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• 트럼프 행정부는 제재 캠페인 확대의 일환으로 이란에 대한 포괄적 봉쇄를 시행하며 'Operation Economic Fury'를 발표했습니다. • 이번 이니셔티브는 이란에 대한 경제적 압박의 상당한 격상을 의미하며, 더욱 공격적인 조치를 향한 미국 외교 정책의 변화를 나타냅니다. • 이번 조치는 중동의 광범위한 지정학적 긴장 속에서 이루어졌으며, 미국과 이란 간의 수개월에 걸친 외교적 긴장 이후에 나온 것입니다.

• 60일 기한이 임박한 가운데 투표가 진행되었으며, 두 명의 GOP 의원이 제한 조치를 지지했고 휴전이 기한을 중단시키는지에 대한 논쟁이 있습니다 • US politics live – latest updates • Republican-led Senate는 목요일, Congress가 추가 군사 행동을 승인할 때까지 분쟁을 제한하는 war powers resolution을 거부하며 Donald Trump의 Iran 전쟁을 중단시키려는 Democratic의 시도를 다시 한번 저지했습니다.

• Trump Administration은 Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.의 국가 childhood vaccine schedule 개편을 저지한 Massachusetts 연방 판사의 3월 16일 판결에 대해 수요일 저녁 항소를 제기했습니다. • Brian Murphy 판사는 Kennedy가 CDC의 vaccine advisory committee를 "불법적으로" 교체했다고 판결했으며, 해당 위원회가 내린 모든 결정을 보류시켰습니다. • 이번 항소는 권한에 대한 법적 이의 제기에도 불구하고 vaccine advisory process 재편을 추진하겠다는 행정부의 의지를 시사합니다.

• United Arab Emirates는 어제 OPEC에서 탈퇴하며, 고조되는 지역 위기 속에서 Saudi Arabia와의 역사적인 결별을 기록했습니다. • 이번 결정은 Iranian 석유 수출을 저지하려는 US 해군 봉쇄로 인해 Strait of Hormuz가 거의 완전히 폐쇄된 상황과 시기적으로 일치합니다. • US는 Iranian 석유 거래 처리를 막기 위해 주요 Chinese banks를 자국 금융 시스템에서 차단하겠다고 위협하며 글로벌 에너지 긴장을 심화시키고 있습니다.

Donald Trump가 US Navy 봉쇄를 유지할 의향이 있는 것으로 보이고 Iran이 Strait of Hormuz를 거의 폐쇄함에 따라 Oil 시장이 술렁이고 있습니다. Donald Trump가 Iran 항구에 대한 미국의 봉쇄가 수개월간 지속될 수 있다고 경고하고 평화 협상이 교착 상태에 머물면서, 수요일 Brent oil 가격은 2022년 이후 최고치인 배럴당 $126 위로 치솟았습니다. 24시간 만에 13% 이상 급등한 Brent crude는 전쟁이 시작된 2월 28일 이후 최고가를 기록했습니다. 2022년 Russia의 Ukraine 침공 이후 Brent가 $120를 넘은 적은 없었으며, 당시 가격은 $139로 정점을 찍었습니다. Continue reading...

• 이달 초 Jared Huffman과 Jamie Raskin 미국 대표들은 해당 합의가 터무니없으며 불법적이라고 주장했습니다. • 트럼프 행정부는 이번 주 허가된 두 건의 미국 풍력 에너지 프로젝트 개발을 차단했으며, 해당 기업들이 관련 자금을 석유 및 가스 분야에 재투자할 경우 수백만 달러의 환급금을 지급하기로 합의했습니다. • 미국 내무부 관계자들은 월요일 발표를 통해, 이번 합의 취소가 "간헐적이고 비용이 많이 드는 에너지원 대신 검증된 기존 솔루션으로 자금을 유도"함으로써 "미국의 에너지 안보와 가격 적정성을 증진"하기 위한 방법이라고 설명했습니다.

Meta, which owns Facebook, acquired Manus in December 2025 for more than US$2 billion in a bid to boost its capabilities in AI agents.

Meta said Monday that the transaction "complied fully with applicable law" and that it anticipates "an appropriate resolution to the inquiry."(Image credit: Jeff Chiu/AP)

• Blocks, an AI startup, secured $20 million in Series A funding led by Entrée Capital to develop autonomous digital workforces. • The funding will support deployment of AI agents capable of handling complex tasks independently. • This investment highlights growing VC interest in agentic AI technologies amid enterprise automation demands.

• Venezuelan security forces restricted opposition parties from entering their campaign headquarters on Monday, raising fresh concerns about democratic conduct ahead of this year's presidential elections. • The blockade prevented opposition candidates and staff from gathering electoral signatures and organizing voter outreach efforts, significantly hampering their campaign infrastructure. • International observers from the Organization of American States expressed alarm over the move, calling it a violation of political freedoms and warning it could undermine the legitimacy of upcoming elections.

• Active fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces has intensified blockades on humanitarian corridors, trapping over 2 million internally displaced persons without access to food and medical supplies. • The UN World Food Programme reported that starvation conditions now affect multiple regions, with malnutrition rates among children exceeding 40 percent in some areas. • The U.S. State Department announced an additional $150 million in emergency humanitarian assistance but acknowledged that insecurity makes delivery of aid increasingly difficult.

• China's National Development and Reform Commission prohibited Meta's acquisition of Singapore-based AI startup Manus on April 27, 2026, requiring all parties to withdraw. • Manus, with Chinese roots, was targeted in a security review of foreign investment despite Meta's compliance claims from its California headquarters. • The decision heightens US-China tech tensions, impacting Meta's AI expansion and cross-border M&A in semiconductors and intelligence tools.

• 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...