As the world braces for a potential “Battle of Hormuz” to reopen the world’s most important energy chokepoint, governments and energy markets are scrambling to answer a daunting question: What happens if the Strait of Hormuz stays closed for weeks or even months? The narrow waterway between Iran and Oman is the most critical chokepoint in the global energy system. Roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply moves through it every day, along with enormous volumes of natural gas and petrochemical feedstocks. In practical terms,…

20 de marzo de 2026.- Las operaciones aéreas entre la República Dominicana y Venezuela quedaron oficialmente restablecidas tras una suspensión de casi dos años. El reinicio de esta conexión se concretó con el vuelo inaugural de la aerolínea Laser Airlines, lo que marca el fin de las restricciones...

En el marco del proyecto "Medios de Subsistencia Agrícolas de Emergencia para las Comunidades Afectadas por las Inundaciones", la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Alimentación y la Agricultura (FAO), con apoyo del Fondo Central para la Acción en Casos de Emergencia de las ...

Refiners in Asia are paying huge premiums for crude that could replace some of the supply stuck in the Middle East, with the most suitable grades from Norway and the U.S. being bid at record-high double-digit premiums over Dated Brent.  Many refineries in Asia, which is the most dependent region on Middle East supply, are designed to optimally run on the sour and heavier grades that the Gulf producers export. Now that most Gulf supply is either curtailed at the upstream level or stuck on tankers unable to pass the Strait of Hormuz, refiners…

Refiners in Asia are paying huge premiums for crude that could replace some of the supply stuck in the Middle East, with the most suitable grades from Norway and the U.S. being bid at record-high double-digit premiums over Dated Brent.  Many refineries in Asia, which is the most dependent region on Middle East supply, are designed to optimally run on the sour and heavier grades that the Gulf producers export. Now that most Gulf supply is either curtailed at the upstream level or stuck on tankers unable to pass the Strait of Hormuz, refiners…

Oil is heading for a fifth straight weekly gain, with Brent near $109, as the Strait of Hormuz remains shut for a third week, keeping supply tight despite policy efforts to ease the market. Friday, March 20, 2026 Oil markets are set to post their fifth consecutive weekly gain (excepting WTI which will see a minor week-over-week decline), with ICE Brent trading around $109 per barrel. Whilst the Trump administration has sought to defuse market concerns using any means available – waiving the Jones Act, easing Russian sanctions further or de-sanctioning…

La Habana, 19 mar (Prensa Latina) Organizadores del Convoy solidario europeo Let Cuba Breathe (Dejen respirar a Cuba) denunciaron hoy aquí la política de máxima presión del gobierno de Estados Unidos contra la isla, y reafirmaron su respaldo al derecho de esta nación caribeña a la paz y la aut...

El preside...

El ministro de las Comunas, Ángel Prado, informó que todo el equipo del despacho que dirige se irá a la calle para "trabajar junto al Poder Popular en la fase de ejecución de los proyectos" seleccionados en la Consulta Popular Nacional del 8 de marzo. Detalló que la ruta d...

Europe’s benchmark natural gas prices soared this week after Qatar’s key LNG hub sustained extensive damage in Iranian missile attacks, with European gas prices on track for a 20% weekly jump early on Friday as the market braces itself for years of disrupted supply out of the world’s second-largest LNG exporter.    The April 2026 contract of the Dutch TTF Natural Gas Futures slightly eased early on Friday from the surge on Thursday and was trading flat at about $72 (62 euros) per megawatt-hour (MWh) as…

Europe’s benchmark natural gas prices soared this week after Qatar’s key LNG hub sustained extensive damage in Iranian missile attacks, with European gas prices on track for a 20% weekly jump early on Friday as the market braces itself for years of disrupted supply out of the world’s second-largest LNG exporter.    The April 2026 contract of the Dutch TTF Natural Gas Futures slightly eased early on Friday from the surge on Thursday and was trading flat at about $72 (62 euros) per megawatt-hour (MWh) as…

De manera unilateral, el gobierno costarricense limitó las relaciones con la Mayor de las Antillas al ámbito consular El presidente cubano, Miguel Díaz-Canel, rechazó la decisión unilateral del gobierno de Costa Rica de «…rebajar el nivel de las relaciones con Cuba, lim...

El vicepresidente sectorial de Planificación, Ricardo Menéndez, advirtió sobre los riesgos asociados al uso de la inteligencia artificial, especialmente en la manipulación de la información y su incidencia en la libertad de pensamiento de la sociedad venezolana. Así lo dejó saber du...

When Israeli jets struck the South Pars gas complex near Asaluyeh, they hit more than pipes and compressors. They struck the single piece of infrastructure most essential to Iran's ability to function -- a field that provides 75 percent of Iran's domestic gas supply and powers roughly 80 percent of the country's electricity generation. The strike halted output at two refineries with a combined daily capacity of around 100 million cubic meters, sending prices soaring and triggering Iranian retaliatory strikes on energy infrastructure in Gulf Arab…

El Instituto Venezolano de los Seguros Sociales (IVSS) anunció que el pago de las pensiones correspondientes al mes de abril se realizará el viernes 20 de marzo, según una publicación difundida en su cuenta oficial de Instagram. El organismo recordó a los beneficiarios que pueden realizar sus ...

El Cuerpo de Guardianes de Irán dedica la 67ª oleada de ataques de represalia contra EE.UU. e Israel a su portavoz mártir y advierte que a Trump y Netanyahu les esperará un destino similar a Sadam. En un comunicado, el Cuerpo de Guardianes de la Revolución Islámica (CGRI) de Ir...

Cuba is set to soon receive two Russian cargoes of crude and diesel amid the U.S. energy blockade that has caused an unprecedented power crisis in the country.   The shipments from Russia, which considers Cuba as one of few “friendly countries”, could test the U.S. resolve to continue isolating energy shipments for the island. If the tankers en route to Cuba do arrive in the coming days, they would be the first Russian oil and fuel shipments to the country this year.  The tanker Anatoly Kolodkin, sanctioned by the U.S.,…

From Sunday through late Thursday, oil swung sharply as traders moved between two competing forces: escalating war risk in the Middle East and a growing policy response aimed at easing supply shortages. As of late Thursday, nearby WTI crude oil traded at $94.13, down $3.90 or 3.98%, reflecting how quickly sentiment shifted during the week. War Risk Collides With Supply Relief, Driving Violent Oil Price Swings Early in the week, crude prices moved lower as initial fears of a complete supply choke eased. Reports indicated that some tankers had begun…

Politics, Geopolitics & Conflict Trump’s “51st state” comment on Venezuela comes as the country’s power structure is being reset in a way that looks controlled, not transformed. Delcy Rodríguez has replaced longtime defense chief Vladimir Padrino López with Gustavo González López, an intelligence figure tied directly to internal security. This is more of a tightening of control over the military and surveillance apparatus at a critical time when anything could shake it. At the same time, Venezuela’s…

Everything is about leverage.  Hormuz is no longer the only story as the White House loses control of its version of the narrative. The conflict is shifting toward direct control over physical supply and the infrastructure that moves it. Washington’s answer to Hormuz is Kharg Island, through which some 90% of Iran’s oil exports moved prior to this week. The strategy here was a U.S. strike that targeted military assets but left export infrastructure intact in order to maintain it for future leverage. As long as those terminals and…