 millones de dólares, aunque reconoció que la inseguridad hace que la entrega de ayuda sea cada vez más difícil.

• La Comisión Nacional de Desarrollo y Reforma de China prohibió la adquisición de Manus, una startup de IA con sede en Singapur, por parte de Meta el 27 de abril de 2026, exigiendo la retirada de todas las partes. • Manus, que tiene raíces chinas, fue objeto de una revisión de seguridad de inversión extranjera a pesar de las afirmaciones de cumplimiento de Meta desde su sede en California. • La decisión intensifica las tensiones tecnológicas entre EE. UU. y China, afectando la expansión de la IA de Meta y las fusiones y adquisiciones transfronterizas en semiconductores y herramientas de inteligencia.

• UN International Maritime Organization Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez stated that the blockading of ships in the Strait of Hormuz due to the US-Iran conflict has turned international shipping and seafarers into leverage in geopolitical disputes. • The crisis highlights how vessels and crews, not involved in the conflict, are being caught up in hostilities between the United States and Iran, disrupting global trade routes. • This development underscores critical weaknesses in global shipping networks, potentially leading to supply chain disruptions, higher costs, and risks to maritime security worldwide.

Footage posted online shows police telling people they were being removed due to suspicion they would interrupt ceremonyWestern Australian police say they proactively blocked 15 members of “issue motivated groups” from attending Anzac Day commemorations, following disruptions that marred earlier ceremonies in the eastern states.One man was arrested at the Sydney dawn service at Martin Place, where there was a small but noisy interjection of booing during the Indigenous acknowledgment of country. Booing also marred ceremonies in Melbourne and Perth. Continue reading...

• Myanmar's military junta has blocked UN humanitarian corridors to conflict-affected regions, preventing food and medical aid from reaching approximately 2 million people at imminent risk of famine. • UN humanitarian agencies report that supplies have been halted for two weeks; the blockade coincides with intensified fighting between military forces and opposition groups in central Myanmar. • The US has condemned the blockade as a war crime and called for emergency UN Security Council action, though Russia and China have signaled opposition to any intervention.

• The UN Security Council failed to reach consensus on a resolution extending cross-border humanitarian aid to Syria, with Russia vetoing the measure on Friday amid escalating tensions between Moscow and Western nations over the Syrian conflict's humanitarian toll. • Russia's veto marks the third such blocking in two years, preventing critical medical supplies and food assistance from reaching 5.5 million internally displaced Syrians, according to UN humanitarian coordinator statements. • Western diplomats warned the blockade could exacerbate an already severe humanitarian crisis, with aid agencies reporting shortages of vaccines, antibiotics, and nutrition programs across northern Syria.

Kim Leadbeater tells of plan to table identical bill that peers would be unable to stopMPs and peers who led the assisted dying bill have promised to bring it back to parliament after it ran out of time in the House of Lords.Kim Leadbeater, the Labour MP who tabled the private member’s bill, said the plan would be to table an identical bill in the next parliamentary session, which would prevent peers blocking it again, as the Lords cannot stop the same bill twice. Continue reading...

The department of justice has refused to hand over key evidence from the Jeffrey Epstein files and could delay Scotland Yard’s criminal inquiry.Good morning. The UK criminal investigation into Peter Mandelson has reportedly ground to a halt after the US justice department refused to hand over evidence contained in the Epstein files.The documents relate to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which Scotland Yard believes could hold key evidence related to Mandelson, who served as business secretary and US ambassador. While the Met has asked for voluntary disclosure, the US department of justice is insisting on a Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) request, a legal back and forth between countries to obtain evidence, the Telegraph has reported. Continue reading...

Officials assessing route after serac between base camp and camp one deemed unstable and too risky for climbers A large ice block on the route just above the Mount Everest base camp has forced hundreds of climbers and local guides to delay their attempt to scale the world’s highest peak.The serac between base camp and camp one is unstable and is risky for climbers, said Himal Gautam of Nepal’s department of mountaineering on Friday. Continue reading...

• Navy Secretary John Phelan was fired by the Pentagon on Wednesday night amid escalating tensions with Iran over the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. • The firing comes as the U.S. maintains military pressure on Iran, with reports indicating the blockade is costing Iran an estimated $500 million per day and pushing the regime toward economic collapse. • U.S. intelligence officials warn that Iran retains thousands of missiles and drones capable of threatening American interests in the region.

Battle of the blockades may still have more time to run as both the US and Iran try to assert control over the strait of HormuzDonald Trump’s decision to extend the naval blockade of Iran indefinitely may do nothing to reduce world oil prices – but it could amount to a recognition that further US military escalation in breach of the nominal ceasefire comes with greater risk against a regime disinclined to surrender.In theory, Trump’s military options are increasing. A third US carrier strike group, the George HW Bush, is due to arrive in the Middle East within days after rounding South Africa. A second taskforce of 2,500 US marines is sailing from the Pacific and is due to arrive by the end of April. Continue reading...

White House says Tehran in ‘very weak position’; Iran says two seized ships transferred to its coast; US navy secretary exiting post ‘effective immediately’, says Pentagon‘Impossible’ to reopen strait of Hormuz amid ‘flagrant’ ceasefire breaches, Iran saysWelcome to our live coverage of events in the Middle East.Iran has seized two ships in the strait of Hormuz a day after Donald Trump announced he was indefinitely calling off US attacks, while there is no sign of peace talks restarting.Trump was “satisfied” with the US naval blockade and “understands Iran is in a very weak position”, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. The US president had not set a deadline on Iran submitting a peace proposal, she said, after Trump on Tuesday said he was indefinitely extending the ceasefire at the request of mediator Pakistan until Tehran responded to the US’s negotiating positions or until talks were concluded “one way or the other”.The Pentagon announced that the US secretary of the navy, John Phelan, would depart the office “effective immediately”, without providing an explanation for his sudden exit. The US army’s top officer, Gen Randy George, and two other senior officers were removed earlier this month amid the continuing war with Iran.The US-Israeli war against Iran is “starting to weaken Europe”, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has told his German counterpart. Erdoğan said: “If we do not address this situation with an approach that prioritises peace, the damage caused by the conflict will be far greater.”Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon killed a Lebanese journalist, Amal Khalil, and wounded a photographer accompanying her, a senior Lebanese military official and Khalil’s employer said. The death of Khalil, 43, brought the death toll to five people on Wednesday – the deadliest day since a 10-day truce between Israel and Hezbollah was announced on 16 April. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on Khalil’s death.Khalil and freelance photographer Zeinab Faraj were covering developments near the town of al-Tayri when an Israeli strike hit the vehicle in front of them, Reuters reported. They ran into a nearby house that was then also targeted by an Israeli strike, said Lebanon’s health ministry. Lebanese prime minister Nawaf Salam said Israeli targeting of journalists and obstructing relief effort constituted war crimes.Oil prices leapt 4% on Thursday after Iran vowed not to reopen the Hormuz strait amid the US naval blockade despite the truce extension. Around 0025 GMT, the benchmark US oil contract West Texas Intermediate (WTI) rose 4.06% to $96.73 a barrel, while the international oil benchmark Brent North Sea crude climbed 3.62% to $105.63. Both eased back minutes after.Two Palestinians, including a 14-year-old schoolboy, were killed in the occupied West Bank after Israeli settlers opened fire near a school amid mounting assaults on education in the territory, witnesses and local officials have said.United Airlines implemented broad-based rises of 15-20% on fares as it sought to offset the surge in petrol prices while protecting profits, executives said. The big US carrier has also cut its 2026 flying capacity by 5%. Continue reading...

Journalists Amal Khalil and Zeinab Faraj were both caught in an Israeli attack in southern Lebanon, with the former trapped under rubble for hoursIsraeli strikes in southern Lebanon wounded one journalist and left another trapped under rubble on Wednesday with rescuers temporarily blocked from reaching her by ongoing Israeli fire, Lebanon’s health ministry, a senior military official and press advocates said.Israel’s military said in a statement it had received reports that two journalists were injured as a result of its strikes, and denied it was preventing rescue teams from reaching the area. Continue reading...

The injunction pauses policy giving senior Trump official direct sign-off on federal clean energy projectsA federal judge in Massachusetts on Tuesday struck down several Trump administration actions slowing down development of clean energy, including a requirement that all solar and wind energy projects on federal lands and waters be personally approved by the interior secretary, Doug Burgum.Denise J Casper, chief judge of the US district court for Massachusetts, ruled that a coalition of plaintiffs representing wind and solar developers were likely to succeed on the merits of their claims that the administration’s actions violate federal statute and will cause irreparable harm if the court did not intervene. Continue reading...

Iran’s goal is to maintain chokehold on global economy even as some say it could run out of oil storage by SundayMiddle East crisis – live updatesDonald Trump’s indefinite shelving of the plan to bomb Iran’s bridges and power station on Tuesday night is being widely described as leaving the conflict in limbo, but that is anything but the truth.Pakistan insists the prospect of talks in Islamabad has not evaporated, and positive messages are still being exchanged, but in the meantime the site of kinetic activity has switched from land to sea. Both sides are vying to prove they can enforce their blockade of the strait of Hormuz more effectively than the other. It has become a form of gunboat diplomacy brought to life in the most significant geopolitical waterway in the world. Continue reading...

Agreement for urgently needed loan reached after Ukraine resumed pumping Russian oil to Hungary and SlovakiaEurope live – latest updatesEU member states have reached agreement on unblocking an urgently needed €90bn (£78bn) loan for Kyiv and a new package of sanctions against Moscow after Ukraine resumed pumping Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia, prompting Budapest to lift its veto.Cyprus, which holds the bloc’s rotating presidency, said member states’ ambassadors had agreed to launch “written procedures” for the final approval of the loan and the sanctions package, with formal sign-off on both due by Thursday afternoon. Continue reading...