World
AI Summary
- Geopolitical tensions escalated in the Strait of Hormuz, with Iran urging its immediate opening and the US seizing an Iranian cargo ship, leading to concerns about oil supply disruptions and potential impacts on global markets.
- Psychedelic stocks experienced a significant surge following a presidential order, suggesting a potential acceleration in the commercialization pathway for these substances.
- A powerful 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck northern Japan, triggering tsunami warnings and highlighting the region's ongoing vulnerability to seismic activity.
- Europe is facing a potential summer jet fuel crisis, exacerbated by geopolitical events impacting supply chains and contributing to rising energy costs.
- The nuclear power sector is seeing renewed interest, with several countries actively investing in the construction of new nuclear facilities.
ZeroHedge
-
Xi Urges Immediate Opening Of Hormuz Strait For First Time, In Call With Saudi Crown Prince
an hour ago
by Tyler Durden
Xi Urges Immediate Opening Of Hormuz Strait For First Time, In Call With Saudi Crown Prince China's President Xi Jinping on Monday demanded the uninterrupted passage of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz in a phone call with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, state news agency Xinhua reports. He urged the normalization of shipping traffic after about 50 days of disruption which obviously and significantly impacts Chinese oil imports. "Normal navigation through the Strait of Hormuz should be maintained, this is in the shared interests of regional countries and the international community," Xi said, in the statement also carried by
-
Psychedelic Stocks Soar After Trump Order; RBC Says Commercialization Path Could Accelerate
an hour ago
by Tyler Durden
Psychedelic Stocks Soar After Trump Order; RBC Says Commercialization Path Could Accelerate Psychedelic drug stocks soared in premarket trading in New York after President Trump signed an executive order aimed at accelerating research and expanding access to therapies used for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). "The executive order I'm signing, we're actually signing the executive order today, is really a moment," Trump said at the signing event. "These treatments are currently in the advanced stages of clinical trials to ensure that they're both safe and effective for the American patients." > President Trump signed an executive order directing the FDA to expedite review of
-
Powerful 7.5-Magnitude Quake Hits Northern Japan, Triggers Tsunami Warnings
2 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
Powerful 7.5-Magnitude Quake Hits Northern Japan, Triggers Tsunami Warnings A powerful and shallow 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck off Japan's northeast coast, triggering a tsunami at Kuji Port in Iwate Prefecture. Public broadcaster NHK initially warned that a tsunami up to 10 feet high was expected to hit the Iwate area on Honshu's main island. However, so far, it has been reported to be about 31 inches high. The quake was reported shortly before 17:00 local time, rattled towers as far away as Tokyo, and forced the suspension of Shinkansen high-speed rail services in Iwate, NHK said. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the government had mobilized
-
From Leverage To Liability: The Hormuz Strait Is Now Iran's Biggest Weakness
3 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
From Leverage To Liability: The Hormuz Strait Is Now Iran's Biggest Weakness Authored by Daniel Lacalle, For half a century, the Strait of Hormuz was Iran’s weapon. Today, it is its noose. The mathematics of energy have flipped, and with them the balance of coercive power in the Persian Gulf. Iran’s implicit deterrent was geographic, spanning from the tanker wars of the 1980s to the sanctions standoffs of the 2010s. Almost 20% of global seaborne oil, and a similar share of liquefied natural gas, passes through the Strait. The formula was simple: any military confrontation that threatened the Tehran regime risked a closure that
-
"No More Mr. Nice Guy": US Strikes, Seizes Iranian Cargo Ship Trying To Break Blockade
3 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
"No More Mr. Nice Guy": US Strikes, Seizes Iranian Cargo Ship Trying To Break Blockade SUMMARY * Trump renews threats if no deal is reached: "No More Mr. Nice Guy" * Trump says U.S. struck and seized Iranian-flagged cargo ship in Gulf of Oman * Tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has ground to a halt after multiple incidents (Iran renewed threats to close the Bab al-Mandeb Strait) * Vance to lead negotiations with Iran, along with Witkoff and Kushner, on Tuesday or Wednesday * "We are still far from the final discussion," said speaker of the Iranian parliament Ghalibaf US STRUCK
The Guardian
-
Charlize Theron joins chorus of disapproval over Timothée Chalamet’s ballet comments
an hour ago
by Andrew Pulver
Film, Charlize Theron, Timothée Chalamet, South Africa, Ballet, Opera, Africa, Classical music, Culture, Dance, Music, Stage, World newsThe former ballet dancer said Chalamet’s comments were ‘reckless’ in an interview with the New York Times in which she also discussed her violent childhood Actor and former ballet dancer Charlize Theron has joined the chorus of disapproval aimed at Timothée Chalamet over his remarks that appeared to disrespect performers of ballet and opera. In an interview with the New York Times, Theron said: “Oh, boy, I hope I run into him one day,” adding: “That was a very reckless comment on two art forms that we need to lift up constantly because, yes, they do have a hard time. But in
-
Arrests fuel fears among Madagascar’s gen Z protesters that new regime no better than one they overthrew
9 hours ago
by Rachel Savage in Johannesburg
Madagascar, Africa, ProtestJubilation is turning to disenchantment as young activists arrested after protest calling for election date to be set The arrest of several protesters in Madagascar has increased fears among young people that the military regime that took power last year after huge Gen Z demonstrations will be no better than the government it overthrew. Four Gen Z activists, Herizo Andriamanantena, Miora Rakotomalala, Dina Randrianarisoa and Nomena Ratsihorimanana, were arrested on 12 April, one of their lawyers said, two days after taking part in a protest calling for an election date to be set. Continue reading...
-
Iranian American woman arrested in Los Angeles for alleged arms trafficking
15 hours ago
by Gloria Oladipo
Los Angeles, Iran, US news, Africa, Sudan, World news, California, West CoastFederal prosecutor says woman is suspected of dealing weapons to Africa on behalf of Iranian government A California woman was arrested at Los Angeles international airport after allegedly trafficking weapons on behalf of the Iranian government to contacts in Africa, including Sudan. Shamim Mafi, 44, of Woodland Hills was detained on Saturday night by federal agents, according to the top federal prosecutor in Los Angeles. Continue reading...
-
Kenyan firm sacks more than 1,000 workers after losing Meta contract
3 days ago
by Robert Booth UK technology editor
Meta, Kenya, Africa, World news, TechnologyMeta paused work with Sama last month after allegations about staff viewing private scenes filmed by smart glasses More than 1,000 low-paid workers in Kenya have been abruptly sacked by an outsourcing company contracted by Meta, in what activists said was a shocking move exposing the precariousness of tech jobs in the global south. Sama, a company based in Nairobi to which Meta outsourced content moderation and AI training work, announced on Thursday that the workers were being laid off after Meta terminated a contract. Continue reading...
-
Weather tracker: hail covers parts of Tunisia and Algeria like snow
3 days ago
by Faye Hulton for MetDesk
Extreme weather, Environment, Algeria, Tunisia, Italy, Wisconsin, Ohio, Africa, Europe, US newsAccumulations of up to 3cm deep reported as severe thunderstorms also bring heavy downpours to central Italy Severe thunderstorms have affected the Mediterranean this week. On Monday, a surface low-pressure system in the Mediterranean in conjunction with an upper air cut-off low, led to thunderstorms over north Africa. Their intensity was aided by the hot precursor conditions. Algeria and Tunisia were notably affected by the thunderstorms, with some hail accumulation layers as a result. When so much hail forms, it starts to lay down sheets of hail, covering the ground like snow. Hail accumulations of up to 3cm were reported in Oum
South China Morning Post
-
Why Spain’s outreach to China offers a viable model for Europe
30 minutes ago
by Miguel Otero-Iglesias,Mario Esteban
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s fourth visit to Beijing in four years has once again drawn attention across Europe and the Atlantic, but perhaps less scepticism than before. In an era marked by intensifying US-China rivalry, geopolitical fragmentation and the European Union’s emphasis on “de-risking”, Spain’s sustained engagement with China is often seen as a strategic divergence from Brussels. That reading, however, underestimates both Spain’s intentions and the broader shift under way...
-
Pope Leo criticises exploitation by world’s ‘authoritarians’ during Angola trip
an hour ago
by Reuters
Pope Leo lamented during an event in Angola on Monday that many people in the world were being “exploited by authoritarians and defrauded by the rich”, the latest example of a forceful new speaking style he has adopted on his four-nation Africa tour. The first US pope, who has drawn the ire of President Donald Trump with his more outspoken comments, told worshippers at a Mass in Saurimo, near the Democratic Republic of Congo border, that violence and oppression went against the Christian...
-
Russia arrests German woman over bomb plot it says is linked to Ukraine
3 hours ago
by Agence France-Presse
Russia said on Monday it had arrested a German woman found with a home-made bomb in her backpack in what it alleged was a Ukrainian-hatched plot to blow up a security services facility in the south. Russia has arrested dozens of people throughout the four-year war, mostly its own citizens, on allegations of working for Ukraine to carry out sabotage attacks. There has been a string of high-profile arrests of Western citizens since Moscow ordered its troops into Ukraine – typically on espionage...
-
US-Iran talks in the air as high-seas ship seizure reignites Hormuz tensions
3 hours ago
by Associated Press
Pakistan moved ahead on Monday with preparations for a new round of talks between the United States and Iran days before a tenuous ceasefire is set to expire, even as renewed conflict around the Strait of Hormuz raised questions about whether the meeting would take place. Over the weekend, the US attacked and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel, known as the Touska, that it said had tried to evade its blockade of Iranian ports. The US Navy ordered the ship to evacuate its engine room before...
-
China’s trade with Iran, Gulf states plunges as Strait of Hormuz crisis hits energy flows
5 hours ago
by Mia Nurmamat
China’s trade with Iran and Gulf countries fell sharply in March as restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz tightened amid the US-Israeli war on Iran. Newly released data by Chinese customs showed imports from Iran plunged 48 per cent year on year last month, while exports to the country dropped 90 per cent. Across the broader Middle East, exports to eight Persian Gulf economies – including Saudi Arabia and Qatar – fell by 57 per cent, while imports declined by nearly 33 per cent. The disruption...
New York Times
-
The Iran War Sent Shock Waves Through Asia That Are Likely to Spread
7 hours ago
by Damien Cave
International Relations, US and Israeli Attack on Iran (2026), Shortages, Prices (Fares, Fees and Rates), Oil (Petroleum) and Gasoline, Agriculture and Farming, Factories and Manufacturing, Far East, South and Southeast Asia and Pacific Areas, Vietnam, Philippines, Sri LankaThe Asia-Pacific was hit hard and quick by the war in Iran and its energy bottlenecks. Scenes of crisis there indicate that problems are multiplying and spreading.
-
Vance Heads to New Talks With Iran. At Stake: Peace and His Own Standing.
4 hours ago
by Tyler Pager
US and Israeli Attack on Iran (2026), United States International Relations, Embargoes and Sanctions, Ships and Shipping, Leo XIV, Vance, J D, Trump, Donald J, Iran, Strait of Hormuz, United States, United States Politics and Government, International Trade and World Market, Orban, Viktor, Islamabad (Pakistan)The vice president is again center stage, after abruptly leaving the first round of high-level Iranian peace talks without an agreement.
-
U.S. Attacks and Seizes Cargo Ship Near Iran, and a First Step Toward Tariff Refunds
3 hours ago
by Tracy Mumford, Will Jarvis, Margaret Kadifa, Jake Lucas, Ian Stewart and Michael D. Shear
US and Israeli Attack on Iran (2026), International Trade and World Market, Ships and Shipping, Prices (Fares, Fees and Rates), Iran, internal-open-access-audioPlus, Lego crime.
-
Trump Administration to Begin Refunding $166 Billion in Tariffs
an hour ago
by Tony Romm and Ana Swanson
United States Politics and Government, International Trade and World Market, Customs (Tariff), Small Business, Decisions and Verdicts, Customs and Border Protection (US), Trump, Donald JThe government will debut a system to repay importers two months after the Supreme Court struck down tariffs at the heart of the president’s trade policy.
-
Why Your Paycheck Feels Smaller
4 hours ago
by Ben Casselman, Nour Idriss, Sutton Raphael and Stephanie Swart
Wages and Salaries, Inflation (Economics), United States EconomyBen Casselman, our chief economics correspondent, explains why wages are not keeping up with inflation and what that means for American workers and the economy.