April 14, 2026 - Daily News Digest
On this day: in 1988, the USS Samuel B. Roberts strikes a mine in the Persian Gulf during Operation Earnest Will. The US would respond with Operation Praying Mantis, which would see the U.S. Navy's first exchange of anti-ship missiles with opposing ships, and by then its only sinking of a major surface combatant since World War II.
QOTD: “President Trump has been clear that he wants the Strait of Hormuz to be fully open to facilitate the free flow of energy,” said White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly. “The administration is in frequent contact with our Gulf allies, who the President is helping by ensuring that Iran cannot extort the United States or any other country.”
IRAN/US/MIL/SHIPPING - Tankers pass Strait of Hormuz on first day of US blockade, data shows
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/us-sanctioned-chinese-tanker-passes-strait-hormuz-despite-us-blockade-data-shows-2026-04-14/
A third Iran-linked tanker was entering the Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday on the first full day of the U.S. blockade on vessels calling at Iranian ports, shipping data showed.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced the blockade on Sunday after weekend peace talks in Islamabad between the U.S. and Iran failed to reach a deal.
As the three vessels transiting the strait were not heading to Iranian ports, they are not covered by the blockade.
Panama-flagged Peace Gulf, a medium-range tanker, is heading to Hamriyah port in the United Arab Emirates, LSEG data showed.
The vessel typically moves Iranian naphtha, a petrochemical feedstock, to other non-Iranian Middle Eastern ports for export to Asia, Kpler data showed.
Prior to this, two U.S.-sanctioned tankers passed through the narrow waterway.
Handy tanker Murlikishan is heading to Iraq to load fuel oil on April 16, Kpler data showed. The vessel, formerly known as MKA, has transported Russian and Iranian oil.
Another sanctioned tanker, Rich Starry, would be the first to make it through the strait and to exit the Gulf since the blockade began, data from LSEG and Kpler showed.
KSA/IRAN/US/MIL/YEMEN - Saudi Arabia Is Pressing U.S. to Drop Its Naval Blockade
https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/saudi-arabia-us-strait-of-hormuz-blockade-25fbd430?mod=hp_lead_pos7
Saudi Arabia is pressing the U.S. to drop its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and return to the negotiating table, fearing President Trump’s move to close it off could lead Iran to escalate and disrupt other important shipping routes, Arab officials said.
The blockade is aimed at raising the pressure on Iran’s already crippled economy. But the officials said Saudi Arabia has warned Iran might retaliate by closing the Bab al-Mandeb—a Red Sea chokepoint crucial for the kingdom’s remaining oil exports.
The pushback is a sign of the risks and limitations of U.S. efforts to pry open the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran shut early in the war by attacking ships in the waterway, cutting off around 13 million barrels a day in oil exports and sending futures prices above $100 a barrel.
The blockade of Iranian ports went into effect Monday after Trump’s threats of bombardments and talks over the weekend failed to persuade Iran to relax its hold on the Strait of Hormuz.
[…]Saudi Arabia recently has been able to get its oil exports back up to their prewar level of around seven million barrels a day despite the blockage in the strategic strait by piping its crude across the desert to the Red Sea. Those supplies would be at risk if the Red Sea’s exit route were closed as well.
UN/IRAN/FOOD - Protracted Hormuz crisis could trigger agrifood catastrophe, UN food agency says
https://www.reuters.com/world/protracted-hormuz-crisis-could-trigger-agrifood-catastrophe-un-food-agency-says-2026-04-13/
A prolonged crisis in the Strait of Hormuz could trigger a global agrifood catastrophe by disrupting fertiliser and energy exports, driving up food prices and squeezing crop yields, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said on Monday.
FAO Chief Economist Maximo Torero said poorer countries were most exposed because planting calendars meant delaysin access to key inputs could quickly translate into lower output, higher inflation and slower global growth.
RUSSIA/ENERGY - Russia’s Oil Windfall From Middle East War Keeps Growing
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-14/russia-s-oil-windfall-from-middle-east-war-keeps-growing?srnd=phx-markets
Russia is on course for another oil-tax windfall as the war in the Middle East drives up prices, as well as demand for the country’s crude.
Key export blend Urals sold at Russia’s western ports averaged $106.30 a barrel in the first 13 days of April, according to Argus Media, whose data is used by Moscow to calculate oil taxes. That’s a 42% jump from March, when prices were also pushed higher by the escalating conflict.
Moscow has emerged as a winner from the war as the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz throttles Middle East energy supplies and upends global markets. The turmoil has lifted the price of Urals well above the $59 a barrel assumed in Russia’s 2026 budget — a gain anticipated by the government last month when it stepped up spending.
The nation’s oil taxes are calculated from the Urals market price with a one-month time lag, meaning the effects of March’s rally on the budget will be reflected from this month.
The boost to Russian coffers is particularly visible when prices are calculated in the local currency, as the hike means more rubles for each taxed barrel. The average Urals price in March surged to 6,191 rubles, according to Bloomberg calculations based on government data that takes Argus figures into account.
DPRK/MIL/TECH - North Korea tests cruise and anti-ship missiles from naval destroyer
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/north-korea-tests-cruise-anti-ship-missiles-naval-destroyer-2026-04-13/
North Korea conducted another test of strategic cruise missiles and anti-warship missiles on Sunday as part of operational efficiency trials of its destroyer Choe Hyon, state media KCNA said on Tuesday.
Leader Kim Jong Un observed the test alongside senior defence officials and naval commanders, the report said.
Two strategic cruise missiles and three anti-warship missiles were fired to check the warship's integrated weapons command system, train crews in missile-launch procedures and verify the accuracy and anti-jamming performance of upgraded navigation systems, KCNA said.
The cruise missiles flew for about 7,869 to 7,920 seconds and the anti-warship missiles for about 1,960 to 1,973 seconds over waters off the country's western coast, striking their targets with what the report described as ultra-precision accuracy.
KCNA said Kim was briefed the same day on weapons system plans for two additional destroyers under construction, indicating preparations for the third and fourth vessels of the Choe Hyon class.
Kim said strengthening what he called the country's nuclear war deterrent remained a top priority, and called for improving strategic and tactical strike capabilities and rapid-response readiness, the report said.
GREENLAND/US/POL - Greenland Taps Ex-Premier for Top Diplomat Role Amid US Talks
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-14/greenland-taps-ex-premier-for-top-diplomat-role-amid-us-talks?srnd=phx-politics
Greenland’s former prime minister, Mute B. Egede, will take over as foreign minister, placing a political heavyweight in charge of managing diplomatic relations with the US as Donald Trump maintains his desire to annex the Arctic territory.
Egede, 39, will take over from Vivian Motzfeldt, who resigned last month after her party left the ruling coalition. He served as prime minister from 2021 to 2025, navigating Greenland through a period of heightened political strain as Trump returned to power in the US and renewed threats to take control of the island.
The appointment puts Egede in a key position at a critical moment for Greenland’s ties with Washington. Earlier this year, Greenland and Denmark entered into negotiations with the US following a framework agreement, but the core dispute remains unresolved as Trump still wants the territory.
Greenland’s current prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, presented his new cabinet on Tuesday after several departures triggered a reshuffle. Apart from Motzfeldt, Naaja Nathanielsen, the former minister for business and raw materials, exited the cabinet after winning a seat in Denmark’s parliament.
CANADA/POL - Canada’s Carney Secures Majority Mandate After Electoral Wins, Political Defections
https://www.wsj.com/world/americas/canadas-carney-secures-majority-mandate-after-electoral-wins-political-defections-2f10dcd8?mod=world_feat3_americas_pos1
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has secured a majority government, cementing his hold on power after electoral victories Monday night and defections to his Liberal Party caucus over the past six months.
The political developments give Carney a freer hand to aggressively pursue a policy agenda aimed at rebuilding the struggling Canadian economy through increasing exports to non-U.S. markets, accelerating infrastructure and resource projects, and stabilizing public finances.
With a majority of the seats in the federal legislature, the governing Liberals can pass legislation without cutting side deals with opposition parties and can wait until 2029 to call an election.
The Liberals won an election roughly a year ago, but fell just short of a majority mandate.
Based on early results, Canadian news networks projected the Liberals victorious in two special elections to fill vacant electoral districts in Toronto. With these projections, the Liberals hold 173 seats, or just over half of the 343 in the national legislature. The last time Canada had a majority government was in 2019, or at the end of former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s first term.
A third special election in a northern Montreal suburb, also vacant, was too close to call. A Liberal victory in Quebec could push the party’s seat count to 174.
SPAIN/POL - Spain PM Pedro Sanchez’s wife charged with corruption after years-long probe
https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20260413-spanish-pm-pedro-sanchez-wife-charged-corruption-years-long-probe
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's wife, Begona Gomez, has been formally charged with corruption after a years-long criminal investigation, according to a court ruling published Monday.
The probe is one of several corruption cases that have embroiled the Socialist leader's family and former allies, putting pressure on his minority coalition government.
Judge Juan Carlos Peinado opened the investigation in April 2024 to determine whether Gomez had exploited her position as Sanchez's wife for private gain, which she and the prime minister deny.
The case centres on the creation and management of a chair at Madrid's Complutense University that was co-directed by Gomez, as well as the alleged use of public resources and personal connections to advance private interests.
Peinado said his investigation had found sufficient indications of criminal conduct by Gomez, 55, according to a ruling dated April 11 that was made public on Monday.
TURKEY/SEC - Sixteen injured after ex-student opens fire at high school in Turkey
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2k33xk24nyo
At least 16 people have been injured after an ex-student opened fire at a high school in south-eastern Turkey.
The attacker, who was in his late teens, fired "indiscriminately with a shotgun" before killing himself with the weapon after being "cornered by police", local governor Hasan Şildak said.
Those injured include 10 students, four teachers, a cafeteria worker and a police officer, he said.
The incident happened at around 09:30 local time (06:30 GMT) at the Ahmet Koyuncu Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School in Siverek district. It has since been evacuated.
The wounded were taken to hospital, with five later transferred to other facilities for further treatment.
The motive for the attack is not yet known and an investigation has been launched.
Şildak said the attacker had no criminal record and that the school was considered safe by police. School shootings are rare in Turkey.
Local media reported that the attacker had recently posted on the school's social media accounts, threatening that there would be an attack "in a few days".
LEBANON/US - Hezbollah official says the group won’t abide by any agreements from Lebanon-Israel talks in the US
https://apnews.com/article/hezbollah-lebanon-israel-wafiq-safa-a7af20b76ace9a34d8f641bca91e0b23
The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah will not abide by any agreements that may result from the direct Lebanon-Israel talks in the United States, negotiations it firmly opposes, a senior Hezbollah official said Monday.
Wafiq Safa, a high-ranking member of Hezbollah’s political council, spoke on the eve of the talks expected in Washington between Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors to the U.S. It will be the first time in decades that envoys from Lebanon and Israel, which do not have diplomatic relations, meet face-to-face in direct talks.
“As for the outcomes of this negotiation between Lebanon and the Israeli enemy, we are not interested in or concerned with them at all,” Safa told The Associated Press.
“We are not bound by what they agree to,” he added in a rare interview with international media. He spoke next to a cemetery as an Israeli drone buzzed overhead.
COLOMBIA/HIPPOS - Colombia to euthanize dozens of "cocaine hippos" linked to drug lord Pablo Escobar in bid to control population
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/colombia-to-euthanize-cocaine-hippos-pablo-escobar/
Colombian officials on Monday authorized a plan to cull dozens of hippos roaming freely through a region in the center of the country, where they threaten villagers and displace native species years after notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar brought in the first ones.
Environment Minister Irene Vélez said previous methods to control the population of the so-called "cocaine hippos" have been expensive and unsuccessful, including neutering some of the animals or moving them to zoos. Vélez said up to 80 hippos would be affected by the measure. She did not say when hunting would begin.
"If we don't do this we will not be able to control the population," Vélez said. "We have to take this action to preserve our ecosystems."
Colombia is the only country outside of Africa with a wild hippo population. The hippos are the descendants of four brought to the country in the 1980s by Escobar as he built a private zoo in Hacienda Nápoles, a gigantic ranch in the Magdalena River valley with a private landing strip that served as his rural abode.
A study published by Colombia's National University estimated that around 170 hippos were roaming freely in the country in 2022.
Colombia has declared them an invasive species and experts have said sterilization alone is not enough to control the growth of the animals, which is why the government previously arranged for the possible transfer of hippos to overseas sanctuaries. But the cost of deporting the hippos is also expensive — an estimated $3.5 million.
Recently, hippos have been spotted in areas that are more than 60 miles north of the ranch.
GERMANY/GRILLERS/NICE - World's oldest gorilla celebrates birthday at Berlin Zoo
https://www.dw.com/en/worlds-oldest-gorilla-celebrates-69th-birthday-at-berlin-zoo/a-76760115
At 69 years old, Lady Fatou on Monday became not only the Berlin Zoo's longest-residing tenant but also maintained her title as the oldest gorilla in the world.
Born somewhere in West Africa in 1957, she arrived in Europe at the port of Marseilles in 1959 in the luggage of a French sailor. According to the Berlin Zoo, the sailor found himself unable to pay his bill at a tavern and gave Fatou to the landlady as payment. From there, she soon ended up in the German capital.
Fatou is a western lowland gorilla. In the wild they usually don't live past their 40s, and even in captivity 50 is considered advanced old age.
In 1974 she gave birth to Dufte, the first gorilla born at the Berlin Zoo. Although her daughter passed away in 2001, Fatou's granddaugther M'penzi still keeps her company in Berlin. She has at least three great-great-great grandchildren as of 2026.